Title defending powerhouse from Switzerland : FLYING ANGELS BERN (aka FAB).
Here are some answers by team captain Lorenz.
Get Ho' : How has the preparation gone ? Did you play any special tournaments or championships in preparation for the EUCF ?
Lorenz : "Overall the preperation went well. We played Winterthur early this year, Amsterdam and EUCR with the focus on Bruges. Some of us got some more playing experience while playing for the national team at EUC and WCBU which they brought back to the team. But at the same time those players being off to play for the national team missed team practices. Therefore after WCBU the time was very short to prepare for EUCR and Swiss Nationals as team FAB. however, now we feel ready for Bruges!"
Get Ho' : Will the tight loss against your "rival"-friends from Freespeed at the Swiss Nationals affect your final preparation ? Or is it a little similar like last year where you also had a defeat against them at the EUCR qualification final ?
Lorenz : "It is similar to last year. It made us think even more about how we wonna play, how we wonna sub, etc. last year it helped us a lot. i hope this year too".
Get Ho' : Do you think it's difficult that these finals happen at the end of sept/beginning of octobre ? Does it affect your team that this is after summer ?
Lorenz : "To play Swiss nationals finals in between EUCR and EUCS was indeed not easy at all. Different things to focus on, different strategies and not a lot of time to recover. However, we knew about since the beginning of the season and planned on this schedule.
Next year the Swiss nationals (open and women) will take place before summer break. This will make the preperation easier."
Get Ho' : Is the team in full force ? Are all the key players there and in shape ? Any adjustments to the roster since last year's EUCF ? Any new/old "pick-ups" or new team members ?
Lorenz : "The team is in full force. We suffered from a couple of injuries early in the season but now everybody - with one notable exception - is back. There was some turnover in the team since last year. We also had some exciting pick ups. But i think its more important to say that we have the same core as last year with the young guns having one more season on their rips and beeing fired up to take over."
Get Ho' : Am I correct to say you once played in the USA for a while ? Did this affect your game and the FAB way of playing ?
Lorenz : "True. I've played for Santa Barbara and for San Francisco for a season. First of all it was a lot of fun to go to the States to compete with the best. I had some of the best times of my life. I might have also brought some ideas about how to practice or play back home. But it wasen't just this what influenced FABs game. To have a good part of FAB players on the national team competing often on an international level, then having integrated some very experienced players to the team over the last couple of years and to learn from them, but also learning by trial and error with our own ideas during many tournaments made us stronger. All this helped us. i'd say it's the mix and the consistency of the team over the last years that formed the team the most."
Get Ho' : FAB has been a Swiss powerhouse for many years now with 13 national titles in 15 years, a 5th place at xEUCF in 2009 and the EUCF victory in 2010. What or who has made the Angels fly higher in Europe over the last few years ?
Lorenz : "As said above i think the consistency was very important. We had about ten players beeing on the team for more than ten years now. Then there's the single goal strategy: Play to win! This makes decisions about how to practice, workout, play, sub etc. easy. "
Get Ho' : What do you think about the level in Europe ? Has the level been rising over the last few years ? Does EUCF have anything to do with that ? How did the game change in the last few years ? Is there a shift in powerteams going on ?
Lorenz : "I can't tell if the general level was going up. Looking at the number of top teams I had a feeling there was some stagnation the last couple of years. But now it's very refreshing to see the Germans to come up with a young strong generation."
Get Ho' : Who would be your biggest opponents for the title ? Who do you believe might make it to the semis ? Any one who should be seen as top favourite ?
Lorenz : "Besides the usual suspects of the last couple of years - clapham, skogs - i see 7 Schwaben and Freespeed as potential semi finalists. We'll see."
Get Ho' : Anything else you would like to share with the Ultimate community ? Any thoughts or comments about the EUCF
Lorenz : "Looking forward seeing ya all in bruges - keep the spirit high!"
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