Interview with Eric Molin from the Bos-Diego Combo team

Name: Eric Molin
Home Club: Boston Floorball
Position: Forward - Left Wing
Role within your club: Organizer/player
Nickname: I'm not cool enough to have one of those

USA Floorball: How were you first introduced to floorball and how long have you been playing?
Eric: I started playing floorball in schoolyards in the late 80s (yes, I'm that old) as the game was growing in popularity in Sweden. After playing throughout the 90s I went into "retirement" in 1998, but when I moved to Boston in 2007 I had a chance to start playing again, which has been tremendous fun.

USA Floorball: Tell us a little about the Boston floorball program. How many regular players do you have and how often do you play?
Eric: The Boston floorball program is likely the oldest program in the States, having been in continuous existence since 1992 and is still going strong. We typically have 10-20 players show up 1-2 times a week, but with Boston being a college town there is a lot of turnover as evidenced by having had over 250 different players participate over the past decade. I would like to see the program expand in the area and in particular in schools, so that is the next goal.

USA Floorball: This isn't the first tournament to feature a Boston-San Diego combination team. How did this relationship come about?
Eric: There are a number of people on the team who have moved from San Diego to Boston and vice versa, so a continued exchange that then resulted in a combination team became a natural extension. The combination team was first put to the test in 2012 when we managed to capture the gold in the US Nationals. We've since played together in the last two US Nationals as well as in the Canada Cup in Toronto.

USA Floorball: What do you see as Bos-Diego's greatest strength going into the 2015 US Nationals?
Eric: Most of the roster is made up of players who have appeared in past three finals, so we have the experience of what it takes to get there in the premier American tournament. We have a well-balanced team where everyone can contribute with both scoring and defending, so we hope the depth of our team can prove to be successful once more.

USA Floorball: Any significant challenges?
Eric: Being a combination team does have its challenges as we haven't had many opportunities to play with the other half of the team between tournaments. Additionally, the lack of practicing on a five-on-five court usually forces us to start out slow. We need to get off to a better start this time where we hopefully can put ourselves in a good position for the playoffs, but we know that the competition will be fierce and we need to be at the top of our game from the first face-off.

USA Floorball: What will be your team's keys to a successful tournament?
Eric: We need to take advantage of the scoring chances we are able to generate and play smart and disciplined to avoid costly turnovers and penalties (such as the one that cost us the gold in overtime last year) and defensive breakdowns. The rest of our strategy is top secret, so I can't reveal any more at this point!

USA Floorball: Have you been to the Austin area before? If so, what are your favorite things to do/see/eat? If not, what are you most looking forward to experiencing outside of the floorball scene?
Eric: While I have been to San Antonio before, this will be my first time visiting Austin so I'm looking forward to staying in the area. Once the tournament is over I hope we get to celebrate (or console ourselves) with some real Texan BBQ, and explore downtown Austin. We'll be looking to the local teams to offer some good suggestions on what else to do!

USA Floorball: Will you be participating in the USA Floorball Development Camp happening in the days before the tournament? If so, is there a part of your game you'd like to work on specifically?
Eric: Unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be able to make it to this training camp, but I'm very pleased to see a camp organized in the US involving all of the national teams. I encourage anybody who is interested to participate if at all possible because you'll learn a tremendous amount of floorball during these camps, you get to meet many others who love floorball, and it's a blast!

USA Floorball: Dreaming big, and if money were no object, what one thing would you add to a floorball tournament?
Eric: I would love for American tournaments to include youth divisions and showcase elite teams in special events that could include well-known local athletes.

USA Floorball: You've played with the US Men's National Team in the past. How did that experience affect the way you approach floorball as player or organizer?
Eric: The opportunity to line up before an international game and hear the Star Spangled Banner followed by intense high-quality floorball is something everybody should experience. It's fantastic to see the growth in both the number of American players and the quality, in particular the effort surrounding the U19 teams. I encourage any eligible players to go for it and maybe they will be part of the first American floorball team in the Olympics!

USA Floorball: Anything else you'd like to mention about Bos-Diego, the Nationals, the development camp, or USA Floorball?
Eric: We're honored to have the opportunity to participate in the Nationals for the fourth year in a row, and we are very much looking forward to battling it out in some tough games against the best teams in the country. The organization around the event is always great and it has become THE floorball tournament that all players want to win in the US. I think it's great to see the tournament grow and combining it with a development camp is a great step in improving the event further.