LONG READ: Former Britbowl champions explain what it takes to win as Highland Wildcats bid for fourth UK Championship
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This weekend the Highland Wildcats will travel down to Cambridge to compete in Britbowl, looking for their fourth triumph in the competition.
It is the culmination of months of hard work which have already reaped plenty of rewards in Scotland with a near perfect 11 wins and one tie out of 12.
While the Wildcats have won Britbowl three times before at the under-16s age group, this weekend will be a new experience for the current group of under-16s at the Wildcats, many of whom are in their rookie year.
They have the opportunity to go up against the best players and teams in their age group from across the country to become UK champions, but what can they expect from the showcase in Cambridge? The Inverness Courier spoke to three former Britbowl winners to find out what will be in store for the Wildcats class of 2022.
Britbowl memories
All three of the former Wildcats were part of the Britbowl-winning teams of 2014 and 2015, and are part of the club's current coaching staff.
Over those two years there was plenty of success to celebrate, but the lasting memories are not always what happened on the pitch.
Sometimes what stays with players are the things around playing the actual matches, or a more introspective look at how they changed over that period. Sometimes, it is the mixed build-up of nerves and excitement.
"A different kind of nerves kick in," Ally Gibson recalled.
"There's so much to try and comprehend. I remember my coaches would tell me to soak in the atmosphere, but I was blown away by it.
"For weeks we would do our prep and say 'we need to be careful of these guys', and then you're seeing them in person. It can be daunting, but it can also give you quite a rush."
Colin Hamilton added: "The journey on the bus really is one of the best parts.
"By that point in the season you've been spending weeks and months training with these guys and a lot of them have become some of your best friends by that point.
"Another one is going in to the first game for the first time, feeling like everyone's on the same page and clicking and firing. Doing what you do best with some of your best mates – that's pretty sweet."
Euan Trommino said: "I was quite a timid person before I started playing with the Wildcats. I came into a team that was already well-established, but they really took me under their wing.
"It's more than a club – I know that might sound cringey, but what I remember most are the friendships I made and them bringing out the best of me and the confidence that I had. When everyone's on the same page there's no other feeling."
What makes a successful team?
Of all the teams playing American football in the UK, very few make it to Britbowl. Even fewer then win it, and only an elite select go on to retain their title.
The Wildcats did just that seven years ago, becoming one of the few teams to win back-to-back championships, and the cohesion that stood out to all three of the former players played a big role in their success.
"It was down to the culture that the coaches created, which is welcoming and striving for victory," Trommino explained.
"Not just victory in the sense of winning, but in the sense of bettering ourselves not just as players but as people as well. There are so many transferable skills that I now use in my day-to-day life.
"We had this traffic light system. When you're in the green, everything's going great, and when you go into the amber zone, you notice that things are starting to fall apart a wee bit.
"We had to try and find a way out of the amber and into the green, whatever works for you. For me it used to be taking my helmet clips off and putting it back on – that was me mentally resetting. I've learned so much from this club, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Gibson said: "It really boils down to everyone, because in my years everyone was pushing each other.
"There was never a satisfaction of thinking we were going to win, we always thought we could do more, so we kept pushing ourselves.
"I see that with this group this year. They're always pushing each other and trying to make themselves better. You can never think you're the best, you have to always be driving forward."
Hamilton reflected: "We were quite lucky to have quite a young core that came into the squad at the same time, and our coaches had gone and won it three or four years beforehand, so it's a similar situation that we're in now.
"A lot of our guys were still eligible to play in the under-16s the year after, so we knew we had a really good chance of doing it again. The pressure was on, because we had a target on our back – we couldn't just ride off the coattails of the year before.
"There are only a couple of teams that have gone back-to-back at that age group before. Our coaches told us we were one of the few, so that was really cool."
Dealing with pressure
To get to Britbowl in the first place a team has to be successful one, so you might expect confidence to be high.
However, knowing that you are going up against the best of the best is enough to put doubt into anyone's mind.
It would not be an anomaly in sport for the team who copes best mentally to come out on top, so how can this year's group cope with the pressure on their shoulders?
"For me, going down you are quite excited, and then the night before when you're sleeping that's when you get quite nervous about it," Hamilton reasoned.
