EUC Preview - Manifesto - Playing For A National Team

Picture above : Me at the age of 6, dreaming about this week's EUC.
Haha, no I wasn't , but this picture reminded me of why I love my country, this game and my team.

Here's a little write-up of (me,you & Belgium at) the upcoming European Ultimate Championships :

At the age of 27 I find myself being ready for the biggest challenge I ever faced in my Ultimate career.
Not that I've never had some challenges since I've played my share of international tourneys (Tom's Tourney,Windmill Windup,ECBU08,WUCC2010,8Nations Cup,EUCR2010...) and even won some (e.g. Team Too @ Burla Beach Cup Viareggio 2009&2010, Plan B @ Talampaya 2011, Plan B @ G-Spot 2011, Open de Touraine 2009&2010,..) but nothing quite like these European Ultimate Championships.

There's something magic about playing for a national team, and whoever is reading this and is also on a national team knows this.
It's not your hometeam with people you see and play with multiple times a week, but it's a great collection of great players from all over the country representing your unity.
After hearing about a new team being formed, you wait for selections to start, you wait for decisions to be made, you wait for practices,training weekends, tournaments, and finally, after more than a year, the day has come to go play at the tourney you've been working towards all year.
In normal life I am nowhere near chauvinistic/patriotic but I do feel loads of pride when I think about my country.
Our whole lifestyle is built upon geographical borders, and even though we are all the same, it's always a pleasure to be part of something.
Something big.
Even if it's a small country without a government, I'm still proud to be part of this wonderful team called Plan B, the Belgian National Mixed Team.
Us belgians haven't really made a huge impact on the European Ultimate scene, but we've always been around.
(Remember the World Ultimate & Guts Championships in 1988 in Leuven,Belgium?? - I was even younger than on the picture above so unfortunately I don't remember)
I do like to believe that we have a great reputation concerning spirit and that we're never looked at as 'easy' opponents as we've had our share of tight and hard-fought games.
I'm sure some European teams remember games against Mooncatchers (Belgian champs 2011),Gentle (Belgian champs 2010),Jetset,Freezzzbeezzz,Belgian Open,MissB, Pintje, Belgian Mixed , Plan B, Team Too, FüF, and many more.
I'm really looking forward to what's gonna happen at this year's EUC.
First time I am on an official national team (ECBU08 - mixed division and 8Nations Cup were somewhere in between; injured during the EUC07 selection process) and I'm really excited about it.
Next to Plan B (Belgian National Mixed Team), there's also a team of young,athletic belgian players in the Open division. Lacking the more experienced players, I still believe this team full of talented players is going to achieve a lot, whether it be this year at EUC or in 3-5 more years after playing together.
They really are the future of Belgian Ultimate.

-- I wonder how Belgium will stand against the big names in European Ultimate.
Belgian Open is starting the tourney against GB Open, EUC2007's title defender.
Some other battles with the Swiss ? The Swedes ? Frenchies ? Denmark ? Rocking !
Belgian Mixed is seeded 4th, right after GB,Germany and France, of which we have already beaten the last two teams.

Curiosity.
Belgium, where anything is possible, at the European Ultimate Championships, where 21 countries will give the best of themselves for a shot at the CROWN OF EUROPE.

Support your country and follow the updates right here !

PS To those of you who are reading this and don't have any affiliation with Belgium, think of your own country and support them to give the best they have. Show some pride ! :)

Yeah, Europe !