SARAH and Dave Trovell, having met while playing Ultimate Frisbee, took the plunge in a bid to escape the typical English weather, moving from London, their hometown, in search of the sun Down Under 10 years ago.
Having represented Great Britain and various club teams, they racked over 50 years’ experience between the two of them, with seven national titles and one European championship under their belt and having joined 16 world championship events. They are no strangers to traveling around the globe.
Life in the city of Melbourne was conducive enough for the couple to juggle competitions, coaching, day jobs and a growing family, as they begot two children.
However, their adventurous spirit brought them to consider trying something new, something akin to plunging into uncharted waters. For them, where they can make a difference while engaging in Ultimate has always played a big part in their lives.
And why not Manila! Having heard that the sport shows great potential in terms of number of players and clubs, owing to the tireless work of the Philippine Flying Disc Association, Dave and Sarah decided to give it a shot. After all, this presented a great opportunity to show the world to their children before school would begin to require more serious work.
They arrived in the first few days of July and hitting the ground running. They started working with two high-school teams in Alabang, Paref Southridge Admirals Ultimate and Paref Woodrose Ultimate, both under the management and coaching of JMJ Sports Training Services.
Working with young players eager to learn from them, soaking up everything they can and seeing their excitement is so rewarding, and it turns out they were showing the couple how to celebrate victories Filipino style.
Boasting more than 80 teams as it stands, Metro Manila offers many coaching opportunities, and they will also run open clinics in the provinces in an effort to share with as many people as possible; their extensive knowledge of different styles of Ultimate, such as team strategies, set plays and skills from around the world, particularly after attending the most recent World Championship in London, to help raise the standard of ultimate nationwide.
Their coaching philosophy is that players should have fun, have a competitive element and be game realistic, as they use a lot of minigames and simulate common game situations.
They also teach all players the skills from every position emphasizing the concept of “Total Ultimate” versus specialization. Focusing on confidence building and team spirit, aside from preparation for big-game situations, is what sets the couple apart.
While they have coached men’s and women’s teams at the elite level in Australia, they are open to tweak their approach, as most ultimate games here are mixed, four guys and three girls on each side.
The Trovells are set to stay until February, but who knows what fate dictates. For now they will be helping some teams prepare for Asia’s ultimate tournament—the Manila Spirits, slated from November 18 to 20 at the Alabang Country Club. The tournament will have more than 1,000 players worldwide converging to compete.
Exciting times ahead for the couple, as Ultimate is probably the fastest-growing sport in the Philippines. Tournaments do get sponsors, and the national team is making waves on the international stage.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time, and all this while having wicked fun.
Image credits: JMJ Sports Training Services FaceBook page