Team GB's Matvei Morozov:
" I always want to get the best of our rivals which is Germany"
The Journey of Matvei Morozov
Ultimate Frisbee is a game not played by many, but one that is certainly entertaining, especially when I got to learn what it is like of a professional player. I had the opportunity to interview Great Britain Ultimate player, Matvei Morozov where I had the privilege to learn about his journey to where he is today.
Originating from Tallin, the beautiful capital of Estonia, Morozov did not begin thinking about frisbees until he was thirteen years old; moving from Tallin to the United Kingdom was the first step in the direction of playing for a professional GB team and being where he is today. He stated "since then frisbee became quite a big part of my life". Morozov began getting into Ultimate from his coach, Mark Bignal, who inspired Morozov to go after school clubs to play frisbee once a week on Fridays. This is where he started to find his friends who would help to motivate him to play more. Morozov was eventually able to participate in school regionals where he got to experience the atmosphere and "the spirit of the whole game" . Going to school regionals was enough to trigger Morozov to become better at Ultimate; he was very determined to match the ability his friend's had. His attention to other sports were dropped and Ultimate and Rowing would be his passions until he was fifteen where Bignal eventually saw Morozov's potential on his ability to become more professional, competitive and better. Bignal invited Morozov to trainings outside of school in Reading, where he was shown his new home, Reading Ultimate, located in Kings Meadow. "Ever since I've gotten into competitive club and seen the level people play at, I've wanted to match them at the sport"
Morozov describes Reading Ultimate as one of the "biggest frisbee hubs" in the UK as they have many national and international titles, the club also contains many great and friendly people that he has "grown quite fond of over the years"
"Every time I go to a Reading training session, I really enjoy playing with the people there. I associate myself with Reading being my home club"
On the 5th of May, Morozov was called up to participate in an overseas tournament for Team GB. The tournament was named Toms Tourney which took place in Bruges, Belgium. His team ended up placing 13th out of the 26 teams that played, after playing eight games, winning four and losing four. Morozov said he was "very happy" with how the team played. He also said he played against the "best teams in Europe", facing teams such as: La Fotta, known for being the more dominant team in Europe; Gentile Open, who are the Ghent team from Belgium; Tchac, who Morozov described as a "good French team"; The Denmark Senior Team and Alba Ultimate, known for being one of the best teams in the UK
"It was a really good experience for our team and to play against the best teams in Europe to prepare us for our main tournament"
Morozov travels with Team GB on July 2nd up to Nottingham to play in the World Under 24 Championship, the tournament finishes on July 8th
"I am feeling very excited to represent GB again and to see how well we could do against big countries like Canada, Japan and the US, which I am most eager for. I always want to get the best of our rivals which is Germany."
How a Professional Ultimate player prepares for a highly stated tournament:
Morozov describes Ultimate as a very "physically demanding sport", meaning he needs to create a way to prepare for big tournaments, but how do you prepare for a tough championship tournament? Morozov started the year off with strength and conditioning training as well as a lot of 'throwing practices'. However, as he progresses further into the year, he moves towards running more and focusing on improving and stabilising his cardio. "Recently I have realised it more about the mental game and the ability to keep going, so for that I am trying to play more ultimate and put myself in different scenarios and wanting to push through it".
Morozov's GB teammate, Natasha Turner, trains with the Ultimate player to prepare for both men's and women's GB tournaments. She witnesses his sheer determination to be his best self and to be at the best of his ability.
"He is always pushing himself to be his best and you can see how much the sport means to him"
An athlete must meet the nutritional requirements to maintain their fitness, which is why Morozov now eats more food including lots of carbohydrates such as Chicken and Rice or even Spaghetti Bolognese
Morozov is also a second year university student at Bournemouth University who is fortunate enough to have been given a sports scholarship. At university, he studies Sports Management and in his spare time, likes to "keep his head off frisbee every now and then", he is very fond of doing other sports but also doesn't hesitate to watch TV shows and socialise with his friends
"As a true frisbee fan, I do tend to watch frisbee replays of good quality frisbee games occasionally"
Being a scholarship student has its perks. For example, Morozov receives additional services such as; Rehabilitation; Strength and Conditioning training; and Sports Psychology, which has made him think about the "different aspects of his sport".
"I also receive some extra money to put on the side because of the scholarship which is nice to have. I can also go the student sports services in the university."
Morozov is the captain of the Bournemouth University frisbee team, Bournemouth Heat. His committee friend and Heat president, Sarah Dillamore, defines Morozov as a "great leader who helps others to be more comfortable with frisbee"
She also said "he helps the whole team to become their very best" and finally "we always have fun doing it"
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