"On the way there on the day, the nerves are pretty terrible – my leg was rattling about like a jackhammer!
"We had our coaches who had been in our position and went and done it, and they were able to talk about it and give us some help.
"Once you get the first couple of plays out of the way in that first game, you settle in and you realise that it's not as bad as you built it up to be in your head, and you are capable of going out there and competing."
Trommino said: "I think if you've got nerves, it's a good sign because it shows that you actually care, but if it gets the better of you and starts controlling you, then that can fumble your game completely.
"If you have something to keep you going, you need some essence of pressure because if you don't care at all then you're not going to bother playing, you're not going to put any effort in.
"If you're nervous to an extent you care and you want to do the best for your team. The traffic light system would for sure helping me out of feeling that stress."
Gibson added: "Everyone's in the same boat. You sometimes forget that we were so young – doing that was by far the most important thing I had ever done up to that point in my life.
"I put that down to the coaches when I was playing, they made sure that we only thought about doing our thing and we'd be fine, so try not to think about much else.
"They were always there if anyone had questions, and if anyone looked nervous we always made sure as a team that we were all in the same boat and nobody was panicking on their own.
"Our coach always said that it was good to have nerves before the game, but as soon as you got that first play, be in your element and make it your own. I still go by that – as soon as the first play is done, all of the nerves just seem to fade away and you get on with it."
On the road
Highland Wildcats always have the longest journeys to matches, and that is amplified when it comes to Britbowl.
This year it will take place in Cambridge, which means a journey of more than 500 miles each way to try and earn national success.
Everyone will have their own method of dealing with such a long time on a bus, but there is one trap the Wildcats must ensure they do not fall into.
"You can over-train of course," Trommino stressed.
"If you're constantly thinking about the next play and how to tactically gain an advantage, you're going to over-do it.
"Like anything, you need it in moderation. We do some game film and looking at footage, then potentially go through it in depth while taking breaks in between to let them enjoy themselves.
"Too much of anything is overkill. If on the journey down you're constantly looking for that victory, I think you're just going to lose focus, and you're probably putting more pressure on yourself than you realise."
Gibson said: "Whenever it's long travels like this, we always used to have a bit of a curfew, especially if we were leaving early.
"I think one time we left at 1am to get to a Leeds game, and we had a truce – up to about 5am or 6am, there was no speaking so that we could let everyone sleep.
"As long as everyone respects people's boundaries, then it's okay. There's never really been any problems with the bus and travelling, they seem to quite enjoy it."
Hamilton had his own advice for those travelling down, adding: "Take a pillow! You might be able to lean up against a window and get a couple of hours sleep.
"Some people bring cards and play a couple of games, and we stop halfway for food which breaks up the journey.
"You're with all your mates, so you can keep yourself occupied by just joking about. That does help, because the next thing you know three hours have passed and you're not actually that far away."
Final words of wisdom
While Gibson will not be going to Cambridge with the team, Hamilton and Trommino will, so players will have the chance to pick their brains whenever required.
All three of them are optimistic about the Wildcats' chances of a fourth age-group crown, though, as long as they band together like they have done all year.
"I think we'll win Britbowl," Trommino enthused.
"I would tell them to have controlled confidence – meaning that it doesn't become overconfidence.
"They need to have confidence in their abilities to dominate the scene which derives from all the hard work and trials they have faced together and wear that on their sleeves, confidence that your teammates will do their jobs just as you'll do yours, a winner's mentality with a classy and respectful edge."
Gibson went along similar lines, saying: "A lot of the players worry that they're nervous and think they're going to mess up, but I think nerves are really good.
"My dad always told me that nerves show you care, because you don't want to mess up. Once that first play is over and done with, you are in your element, in your zone and ready to go.
"Never be too relaxed, but don't beat yourself up before the game even starts. Just be calm and do what you've been doing all season."
Hamilton added: "I would just tell them to get the first couple of plays out of the way and under their belts.
"That was the biggest thing for me – once I did that and settled in, I realised that we are capable of competing with the other teams. Once you know that you're capable of doing that, you can start firing and going for it.
"Us having coaches that had gone and done it before, we're looking forward to being able to pay that forward to this new generation that has come through. Hopefully they can go and do it."
