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| Captain of the Brown Team, Jason Lopez (L) leaps for the disk against the Blue Team in the Vietnam Hat semifinals on Sunday - Photo: Pieter Funnekotter |
The team captains, David Jensen, an American who resides in Saigon, of the Orange Team and Jason Lopez, a Filipino who works in Singapore, of the Brown Team, both veteran Asian Ultimate Frisbee players, faced off in a desperate competition of high flying grabs and belly sliding layouts.
Lopez said he had been the bridesmaid at the last three Vietnam Hat tournament finals and was determined to be the bride this time
After Sunday’s tense 10-13 loss in the fading daylight, Lopez, whose Brown team was underdog to Jensen’s Orange, could only wait for next year. Jensen’s masterful long throws and high grabs stole the match from Lopez whose focus on the flying disc and athleticism was akin to a border collie.
Brilliant performances from team members on both sides kept the scores moving neck and neck throughout the long match.
“In seven years of playing in the Vietnam Hat this is the highest level of play and the most breathtaking plays I’ve seen in a final,” Jensen said.
The opposite to Lopez, Jensen has won the four finals he has played in the Vietnam Hat – two of them against the Filipino.
The Vietnam Hat 2010 over the weekend at the RMIT International University fields in HCMC’s District 7 was the biggest Ultimate Frisbee tournament held in Vietnam so far with nearly 200 competitors from at least 13 countries.
There were 50 Vietnamese players, 20 expats in Vietnam with the remainder traveling from around the world to play at the tournament.
Most of the international visitors were taking a short holiday in Vietnam after the tournament before going home.
One of the Orange team players, Barry Labendz, 29, of Brooklyn New York, who is on a six week holiday in Asia, said, “That’s what’s cool about playing Ultimate, people travel around so much.”
“I have never traveled in Asia so I wanted to entrench myself in the Frisbee community,” he said.
The Saigon Times Daily was the proud media sponsor of Vietnam Hat 2010.
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