2023 Altador Cup Tournament

Player Interviews

For the second consecutive year, some interviews with players were published in the Editorial of the Neopian Times during the Cup.

Tandrak Shaye

With that said, we will be kicking things off with the heartthrob of the Altador Cup himself, Tandrak Shaye, the right forward of Team Darigan Citadel, which was the team that brought home the Cup last year!

Interviewer: “First off, congratulations on your team’s big win! How did it feel?”

Tandrak: “What can I say? Of course, it was great. My teammates crushed it, so they deserved nothing less! As for me, I will always do whatever it takes to make our fans happy. So how about it? Are you a fan? Did I make you happy?”

Interviewer: “Oh, um, of course. I mean, as an interviewer, I have to remain partial to a certain degree, but we were all very happy for you…Is it getting hot in here?”

Tandrak: “I would imagine most places get warmer when you walk into them.”
[Reaches into his gym bag and pulls out a water bottle]
“Here, please have my ice water.”

Interviewer: “Thank…thank you. That was very sweet. To be honest, I’ve heard you have quite the reputation for being somewhat cold-hearted. I wasn’t expecting this positive energy you seem to be projecting.”

Tandrak: “Don’t get me wrong, I’ll destroy my enemies without hesitation when I’m on the field, but once the game is done, I want everyone to know they are safe with me. I started playing Yooyuball to get stronger, which I have, but along the way, it became so much more to me. I found not only a family in my teammates, but a community in our fans, and I will do anything to protect them all.”

Interviewer: “That was quite a statement! Stern yet caring, and surprisingly smooth. I can see why you are considered among many to be a heartthrob of the games! Thank you for taking the time to talk with us!”

Tandrak: “The pleasure was all mine. *wink*”

From Neopian Times, Issue #985, published June 16, 2023

Whimsi Dia

With that said, we will be kicking things off with the heartthrob of the Altador Cup himself, Tandrak Shaye, the right forward of Team Darigan Citadel, which was the team that brought home the Cup last year!

Interviewer: “First off, congratulations on your team’s big win! How did it feel?”

Tandrak: “What can I say? Of course, it was great. My teammates crushed it, so they deserved nothing less! As for me, I will always do whatever it takes to make our fans happy. So how about it? Are you a fan? Did I make you happy?”

Interviewer: “Oh, um, of course. I mean, as an interviewer, I have to remain partial to a certain degree, but we were all very happy for you…Is it getting hot in here?”

Tandrak: “I would imagine most places get warmer when you walk into them.”
[Reaches into his gym bag and pulls out a water bottle]
“Here, please have my ice water.”

Interviewer: “Thank…thank you. That was very sweet. To be honest, I’ve heard you have quite the reputation for being somewhat cold-hearted. I wasn’t expecting this positive energy you seem to be projecting.”

Tandrak: “Don’t get me wrong, I’ll destroy my enemies without hesitation when I’m on the field, but once the game is done, I want everyone to know they are safe with me. I started playing Yooyuball to get stronger, which I have, but along the way, it became so much more to me. I found not only a family in my teammates, but a community in our fans, and I will do anything to protect them all.”

Interviewer: “That was quite a statement! Stern yet caring, and surprisingly smooth. I can see why you are considered among many to be a heartthrob of the games! Thank you for taking the time to talk with us!”

Tandrak: “The pleasure was all mine. *wink*”

From Neopian Times, Issue #985, published June 16, 2023

Ethel Boortz

QUICK QUESTIONS

Welcome back to another round of Quick Questions! For this interview we will be starting out with the player who currently holds the record for the oldest contender in the Altador Cup! Please welcome Team Meridell’s left forward, Ethel Boortz!

Ethel:Okay deary, like I said, I can only talk until I’m done knitting this scarf.

Interviewer: Excellent! Then we should have plenty of time!

Ethel: Ha, that’s what you think. Okay, go on—no time to waste.

Interviewer: Right! So Ethel, tell us, how did you get to be your age and still be able to compete in such a physically demanding sport?

