Player Profile - Sarah Cummins

Name: Sarah Cummins
Age: 21
Years Playing: 2
College Team: UCD
Club Team: Jabba the Huck
What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming campaign? Getting to play for Ireland. Putting on that green is gonna be a proud moment :D And not getting heat stroke, that too.
Anyone you're particularly looking forward to play alongside? Honestly, I've had so much fun playing with this team over the last number of months, I can't wait to go and boss it in Canada with everyone. I don't think there's anyone that I'm not excited to play with! So much so that this almost turned into a compliment for everyone on the team, but it was taking too long...
Personal Paragraph: http://imgur.com/gallery/XTMRC

Player Profile - Estelle Murchan

Name: Estelle Murchan
Age: 20
Years Playing: 2
College Team: DCU
Club Teams: LMS and a few tournies with Hammertime
What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming campaign? A whole week of ultimate in general and playing against the Aussie!
Anyone you're particularly looking forward to play alongside? I've played with a couple for Juniors last year and I'm used to laying with the other DCU players, but I think I'm just looking forward to playing alongside player who I'd normally play against at club or college level
Personal Paragraph: I've always had an interest for sport, but developed a real love for Frisbee during my first year of college! I am also a great procrastinator...

Player Profile - Liam Fletcher

Name: Liam Fletcher
Age: 22
Years Playing: 4 
College Team: UCD
Club Team: Jabba The Huck
What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming campaign: Playing with people who I have always played against, and competing at the top level.
Anyone you're particularly looking to play alongside:  It's hard to pick any one player really..everyone on the team is deadly, it's great playing with everyone!
Personal Paragraph: Just finished final year in UCD so this whole campaign has been a good excuse not to study whilst in college and is now a good reason not to look for a 'big boy' job yet..don't know what I will do when this is all over!

Player Profile - Aoife Blake

Name: Aoife Blake
Age: 19
Years Playing: Nearly 2
College Team: University College Cork
Club Team: Rebel Ultimate
What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming campaign: Getting the chance to play alongside some of the most respected players in Irish Ultimate. Also, getting the chance to represent and do my part for my country at a world event. 
Anyone you're particularly looking to play alongside: Gráinne as I've only ever played against her up until now and she brings positivity and is great to play alongside. But I'm looking forward to playing with everyone really.

Player Profile - Jennifer Cooper

Name: Jennifer Cooper (Jen/Wildcard/Coop etc etc)
Age: 23
Years Playing: 4 years
College Team: Captain Huck DCU
Club Team: Jabba the Huck 
What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming campaign? The challenge. Every team there is set to be a tough opposition and I can't wait to see how we fair after all the work and effort we've put in over the last 8 months. Hopefully we'll be able to make a big impact and do well.
Anyone you're particularly looking to play alongside? Watching the D line play is very exciting! They make ridiculous bids and get D after D. At this stage we've played as a O-line for so long I think we've all clicked. In short; everyone! 
Personal Paragraph: I read everyone else's paragraph in preparation for this and have still come up with nothing! Ultimate has taken over. Yay Frisbee!!
On an aside; I am reading Born to Run at the moment - if they can run ultra marathons, we've no excuses!

Interview #25 - Sarah Melvin

Hey Sarah, how're things? All set to fly next week?

Hey Hogi, things are great thanks. Hope all is well in Germany! I'm getting there. Just organizing the last few bits.

Congrats on making the team way back in October! As this is your first time making an Irish squad tell us what it meant to you when you got the call? Is there any added pressure being the only UL representative?
Thanks. I honestly couldn't believe it when I got the call. Well I actually missed the call and got a text but still couldn't believe it. I only put my name forward for the sake if it because I was going to miss the trials being on Erasmus so it was a huge surprise. I don't think there is any added pressure to be honest. The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself before games.

When and how did you get involved with Ultimate? 

I first started ultimate in my second year of college, so two years ago but its only since I have come back from Germany that I have really become completely involved in the sport. Jamie Chambers is the only reason I started to play. He literally would turn up at my house and bring me to trainings. I was very reluctant at the start but soon realized how great it was.

Before Ultimate you were involved with some other sports. What did you play? And at how high a level did you play?

I have tried a lot of sports but the main two before ultimate were hockey and basketball. I played hockey very seriously for about  5 years and was lucky enough to play for Connaught and to make onto an Irish Summer development squad where I got my first cap for Ireland. Basketball took over then towards college and in my first year I played on the UL Ladies Varsity team and with UL Club Division 1.

Do you still play any of these sports? Or are you purely focused on Ultimate?

No unfortunately these sports had to make way when I started ultimate. With so many trainings and tournaments I really don't have time for mush else.

