Chapter Text
EXY CHAT: Denver Mountain Lions Talk Strategy and Goals for Upcoming Season (Video and Transcript Below) July 16th
Robert Walters
Denver, Colorado
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. We have with us Glenn Robinson, Quinn Anders, Wesley Thomas, and Andrew Minyard (goalie). Questions, please.
Q: Coach, Lions have faced some challenges this past season in terms of team consistency and defensive ability. How are you planning on approaching this upcoming season?
GLENN ROBINSON: To cut to the chase, last season was difficult for us. Richards was out for most of the season with the leg injury and it put a lot of pressure on our defense to make up for that. We made a lot of mistakes last season, but we made out much better than a lot of people expected so now we can look back and work on some of those issues. A big goal is for strengthening our defense is making sure our backliners and goalies can communicate during game time when it matters most. It’s been on all our minds going into the season.
Q: Do you think one of your problems this past season was depending too much on Richards? There’s talk of a team rebuild over the next few seasons.
GLENN ROBINSON: Every franchise has to rebuild eventually, that’s the way professional sports work. Everyone talks about a rebuild as if it’s the worst thing to happen to a team, but it’s something that has to happen. Our players push their bodies to the limits every day and you have to recognize that. You can’t keep doing that forever you know.
Richards was a huge part of our team and a huge part of our defense. We’re sorry to see him go. But we do have a strong offense and overall strong team. Wesley [Thomas], Mark [Rowan], and Hugh [Lee] played some of the best offensive game in franchise history last season hands down. We need to rebuild our defense and get our rhythm back but we have high expectations for the next few seasons.
Q: Speaking of the next few seasons, Wesley we hear that you might be retiring.
WESLEY THOMAS: Right now I’m focusing on playing the best exy possible for the team. Realistically, I’m 35, I know that. I’m pretty sure everyone knows that [laughs]. I know I have a few good seasons left in me and I plan on finishing them out here. But like I said, my focus is on this season right now and the team.
Q: Are you worried about a career ending injury like Richards faced?
WESLEY THOMAS: You can face a career ending injury your rookie year? Not to scare the rookies. Sorry guys. But it’s true, Exy isn’t a kind sport. It’s physically demanding. Most days your body hates you. But everyone more or less knows what they’re signing on for. Possible injuries are part of the job description.
Q: For Quinn, as captain and a defensive dealer, how do you feel about the communication issues between the defense last season? Do you think it’s something you can overcome for this upcoming season?
QUINN ANDERS: Like Coach said, there were some communication issues coming from the defense last season. We started off to a strong start of the season but with Emily’s [Richards] injury in November, we lost a lot of the momentum we’d built up. It took a while to get it back but by then it was February and we’d lost our spot in the playoffs.
It was disappointing for the team, you know. We really struggled to come back from that but we learned a lot from the experience. Going into next season, we need communication between our goalies and our backliners and dealers, our backliners and dealers and our strikers. That’s really one of our main focuses going into the season.
Q: During the first round draft, the Lions traded their sixth position draft pick to the Warblers for an eighth position and the trade of Andrew Minyard, former goalie for the Louisiana Warblers. There was discussion that the Lions were courting the Arizona Thunderbirds for Troy Austin towards the end of last season as a new goalie. What changed? And how do you think a player like Minyard would be beneficial to the team?
WESLEY THOMAS: That sounds like a lot more than one question Todd. [laughter]
GLENN ROBINSON: Frankly we needed a player like Minyard. It’s true that we did look into Austin and a few other goalies in the league and playing on the NCAA but ultimately we picked the player we thought best suited the needs of the team.
Q: Was there a discussion of risk management with a player such as Minyard?
GLENN ROBINSON: I’m not sure I know what you mean by that. We look at a lot of different factors when recruiting and signing new players. It ultimately comes down to the final decision between Lions upper management, myself, and the player. If they’re a good fit for the team and the team is a good fit for them then that’s that.
