EUC Preview - INTERVIEW - GB MIXED Coach Mark Davin

Check out this interview with MARK DAVIN, one of the four coaches/managers of the 2011 GB Mixed team (next to Iain Thackrah, Paul Waite and Ali Smith) who are title defenders as they won the 2007 EUC in Southampton,England.

GetHo' : How's the GB squad looking this year ? Do player choices for open or women's influence your roster a lot ? A lot of players from EUC2007 in Southampton ?


Mark Davin : "Its been a really thorough process to make sure the team is suitably strong going into the 2011, our trials started in November 2010 and we have trained on a monthly basis since then including a trip to Boston, USA to play against some very exceptional mixed opposition.

I would be lying if I didn't think that the preference for Womens and Open GB squads also plays its part regarding the trials process, its a very attractive prospect for any elite player to aspire towards. However, I believe that this concept is changing. Mixed Ultimate in the UK is highly subscribed to by nearly 60 teams per season (including a further 40+ university teams) and the standard of play and ability of these teams has increased significantly over the last 4 years.
The progression of Mixed Ultimate is very much on the radar in the UK and the GB Mixed squad is no longer considered a stepping stone or feeder team for the Open or Women's squads. The profile of Mixed Ultimate in the UK has also been raised through GB's debut appearance at the World Games in 2009 in Chinese Taipei. It is our goal as GB Ultimate, in all divisions, at WUGC2012 to again qualify for the World Games in 2013.


When applying to try out for the GB senior squads, all players are encouraged to apply for more than one division if they wish. The trials process permits players to trial for the squads of their choice and from our personal experience this time round we have found this process very successful in creating a stronger 'mixed' team. On the other hand we also found out that other high level ultimate players who excel in Open and Women's sometimes aren't cut out to be to be top level mixed players."

GetHo' : So how is the 2007 vs 2011 GB Mixed Roster ? 

Mark Davin : "Actually, we have had quite a shift in personnel in the squad since 2007. I would say that we have approximately 25% of the team from EUC2007. Mainly due to retirements... This has provided a great opportuntiy to develop the skills of our U23 World Championships squad players. On the flip side it would be rude not to also highlight a few more 'mature' players who have joined us since EUC2007 who have increased our average age slightly."
GetHo' :  According to everyone's favourite website Ffindr.com you seem to be having 31 persons on the squad , amongst who 3 guests, 6(!) staff members , 2 coaches and 1 captain. This means 20 players ? How did the selections go ? Was it a conscious choice of taking 20 players ?

Mark Davin : "Firstly our fantastic medical team (staff members) are spread across all four GB squads. They consist of physios, sports masseurs and a team doctor. They will be working tirelessly during the tournament, moving round with the teams and keeping us in the best condition throughout the week. These guys and girls give up so much of their time as volunteers and for that we honestly can't thank them enough!


Secondly, it was not our intention to come with a team of 20. Unfortunately we lost a few players to injuries... We believe that although the squad size is reduced from our ideal number, all players have been working hard on their fitness. Since November 2010 the GB squads have been provided with an excellent strength and conditioning program. Using Boston as a baseline to assess the shape of the team, the guys and girls are looking very physically strong and fit, ready for a week long tournament."

GetHo' : How are the ambitions this year ? GB feeling strong enough to defend the Mixed title of EUC2007 in Southampton ?
Mark Davin : "Absolutely. All players have made sacrifices and are continually working hard in the run up to this tournament, the highlight of the 2011 season. There is a great team bond and ethos whereby we all work hard for each other and we intend to carry on where we left off in 2007."

GetHo' : Any teams you're looking forward to play ? Any teams you believe might be strong contenders in the Mixed division ? Maybe a surprise of one of the lesser known East-European teams ?
Mark Davin : "We are looking forward to playing the Germans this year as they always field a strong team. The Austrian team Upsa-Daisy had a great result in Prague WUCC 2010, so to play against them would also be a great opportunity. We have not done much more research on other teams this year, however we are focused on playing our game and to the best of our ability against all teams.
Its a shame that the Czech Republic have not been able to enter a team this year as we really enjoyed playing against such a great mixed team in 2007."

GetHo' : How did the preparations go ? A lot of tournaments ? UK Tour ? Training weekends ?

Mark Davin : "The GB Ultimate calendar is very busy with the Mixed and Open/Womens seasons occurring separately within our domestic season. We decided against entering a GB team into the domestic mixed season this year to reduce the amount of weekend trainings our squad players would have to endure. By reducing the amount of tournaments, our aim was to reduce the likelihood of player burnouts and to spend more time practicing and building as a team.






In June, GB Mixed went to Boston. This was our first outing as a team and what's more it was against some of the best teams in USA and Canada, teams which we may encounter next year at the World Championships. Every game was played at an extremely high intensity and we were particularly pleased with the results. Of particular note was our performance against District 5 (2nd place at USAU Nationals 2010) whereby we lost in sudden death. There is no doubt that we will be going back next year to overturn this result."





GetHo' : You looking forward to Maribor ? Did you prepare for hot weather ?

Mark Davin : "Definitely, this is something we have been working towards as a team. We have heard great things about Slovenia and we can't wait to get over there!
If the weather in Maribor is wet, windy, overcast and mild at best we couldn't be more prepared!!! Frozen weekends in Coventry, rainy weekends in Loughborough and tepid conditions in Cardiff have been the weather conditions to date...


Boston however, was a little closer to the conditions we anticipate in Slovenia. Four games in a row in 35 degrees was quite a challenge."

GetHo' : Any other notes/comments on this year's EUC ?



Mark Davin : "Looking forward to playing the showgame against the host nation!!!"

Hope y'all like interviews like these !
They sure make me look forward to next week even more.
Keep on reading and see all of you in Slovenia !