Interview with UMIN Div 1 winning captain: Andrew Warnock

Writer/Editor: Hazard

Full Results

Spirit
Preview

Excerpt from Strathclyde’s post-UXIN win interview

Interviewer

Was Mixed Nationals your main hope for trophies for the year? Or do you think Strathclyde can do the triple with Men's and Women's Indoors as well?

Andrew

I see no reason every Nationals trophy shouldn't have Strathclyde on it by the end of the season.

Pictured: A lot of gold medals for Strathclyde
Photo Credit: Iain Chalmers

Hazard

Let's start with a quick introduction. Who are you, and why do you refuse to let anyone else win titles?

Andrew

I'm Andrew Warnock the Strath captain. We got tired of being the nearly team so took our fingers out our asses and used them to throw lots of scoobas instead. Apparently that wins indoors

Hazard

What is the big difference with the Strathclyde team this year?

Andrew

Everyone in the team is one year better and has played together one year longer. It helps we had minimal graduates but having 4 guys and 2 of the girls playing at worlds makes players just a little better. Getting over the hurdle and winning the first Nats title at UXIN helped show ourselves we were pretty sick as well

Hazard

Do you think that playing good Mixed Ultimate helps you play good Men's Ultimate as well?

Andrew

The Strath brand of indoors is played pretty similarly across all divisions so it just means more time playing the systems we run together. But at mixed we let the girls do most of the heavy lifting as there is no team that compares to them at the moment (hence the actual domination at women's nationals). Our guys didn't make things as easy having 3 universe point games on the Sunday. Not that us winning was ever in doubt of course...

Hazard

One small note on that before I move on to your team - how much of a difference does it make not having Women's and Men's in the same venue? Did it give the tournament a different atmosphere to previous years?

Andrew

I think it's pretty obvious the best venues available are in Scotland not even because it's not hard court but also for the fact that you can have multiple divisions in one place. If UMWON is always in Nottingham would it be so bad to always have UMWIN in Glasgow? I could rant for ages how terrible I think hard court is and how having a brick wall surrounding the pitch is stupid but I won't...
Despite being in a different venue to the women, our women's team still drove over in one of their breaks to watch our quarter final, and then we made it to them to watch their actual final. That team mentality is a big reason for Strath dominance right now.

Hazard

#strathclydedominance

So, three sudden death wins - in the quarters, semis and final. (8-7 vs Bath, 10-9 vs Birmingham, 8-7 vs UCL). Could you give a quick rundown of each game, and how you kept grinding out wins against such good teams?

Andrew

We were a little slow to the Bath game and probably underestimated them because they didn't look great on Saturday, but I think in the first 6 points there might not have been any turns. But they got the first break and we really struggled to turn them for the whole game. We grinded till 7-7 and after the buzzer they had possession and we were ready to drive back to Scotland. But they must have felt the vibrations of universe more than us because we forced a throwaway which we converted and we absolutely scraped through that by the skin of our teeth.

Andrew

Birmingham were awesome at the start of our game and eventually went 8-5 up, but we then had a 4 point roll before just about seeing the game out. One of the spicier games I've been apart of but another game we just found a way to win somehow.

Andrew

The final was great fun to be a part of especially as the crowd watching saw UCL as the villains and us as the sort of peoples champions (I heard other people say it so I'm allowed to say that). But again we had a bit of a lull and found ourselves 7-5 down this time, basically because Axel and CJ from UCL are tall boys that can jump. We started to make a comeback then Giorgio Cabrera got a huge D on our endzone which we put in speedily to take it to universe. And after forcing another throwaway from them Mackie sent a blade up to the gods which William Watt plucked out for the win. Maybe not the choice I'd have wanted him to take but it doesn't matter how you win. It's worth saying as well the spirit was really good in that game despite their reputation!

Hazard

Clearly they thought so too - they called it a positive atmosphere despite the stakes in their spirit feedback. Any thoughts on the fact you can now see which team said what for spirit? Or any spirit comments in general?

Andrew

Don't really know why you couldn't see it before. For there to be be anonymity in spirit results completely contradicts the whole point in scoring teams so it seems a logical step. Also means that if there are genuine things that a team needs to address it can be easier to do so. Yey spirit

Hazard

We've mentioned some of your team as we've gone, but is there anyone in particular you think really stepped up on your team this weekend?

Andrew

Everyone on the team did exactly the role they needed to which is why we were successful. I'll shout out my JTM Laurens Kok though as a 2nd year for being thrown in the deep end and just seamlessly fitting into the team (If you ever see him, please help convince him to ditch Basketball)

Hazard

I know when I asked you after UXIN, you said you saw no reason every Nationals trophy shouldn't have Strathclyde on it by the end of the season.

I'm guessing you still feel that way, but mind if I ask you ranking UWON, UMON and UWON in terms of how confident you feel of taking them home?

Andrew

Builders have already been called to extend the trophy cabinet

Hazard

Nice. Any final thoughts or things to say?

Andrew

3 down, 3 to go

Oh and also it turns out Wonderwall IS the best pre-game song!!

Hazard

It's certainly nice to go into universe point on defence, knowing that today is gonna be the day when they're going to throw it back to you.

Andrew

mic drop