Q: There was an incident on court last time in which Minyard attacked his teammate Jack Carson during a regulation game. As a team who wants to strengthen their defensive team, wasn’t this incident factored in your franchise’s decision making process?
GLENN ROBINSON The incident was reviewed by both the Warblers and the league, if you want to talk more about it, I suggest talking to them.
Q: What I’m asking is if you think having a violent player such as Minyard on your team–
QUINN ANDERS: Exy is a violent sport, Todd. If you find a player or a team that isn’t aware of this then let me know.
Q: So you’re saying the team doesn’t foresee any issues with Minyard?
QUINN ANDERS: As team captain, I can say that we don’t. Minyard has already shown himself an effective goalie who knows his defense and how to talk to them. The defensive dealer isn’t the head of the defense, it’s the goalie. Not because they’re the ones in the goal, but because they’re the only person on that court who can see everything going on in front of them. If your goalie isn’t talking to your backliners and your dealer about what’s going on then you might as well leave the goal untended.
We’ve already started team workouts for the upcoming season and both Andrew and Yvette have been introduced to the team. We’re looking forward to this new season and what we’re ultimately able to bring in come pre-season. We’re here to play good Exy and that’s what we intend to do.
Q: Question for Minyard, what do expect to come out of this season with the Lions?
ANDREW MINYARD: To play exy.
[laughter]
Q: Do you think playing with the Lions will be different than your time with the Warblers?
ANDREW MINYARD: I’d think so considering t’s different team.
THE MODERATOR: One last question before we wrap up
Q: Andrew, you’ve already played against former PSU teammates like Kevin Day and Matthew Boyd-Wilds, how do you feel about facing off against Josten during the season?
ANDREW MINYARD: If he ends up playing like shit and they bench him, you’ll have to find more interesting stories to run during the season.
Neil Josten @neiljos10
Sadly @ajminyard isn’t too excited about that face off
Neil Josten @neiljos10
Maybe @ajminyard will learn how to block an offside bouncer before then. Or any shot.
Aaron M @a_minyard
can people learn how to check who they’re tweeting at before spamming me with bullshit
Aaron M @a_minyard
take your exy complaints to @ajminyard i don’t want to see it
Nicky Klose @saintnicky
@a_minyard noooo aaron my sweet bby u could always change ur @ to smthng different
Aaron M @a_minyard
or @ajminyard and @neiljos10 could stop being assholes and just antagonize each other in private like everyone else
Neil Josten @neiljos10
@a_minyard I don’t antagonize people
Nicky Klose @saintnicky
oh man @neiljos10 thats the biggest lie youve ever told and thats saying a lot
Aaron M @a_minyard
@neiljos10 you summoned them again, my notifications are all people defending your honor
Allison Jamaica Reynolds @allison_reynolds
@a_minyard @neiljos10 What honor? Have fun squirt :)
Aaron M @a_minyard
this is ridiculous. i don’t even use this thing.
Nicky Klose @saintnicky
what a beautiful day for friendship and family
Neil Josten Re-Ignites Rumors of a Feud with Former Foxes Teammate by Stella Hermes
Former Teammate Feuding with Exy-Star Neil Josten? by Jon Nichols
Back At It Again: Exy’s Favorite Problem Child, Neil Josten, Has Strong Words About Former Teammate Andrew Minyard by Eric Webb
(screenshot)
Anonymous asked:
dID YOU SEE WHAT MINYARD DID??!! fUUCCK
Anonymous asked:
gweeeeen i’m actually suffering. what’s going on with josten and minyard? i thought they used to be teammates. i’m just /shocked/
Anonymous asked:
Andrew Minyard is fucking gross. What the hell was that? I can’t wait for Josten to drag his shitty ass.
