Interview with Leera Heggle

First of all, thank you for your time today, Mr Heggle. I'm sure you must be very busy.

Leera Heggle: That's no problem, little lady; I always have time for a dedicated fan!

NT: Aw shucks! So give us a bit of the history of the Lost Desert squad.

LH: Of course! As is common knowledge, yooyuball has been around for thousands of years, and each land has its own league. Once Altador was re-discovered, and announced they were holding a major tournament in honour of their return, well, we got the best players from our league and headed to Altador!

NT: I understand Derbi Azar had a bitter argument with Vonde Cayle briefly before the beginning of the first cup. Tell us about that.

LH: Oh, I almost forgot about that. Of course now Vonde and Derbi are the best of friends, but when they first worked together for the first time, Azar was the best forward in the Lost Desert league, and didn't take well to having to share the forward position with another. So she left in defiance. After a couple of days, I gave her a good pep talk and she agreed to come back and play. She's had no problems since then, though. Staying on for her sixth year now!

NT: You've had three team members leave the team in the past six years, and had three join. Can you provide us any insight to the departures of these former teammates?

LH: Wyett Tuggins was the first member to go. We felt he couldn't handle the pressure of the Altador Cup, especially when the players are the best of the best of each land's leagues. Luvea Trivon replaced him. "Dirty" Navers felt it was time to retire and hang up the sling. He was replaced by Lamelle Turow. Of course, there's no denying he's a skilled defender, but he was a bit of a complainer, complained about the heat of the desert non-stop. He also didn't get along well with our forwards or Luvea, and I had to act as moderator. It's really no surprise he left when Maraqua offered a position for him. And young Rhee Solters replaced him.

NT: I'm sure you wish him the best of luck on Maraqua. About your current team mates, what are they like off the field?

LH: Derbi is a bit of a megalomaniac sometimes. Whether she's serious or not, we'll never know. She has a dry way of delivering her humour. She's also very nurturing, and has taken a few promising new players under her wing.

Vonde is a bit of a joker at times, always playing jokes on us: Cobralls in our bags, stealing our towels, et cetera. He's also very hyperactive and a little over the top at times. He's a good guy though, very reliable and quite trustworthy.

Luvea is a quiet guy, he prefers to keep to himself a lot of the time, enjoys reading, but he is a very skilled defender. Right now, he is the only member of the team who wasn't born in the Lost Desert. He actually spent the first few years of his life in Brightvale. His family moved here when he was still quite young. Come to think of it, that would explain his love of books!

NT: And young Rhee Solters?

LH: Ah, yes. Rhee is quite a bold personality. As you see on the field, she is a bit timid, and gets knocked around a bit; off the field it's completely 180. She is like Derbi's younger sister!

NT: Now, last season wasn't exactly the best, according to experts laziness is the fault. One insider said you would spend most of your practice time signing autographs. Comments?

LH: What?! I bet it was Turow, that little... Erm. Yes, well we wouldn't be anywhere. However we have been practicing as hard as ever. I'm not going to accuse my team of being lazy. Vonde and Derbi are playing to their usual standard, as is Luvea. Rhee could bring some confidence to the field, though. And me, I guess the thought that I'm now the oldest player in the tournament is getting to me. I'm not as young or fast as I used to be.

It's also quite discouraging to see how little fans we had this year. We see a lot of familiar faces, but now they're supporting the other teams. It's also very discouraging that our fans this year would rather serve slushies to fans, or scream at each other than support us on the field.

NT: Well, you can always count on me! You had a big win against Tyrannia. They have come a long way in and were even top of the leaderboard for a long time. What do you think of Tyrannia?

LH: Ah, yes. If I can say, Loryche is a sweetheart. Whenever she knocked poor Rhee over, if the ball were over the other side, she'd help Rhee up. She's a really good sport. Tyrannia is a lot more aggressive than they usually are, but Loryche's sportsmanship has remained unchanged. I wish the best for their team this year.

NT: So, it was Virtupets that won this year. Coming from last in the second Altador Cup to first in this year's. What are your thoughts on the Virtupets team?

LH: I could not have thought of a more deserving winner, in my opinion. I mean, coming all the way from last place one year, gradually climbing that ladder to finally reach first place. It's a true inspirational story. Plus, Keetra Deile is a very hard working captain; she has been with them through all the hardships, and never lets her spirit get dampened. Plus, it can't be easy working with two robot players; they lack the intuition a normal Neopet player would. She reminds me of a young me.

NT: Lost Desert came in a very disappointing thirteenth place. How do you feel?

LH: Normally, a team would lament their low finish... However for us, it was a completely different story. True, thirteenth isn't a good placing, but we did beat Mystery Island. That's a huge plus! Beating Mystery Island makes me feel like I have accomplished something. We hardly beat them, so one could say it's a grudge. It's a really good feeling.

NT: Ahaha! I know what you mean! What is your main goal for next season? What is your strategy to win?

LH: Our main goal is of course to win it again, but I think after last season, our goal is to get back in at least fifth place. I want my team to be feared once again, and not one that loses to Faerieland. As for my strategy... I invite our fans, of course, to watch some training sessions, as all good sports teams do, we have many different tournaments all year round. So any Lost Desert fans that deserted us this year (No pun intended), please come watch us in the Lost Desert league. You may even see some new techniques!

NT: Thank you so much, Mr Heggle. Good luck with the Lost Desert league, and for next year's tournament. You can always count on me to support the might Lost Desert team. So on behalf of fans of the Team Lost Desert, I would like to thank you for being a great captain over all these years, we all adore you.

LH: Oh such flattery! *hearty chuckle*

NT: Any closing words to your dedication of fans?

LH: Remember to eat healthy, sleep regularly and exercise on a daily basis, and you can grow up to be a Yooyuball team captain like myself! And most of all!! Never stop believing in yourself, or your team!