An Interview with Captain Remis

Hello, Neopia! My name is Iothia, and I have the privilege today to be interviewing Captain "Trapper" Remis, leader of the Altador Cup's home team who took second place this year!

Thank you so much for making time for my interview Captain Remis! Even though the Cup is just over, I'm sure you and the team are still so busy!

Remis: *smiles* It's no trouble at all, Miss Iothia. Please, call me Remis.

Iothia: Thank you, and you may just call me Iothia. So! From seven years in the consolation tier to taking second place! Such an impressive feat! I think I can certainly speak for the rest of Altador and say that we're all so very proud of you.

Remis: Aww, thank you so much! It means a lot to us. It's all still a bit of a shock, to tell you the truth. We weren't aiming for the podium at all; we were just trying to break into mid tier. But it feels wonderful knowing that our hard work paid off. All of us vowed to push even harder this year, and that's what we did.

Iothia: Your hard work did more than just pay off: commentators and fans alike have noticed a significant difference and improvement in your playing style this year compared to the previous ones; care to elaborate on that?

Remis: Where to start? I mean, our team has gone through quite a few changes during these past couple years; the biggest being the addition of Foltaggio. Any time a team changes up their roster, there's going to be some difficulties adjusting, especially when there's a change in formation. We had all been so used to playing in mainly defensive style for so long that suddenly having a second offensive member presented a significant learning curve.

Iothia: I can definitely imagine; you did look like you struggled on the pitch last year. But this year your play looked so much smoother, like a well-oiled machine.

Remis: *laughs* I suppose you could say that. After the seventh Cup ended, we knew we had to focus on cohesion, on getting all the bumps flattened out. So we worked especially hard in that area during our practices and I think we came a long way. Foltaggio and Winberto work so seamlessly now, and it's made our overall play improve by leaps and bounds.

Iothia: Your defense seems to have improved exponentially as well; in fact, we've all noticed Lyvon Cibaire have become a more versatile player; he's scored quite a few goals this year!

Remis: Most definitely. Lyvon actually started his career as a forward, I don't know if he's ever told a reporter that. Back when he played in one of Altador's oldest minor league club teams, he was a Right Forward and did a whole lot of scoring for sure. But his coaches noticed his particular talent in guarding as well, so they wanted him to focus on that; however, he's comfortable in both roles. And that's really what makes a Yooyuball player stand out, I believe, being able to be highly flexible on the pitch. Sadly, I never had that talent. *chuckles*

Iothia: Oh, I doubt that; you've scored plenty of legendary goals yourself. *laughs*

Remis: *grins* Well thanks! But defending is definitely my strong suit, and I found myself doing a lot more of it this year. Perhaps that's another reason for our sudden surge.

Iothia: Do you think you'll change your formation to 3+1?

Remis: It's a possibility, and we've been tossing that one around at meetings but nothing's been seriously considered yet. If we did do that, Lyvon would become the extra Forward for sure.... but I think it would be a bit too soon, seeing as we've just gotten used to Foltaggio.

Iothia: Foltaggio did mention that moving to Altador gave him a culture shock. *laughs*

Remis: *chuckles* True, but he's really well adjusted now and we all really enjoying playing together.

Iothia: Indeed! Despite your incredible showing this year, though, Tyrannia ended up taking home the gold, Were you surprised with their near-flawless performance?

Remis: Tyrannia has always been a very strong team, one that we have always greatly respected; it doesn't come as a huge surprise. Comparing their play last year to now, they've really worked hard to improve their game as well, and trading goalies with Moltara seems to have given them that extra edge. I couldn't be more proud of them; they really deserved their win.

Iothia: Now that you have made such an incredible jump from seventeenth place to second, are you worried about falling back down in next year's standings?

Remis: Ahh, I believe you're referring to the infamous 'Winner's Curse'?

Iothia: *smiles sheepishly* Yes.

Remis: Perhaps a little. Every team that has placed on the podium has always had to confront that possibility and few have actually escaped it. So, yes, we are aware of that and we're going to do our best to keep training up so we don't lose our momentum. We can definitely place in the top ten next year, and I think that would be a very realistic goal.

Iothia: Rumor has it that you're quite strict when it comes to training. Fans would like to know, is that true?

Remis: I wouldn't say 'strict' per se, but I do make a point to have us all give a hundred percent of our effort all the time, even when we're doing something as mundane as practicing penalty shots. That's going to be even more important now that we'll be aiming even higher for next year. *grins*

Iothia: I've got another population question from the fans: what do you and the rest of the team like to do when you're not training?

Remis: Heh, that's a hard question for me since it seems that I'm always working on something, the woes of being a captain and all.

Iothia: *laughs*

Remis: But seriously, I tend to enjoy a nice game of chess or some Roodoku. I keep a chess board in my office, and sometimes after practice I'll bring it out and Salayne or Winberto will play a game or two with me. Lyvon enjoys tennis and Foltaggio often goes on up to Shenkuu to visit his family. We get about a month's vacation right after the Cup ends so it's the perfect time for him.

Iothia: Speaking of Shenkuu, I know a lot of fans were saddened when Timu was traded to their team. Does your team still keep in contact with her?

Remis: Absolutely! We were sad to see her go (as was she), but she Neomails us all a lot. She's really taken to Shenkuu; she gets along extremely well with her teammates and she adores the culture. She's even taken up martial arts and meditation! She also visits with us quite frequently in the offseason and if there's even time in between games during the Cup, both of our teams will all go to Exquisite Ambrosia and have lunch together. Timu has always been like family to us and I couldn't be happier to say that that hasn't changed one bit.

Iothia: Aww; I'm very happy to hear that! It's wonderful to see that your friendship with her is still going strong. With that said, I'm afraid I have run out of questions to ask you.

Remis: That's quite all right; thank you so much for interviewing me! It's been an honor.

Iothia: You're very welcome; the honor is all mine.

That's all for now, Neopia; thank you so much and be on the lookout for my next interview!