This year you got some exposure to Ultimate outside of Ireland, playing at UK Mixed Tour and Windmill Windup. Had you played at either of these events, or other foreign events, before?
No I had never played outside of Ireland before so both those tournaments were amazing experienced for me. UK Mixed Tour in particular because it was my first time playing with the team. Sadly I couldn't play windmill due to injury but it was still a great tournament for the team and an great experience.

Are there any standout highlights for you, personally, and the team so far this season?
I don't think I have any personal highlights. Hopefully they will come in Toronto. With the team for me I think it has to be the game against Stockholm Syndrome at Windmill. Everything seemed to work and we really showed how strong of a team we are. 

Looking ahead to Toronto, there are 10 teams in the Mixed division and some people are speculating that it will be a round robin format followed by placement games. How do you think this would suit the team?
I think what ever way they decide to format the games we will be ready for it. The round robin format would be cool though because we would get to play all the teams. 

With the possibility of playing everyone in the division on the cards, are there some teams that you look forward to playing more than others?
To be honest as I have never played against another national team I can't really say who I would like to play a particular team more. It will just be great to play against all the different styles that these teams will have. 

One of the Irish Ultimate public asks: If you could take one of the Irish U23 Open team and have him play Mixed, who would it be?

I think the team we have was selected for a reason and we have gelled really well. So I am very happy with the team and can't say who else I would take really. 

Similarly, if you had to take someone from the Mixed O line to play D line, who would you take?

I would probably take Caitlin. She is a fantastic player and I think it would be a wise choice to take a girl considering my injury rate ha

Lastly, tell us a joke.
Did you hear about the magic tractor? 
It drove down the lane and turned into a field 

Classic Irish banter about farming... Thanks for your time, Sarah. Best of luck in Toronto!

Cheers Hogi! Same to you.

Interview #24 - Niall Macdermott

Hey Niall, first off, congrats on making the squad! You're the only player from NUI Galway on the team, does this add pressure to fly the flag for the lads from the West?
I haven't felt any added pressure by being the only player from the west on the team but representing Ireland is a big deal and I hope to do well and show what this squad is capable of.

As I mentioned, you're a NUIG lad. Is this where you started playing Ultimate? Or did you get into it elsewhere before college?

The first I ever heard of ultimate was at the clubs day in NUIG. I basically signed up to every sport in the college and gave everything a try. Ultimate is quite a unique sport and I once I started it I never planned on stopping.

Who do you play your club Ultimate with?
My main club team is called Snatch they we are a bunch of lads from the west of Ireland mostly NUIG and UL players and graduates. For some tournaments overseas such as Tour and Windmill Windup I have picked up with Rebel Ultimate.

Throughout this mixed season, you've been instrumental to the success of the D line, getting Ds all over the pitch and getting a bunch of goals to go with them. How have you found playing on the D line yourself?
It's been great playing on the Irish team really enjoying the whole experience. I really enjoy the atmosphere and the intensity and passion that people bring like Brian will always get me fired up and mad to make the extra effort the keep chasing any disk with what seems like no chance of being caught or throw your body into the ground to make an interception.

Yeah, he's alright in the air

In the last two warm up tournaments, what have been the highlights for you personally?

My personal highlight was a grab I make in Tour. I went up for a disc against a big group of people and came down with it. The reaction from the squad was amazing and it really got me pumped for the rest of the tournament.

And for the team? What were the biggest performances in your opinion?

I think our best performance was in the quarter final of windmill windup against Stockholm Syndromes. We were throwing difficult throws into a strong wind unphased and making big grabs and skys against a strong opposition. It was amazing to watch and hopefully we recreate that performance in Toronto.

You were a basketball player before playing Ultimate, right? Do you still play a bit? Or has Ultimate taken over completely?
I haven't played basketball since I went to college. I've basically dropped it in favor of Ultimate. Ultimate is my main sport at the moment I will sometimes play some Gaelic football for club back home.

Getting horizontal for Snatch

How did the skills you had from playing basketball translate to the Ultimate pitch?
The main transferable skills from basketball to ultimate are pivoting and jumping. I  lot of people find it hard to do a three step running jump effectively and I've been practicing that since I was 8, I've found that to be very useful on the ultimate field

Looking ahead to Worlds, what are you looking forward to most?
This is my first time representing Ireland and I look forward to seeing some of the best ultimate players in the world up close and personal. 

Is there one team you want to play more than others?
I don't have any team that I want to play more than others. I want to play any game that is competitive spirited and fun preferable with us winning. We recently got a message from the Aussie team and they seem up for a good game of ultimate so I look forward to seeing them on the field and maybe the bar after.

Lastly make a funny.
A dyslexic man walks into a bra
If you like funny videos this is pretty great http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBftA7V4xak
And this is the best story I've ever heard, it's worth a watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHfroJBMlVM 

Cheers bud, best of luck in Toronto