Anonymous asked:
Hey Gwen! Did you see the latest with Minyard/Josten. I feel like a lot of people are blowing it out of proportion? Neil doesn’t make it a secret when he doesn’t like people but I expected Minyard to just ignore the baiting. So much for wishful thinking.
daysin:
I decide to go on a peaceful family vacation and I come back to the above mess in my inbox. Guys, I was only gone for the weekend. I’m going to play catch up a bit and bug @calveerts to make a master post eventually because this seems to be growing much bigger than anyone thought. From what I understand the Lions were doing press and Minyard got a question about Josten which he actually answered and Josten made some comments on Twitter later. The press has been tossing around articles about a feud between them for months. I don’t know guys…
Notes: 35 #exy famdom #anons #ask #answered #yiiiiiikes
Your fave is problematic – Neil Josten (Exy)
sunnydays:
- Baiting and bullying reporters, on multiple occasions (x/x/x/x/x)
- Harassing former teammates on social media
- Was under federal investigation for family crime ring
- Bullied Riko Moriyama until he eventually committed suicide (x/x/x/x)
- Intentionally red-carding other players
- This part of his statement of a murder investigation of a former Marine
machetexy:
okay but wtf is this entire gross post. half of these are biased af or from d*adspin trash like er*c w*bb
backlinerella:
I can’t believe I read this post with my own two eyes. Cannot believe..
sunnydays:
Why can’t Josten fans accept that their fave isn’t perfect. He’s done some shitty things. I think it’s best for everyone if you all could recognize that instead of praising him for every little thing.
backlinerella:
I honestly cannot believe this bullshit. Do you even believe this bullshit??
- Baiting reporters – how about how he’s usually pretty chill until someone starts asking inappropriate or plain rude questions to him or his teammates. Reporters cross a professional line, Josten calls them out, same reporters write an article about how “out of control he is”. Have a video compilation video. It’s almost an hour long (x)
- His dad ran a crime ring, went to federal prison, and still had it out for him. And somehow that’s his fault? How? Like fucking how??
- LOOK THERE ARE REPORTS FROM FORMER RAVENS ABOUT HOW MUCH OF AN ABUSIVE SHIT RIKO WAS. DON’T FUCKING START. Breaking his “best friend’s” hand so he almost couldn’t play. Whatever the fuck happened to Jean. Kelley, Marks, Vicmann. Neil and Riko openly antagonized each other. It’s terrible that Riko took his life, but don’t paint him as the patron saint of exy. Jfc.
- I guess if someone intentionally swings their racket at your throat during a time out, it’s your fault. Thanks for letting me know. (x)
And don’t get me started on your mess of tags: #when will josten supports stop #he’s not even that good of a player #yet you all ride his ass like he is #but whatever
machetexy:
that was savage
Notes: 123 #yikes #josten #fandom discourse
laliavez:
Normally I’d be super happy with new people getting into exy, but I’m really worried about this season. It looks like it’s going to be a really exciting season with Dallas coming out of a championship win, talk that my girl Lalia might be vice captain of the Hawks (!!!!), and now Neil is finally in the NEL. But also I’m really nervous about how things might go. Just seeing all the negative Minyard/Josten discourse(?) on my dash is pretty tiring. I think they’re just messing around with the press and everyone seems to be taking it so seriously. I can’t believe that they’d hate each other that much when they worked so well together as a team before. And everyone is ignoring all the really cool positive stuff that’s happened as well. Like everyone on the Lions panel at that conference looked about ready to fight to defend Andrew. I don’t follow the Lions that closely, but Anders looked about ready to fight that reporter. And Neil might be signing with Adidas! Why don’t we talk about all the positive things?? Those are so much better. I guess everyone just likes the drama though. I don’t know, maybe I’m worried over nothing.
Notes: 3 #personal #just really nervous #please ignore me #just rambling
sweetest minx @paigethethird
i don’t want to hear about it, this is a positive space
sweetest minx @paigethethird
positive space with positive thoughts and positive people #goodvibes
devil might care @queenday
haha i don’t think that’s possible @paigethethird you always want to fight everyone
sweetest minx @paigethethird
@queenday that’s only partially true i just see a fight on the horizon and i’m doing premediated calming exercises
devil might care @queenday
@queenday do i want to know?? i don’t think i want to know.
devil might care @queenday
noooo, i know. please just let this be the fandom overreacting. please.