Philippine Asian News Today | Page 18

A18 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY August 16 - 31, 2016 Coop Sports Fest fosters community spirit Last Saturday was volleyball tournament finals at the Foreign Workers Coop Sports Fest at the Royal Kwantlen Park in Surrey. That afternoon, trophies were on full display at the FWC’s number one tent. The women’s volleyball competition had ended an hour earlier, and most people were now relaxing and hanging out, while the men’s tournament was still going full bore. The North Shore Nissan men’s team was up against the Pabebe Boys, in what one called the mother of all cham- pionship volleyball games, because everyone watching was holding their breath. The two teams were evenly matched, and their scores were tied after the fourth set. You have to remember, the Pabebe Boys and the North Shore Nissans are two of the best teams in the league. The battle for the trophy was incredibly intense. Every serve, every spike expresses the players’ desire to dominate the competition. Yet the friendships between the opposing teams were also amazingly real. They have played each other in other venues and in other tournaments. These men were friends. There was a lot of friendly heckling being exchanged, but there were also high-fives and fist bumps when someone did a really good job. In the end the North Shore Nissans edged the Pabebe Boys out of their first place position, and took the championship trophy. For this year’s FWC Sports Fest, the Volleyball Men’s Tournament winners are: The North Shore Nissans – Champions; The Pabebe Boys – 2nd place; the Cool Raiders - 3rd place. The Women’s Tournament winners are: The North Shore Nissan Women’s team – Champions; The PhilBC Jousters – 2nd place; The Cool Raiders Women – 3rd place. The Most Valuable Players are Enrique Tacsagon of the North Shore Nissan’s Men and Winonah Bagang of the North Shore Nissan’s Women. Meanwhile, the invitational basketball games were played well into the evening, By Crisanta Sampang featuring two temporary foreign worker teams, the Abby Boys, and the Village Farms Shooters from Delta, playing with non-TFW players from Surrey and Vancouver. The Sports Fest was so successful in bringing people together and in building communities of friendships in the Fraser Valley and in the Lower Mainland, that everyone was looking forward to doing it again next year. Maybe even a Winter Sports Tournament – perhaps - the players themselves hopefully suggested. The FWC Sports Fest 2016 most valuable players, Enrique Tacsagon& Winona Bagan, posing with FWC CEO Au Ferrera and sponsor Irma Acatillado Nissan Women’s Team: New Volleyball Champion! Vancouver, August 28, 2016 — Congratulations to the Nissan Women’s Team! Nissan Women’s Team won all the rounds in the elimination games against six other competing women’s volleyball teams and proudly emerged as this year’s Champion of the Fifth Annual Volleyball Tournament at Slocan Park. First Place went to Phil BC-Jousters and the Second Place went to Kick My A’s. Each player in the winning teams got the Migrante BC volleyball medal and the certificate of participation from special guest Mable Elmore, MLA of Vancouver-Kensington. The other participating women’s teams were WestCoast Thunder, WestCoast Power Storm, WestCoast Warriors, and Migrante BC. In the men’s volleyball, the Nissan Boys won the Championship with the Men’s Cool Raiders coming in First Place. Migrante BC thanks its volunteer referees, scorers and linepersons, as well as all the participating teams and their supporters. The volleyball tournament was played in friendly competition with many of the players having competed in the past years in the annual Migrante BC’s volleyball tournament since 2012. Aileen Villeta of the Migrante BC Volleyball Team said, “This is a good event to We are Number One!” Nissan women’s teamà 2016 Migrante BC Volleyball Champion WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM mark the end of the summer. We took a short break to let the rain pass and while it was “sweater weather,” everybody, including the children, had a good time. “ The Volleyball Tournament is organized by the Migrante BC Sports and Recreation Committee and Migrante volunteers and families. Phil BC-Jousters - First Place