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SINCE
time immemorial, summer has always meant fun and games,
beach fun, pool side pranks, and laughter to go with it.
Summer
is also OJT (on-the-job training) season for lots of
incoming seniors who are eager to get their feet wet in
the corporate world—or the real world, as they call it.
In our little “shop” we have our share of these avid
youngsters, as well. And they bring such precious useful
energy to the place.
SO what
games are you playing this summer? I ask one of them—a
20-year old named Jazel P. Justiniani, a Communication
Arts major from Miriam College. Jazel, as it turns out,
is a jumping bean of a girl: former member of her
school’s pep squad, very athletic and into a lot of
extracurricular stuff that rounds her off as an
individual.
She
starts telling me about Flag Football—how there’s a
whole subculture that’s into it, intensely addicted to
it and so religiously devoted that they’re at it three
days a week, 12 months a year, whenever they can.
You’ll
meet the most glamorous people in flag football, Jazel
says. Her playmates include car racer Gabby de la
Merced, and commercial model-hot hunk Marc Nelson, who
is one of the best exponents of the game.
IF
you’ve never heard of flag football, blame it on your
couch, Potato Head. You need to imbibe the sport from
those who actually play it. And you’ve got to get
yourself out in that green, open field, do some serious
running, strategizing and have fast hands to get the
flags from the opponent to count them in your favor.
For the
record, here’s what differentiates flag football from
other kinds of football. Wiki says: The basic rules of
the game are similar to those of the professional game,
but instead of tackling players to the ground, the
defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the
ball carrier (“deflagging”) to end a down. In most
organized play, players wear a belt with flags around
the waist, but the number of flags varies from league to
league. Like touch football, flag football was designed
in an effort to minimize injuries that playing tackle
football could bring. Over the years, however, contact
leagues have emerged, where offensive and defensive
players can block in certain zones or downfield, adding
to the myriad styles of the game.
BUT
that’s not all that young kids are going gaga about
nowadays. Jazel also tells me about Ultimate Frisbee, a
refinement of the
just-throw-it-and-let-your-dog-catch-it kind of Frisbee.
This one
requires athleticism, skill and passion. It helps if
you’re hyper and competitive, love playing in a team and
have dog-leaping abilities, as well.
Here’s
how it goes: “Ultimate is played between two teams of
seven players on a large rectangular pitch. A line drawn
across the pitch at either end creates two “endzones”
(like in American Football). These are the goal-scoring
areas. A goal is scored when a team completes a pass to
a player standing (or more likely running) in the
endzone they are attacking.
Players
cannot run with the disc. When you get the disc you must
come to a stop and try to throw it to another player (a
bit like netball). By passing from player to player, the
offense attempts to work the disc up the pitch toward
the endzone they are attacking. If the disc hits the
ground or is intercepted or knocked down by the other
team, then the opposition takes possession (a change of
possession is called a “turnover,” like American
football). Possession also changes if a receiver is
outside the playing area when he or she catches it.
The
defending team attempts to stop the team with the disc
from making progress upfield by marking them (as in
soccer or basketball). The theory is that the offense
won’t want to pass to a player who is being marked
closely, as it’s likely to result in an interception. So
it boils down to the offense players trying to get free
of their markers to receive a pass, while the defense
makes every effort to stay with them in the hope of
forcing a turnover.”
OF
course, there are water sports to heat you up and cool
you down all at the same time. Parasailing has become
the thing to watch—and try—if you’ve got the guts, the
balance and the pizzazz to play in the water.
You can
do this up north or down south—and Filipinos are
supposed to be good at this because it has no height
requirement, and our archipelago status makes us innate
water babies.
Of
course, there’s beach volleyball—the favorite summer (or
all-season sport) that corporate entities love to
sponsor. We have honed it into an art form, and the
sight of those tall, tanned, taut and amazingly strong
Filipinas in two-piece suits makes the sport all the
more interesting to watch. Eh, Tish Abundo?
WHATEVER
your sport, whether you’re a landlubber or a sea nymph,
just make sure you protect yourself with sunblock and
drink lots of water (to avoid heat stroke). You can only
have fun if you’re healthy—and alive. |