Ethel:What a good question. Let me think…
[She pauses for a moment while focusing on a row in her scarf]
Well, I was never one to take life too seriously, you know. Throughout the years, I’ve mainly done whatever felt right in the moment. I listened to my body when I pushed it too far or needed nutrients, but overall, I did nothing too special. So I guess my answer to your question is, I don’t know.

Interviewer: Oh, well, how did you start playing Yooyuball? You must be one of the longest-running players!

Ethel: Oh no, dear, I most certainly am not one of the players who has been playing the longest. In fact, I only joined a little while after my good friend Dasher retired.

Interviewer: Wait, Dasher as in “Dasher” Solely? You know him?

Ethel: Of course, we go way back. We’ve always had a bit of a playful competition between us. When I saw how much he loved Yooyuball, I decided to give it a go. Whenever we meet up for tea and knitting, I do so enjoy giving him a hard time about how I am now in the Cup. But it’s all in good fun. I can tell he’s quite happy in his retirement.

Interviewer: Wow! We have been trying to get an interview with him for some time now. Would you mind if I ask you some questions on -

Ethel: All done! Here is your scarf, deary!
[She softly wraps the scarf around the interviewer]

Interviewer: This is for me? Th-thank you, it is lovely. Could I just ask-

Ethel: Tsk, tsk. I told you I could only talk while I knitted that scarf. Now off you go. I’ve got a blanket to get started on.

From Neopian Times, Issue #986, published June 30, 2023

Antola Maeir

One of our most talked about interviews last year was with Shenkuu’s captain, Mirsha Grelinek, but when asked for another interview this year, she declined. Saying she would much rather the spotlight go to one of her amazing teammates and recommended the team's Left Defender, Antola Maeir! So without further ado, here are our Quick Questions with Maeir.

Interviewer: “So we heard your team recently lost your coach to another team. Would you be willing to tell us more about that?”

Antola: “Oh yeah, there’s not much to say there. We left on good terms overall. Coach was a great teacher and an even better guy, but he’d been getting offers from other teams for a while, and we understood his decision. Besides, I think the only reason he stuck around as long as he did was for his daughter, Ginia, who has now taken over as our head coach, so it’s almost like nothing has changed! She learned all he had to offer and more, so we were honestly pretty happy. Not to say we don’t miss ya Coach, we hope you’re doing well!”
[He then finger guns towards a non-existent camera]

Interviewer: “That is great to hear that it all worked out for the best! So you said Coach Ginia has taken over and is doing well? With her and your Captain dating, I’ve heard some fans are worried about that being too big of a distraction.”

Antola: “Nah. Captain and her are sups professional when it comes to training. Coach Ginia has also helped grow our team like never before. She knows the sport and knows our fans and has been able to combine those into our training which has really raised our morale and overall performance! We totes understand people’s concerns from an outside perspective, but if you knew the Captain like the team and I know her, you’d know nothing will stop her from making this team the best there is! They’re just an amazing pair; we’re lucky to have them both!”

Interviewer:“Wow, that’s some high praise for your Captain!”

Antola: “Well, of course! She’s been so supportive of me from the very beginning! She was the first one I told about how I planned on transitioning. I knew it might affect the team dynamic and wanted to explain myself, but she didn’t even miss a beat. She accepted me without an explanation and stood up for me when critiques came out about me taking a Strange Potion.”

Interviewer: “I wasn’t aware of the critiques made towards you. That was before my time as a reporter. Would you be willing to speak more on that?”

Antola: “Well, to be honest, normally I wouldn’t really talk about this. I am me, and that’s all that matters, but I know there has been some confusion about Strange Potions in the Altador Cup lately, so I’ll leave it at this. Altador Cup has always been a co-ed sport, but even if it wasn’t, Strange Potion is not an “enhancing” potion. The Committee checks out anyone who may take it and wants to compete to ensure there is no drastic change in performance. The only thing that has changed is that I am happier, and if anyone else is struggling with similar things, just know that you’ll always have Team Shenkuu in your corner!”

From Neopian Times, Issue #986, published June 30, 2023