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Which country are you describing?

Boracay Island and the Philippines

For how many years have you had experience with Ultimate in your country?

I've been playing Ultimate for almost 3 years. Mostly we play beach Ultimate since we live in Boracay, one of the best islands in the world.

How long has your country had Ultimate?

I believe Ultimate started in the Philippines in 1999. A couple of expats taught a group of people in Manila. But here in Boracay it started officially in 2003.

Does your country currently have:

Leagues? How many? How many people play in them?
In the Philippines there are 3 leagues in Manila. One league whichis the Mens and Womens. Two which are usually mixed.There are 2 international tournaments. The Boracay Open which plays on the beach (4on4)and the Manila Spirits which is on grass. For the leagues there are about 15 localteams. For the tournaments, it ranges from 15-20 teams. Usually about 4 international teams joining.

Club Teams? How many? Are there dominant club teams?
For the grass tournaments, the UP Sunken Pleasure usually are contendersin the finals, if not champions. Our Boracay Dragons give the Manila teams a run for their money on grass. Butfor this upcoming Monsoon League in Manila, we are merging with a team in Manila (Askalz) and hopefully we will beat the SP guys.

On beach, we have been unbeaten for 5 years now. The only team that has beaten us are the Australians in the last WCBU.

University or College teams? How many?
Ultimate is fast growing in the Philippines. There are afew collegiate teams. Maybeless than 10 teams. But I don't think they have leagues for that level. These teams usually join the Manila leagues.

Youth (under 18-years-old) teams? How many?
For the youth teams, they have 1 organized training team which is the National Youth Training Program or NYTP. Here in Boracay, we are training kids and doing clinics for them. The kids ages ranges from 10-16. The older ones, 17 and above we try to bring to the tournaments we join outside of Boracay.

A National administration for Ultimate?
Yes we have the Philippine Ultimate Association or PUA which is based in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. But here in Boracay we have the Boracay Beach Ultimate Association, which handles purely beach Ultimate concerns.

Where or how do most people learn about the game?

In Manila there are beginners night and probably word spread due to the tournaments and leagues. Here in Boracay, people see us play on the beach everyday. They get interested and eventually ask to be taught. The annual Boracay Open also attracts a lot of people. I guessthat's how they learn about the game.

Where do most people play?

Here in Boracay, we just go out to the long stretch of fine white sand beach. It's not difficult to play because it's just very near where people are living. No need to take a car. Just walking distance for most of us.

Do people in your country play in or against other countries?

Yes. We have international tournaments and we also join tournaments outside the Philippines. The farthest we travelled was for the WCBU (in Brazil) where the travel time for us was 3 days.

Have there been individuals that have been major contributors to the growth of Ultimate in your country? Who are they? What did they do that helped the game grow so well?

Wendell Simbulan is one of the major contributors for the growth of Ultimate in the Philippines. He is very patient in teaching not just beginners but also help develop and improve the games ofother experiencedplayers. Our team, the Boracay Dragons also consult him with trainings and other matters.

What does your country need to continue to develop? If the UPA were to donate $3,000 to you to help develop Ultimate in your country, what would you do with it?

We can use it to fly in good coaches and trainers from other countries to do trainings and talks. With Philippines being a 3rd world countrymaybewe canjoin not just regional tournaments but international tournaments as well to help raise the level of play.

Every country has a different 'style' of play...what is yours?

For the Boracay Dragons it's the fast-paced plays. We are shorter than most Americans or Europeans but definitely faster as what the other teams saw during the WCBU in Brazil.

What is next for the game in your country? What is one upcoming development, or what is a hurdle that Ultimate will have to overcome to continue to spread?

For the Boracay Dragons, we definitely want to gain more experience and exposure by joining more international tournaments.We heard that most of the best teams in the world join Paganello, so that's our next big project. Our team is composed of low income earners and most players can't afford to travel without help.That's why we raise funds by getting sponsors and trying to earn something as a team.

And also, we want to develp the kids, of course. They are the future of the sport.

Karen Cabrerea plays for the Boracay Dragon.