The now Epsom Eagles are currently preparing to take a team to girls nationals, with high hopes set in mind.
The girls' team was seeded at fifth going into the past summer outdoor nationals, so hopefully a good result will be obtained this year, as the team has had rigorous training with many skills sessions; coached by Dan Berry, current GB player and member of Zimmer who are European Club Champions.
The girls' team at outdoor nationals faced some hardships, with five of their experienced players being unable to make the event, leading to some tough games played and even more difficult matchups experienced.
Epsom have some matches planned with another local team, based in London- the Lloyd Park Leeks, coached by Oliver Benjamin. These games should give the squad more experience before the upcoming girls national tournament in November, hosted in Bristol.
I had the chance to ask Dan Berry, coach of the Epsom Eagles, a few questions as Nationals approach.
1. How many years have you been playing and what’s your greatest accomplishment in the sport?
"I have been playing around 22 years. Playing wise winning a bronze at World Championships with Great Britain was really special. Plus our recent European clubs win captaining Zimmer was great, especially after a few years of losing close finals. The thing I am most proud of though is Epsom Ultimate. The club I set up to try and get more juniors playing which gives me more enjoyment than I ever expected it to."
2. How do you think the team is going into nationals (prep wise and confidence)?
"We are looking good. The whole club has worked really hard and the girls are playing really well. We are training twice a week and as the skills have improved so has the confidence. I think we are all really excited to see how we go."
3. Anything you feel especially proud of?
"Epsom Ultimate has introduced over 100 players to the sport at training, not including the extra 100 or so children who played in our inter school competition. I am really proud of this and it has been a real club wide effort to make it happen."
4. Are there any standout players who you would like to mention?
"We genuinely have too many to name! We have some genuinely fantastic juniors and I just know they will go on to play for Great Britain in the coming years."
5. Anything the team could work on before nationals?
"Yes. Everything! With limited time left though I think the main thing is trying to get the girls playing together as much as possible, so they are really comfortable with each other on the day. The more they play together the better they understand each other, so it will just be good to get them playing in that group before we go to Bristol."
Thank you to Dan Berry for sharing his insights and for creating and coaching such a fantastic club.
