Upon Makrham Shofner and Alan Kolick leaving the D.C. Current for the AUDL's D.C. Breeze I reached out to both hoping to get their reasoning for the change. Below are interview questions from Shofner asked via email.
What are the stipulations agreed upon in your two year contract?
"These apparently are private. I don’t really care, but Breeze management wanted to keep the details on the DL. Suffice it to say, I will make more playing next year than I did this year – but also that’s not really a part of why I decided to switch."
What are the factors that led you to the decision to sign with the Breeze over the Current for the upcoming year? Money, league outlook, team management, visibility?
"Primarily, I want to play against new teams and faces. The last 3 years in the MLU we’ve played the same three teams so many times, that the games just began to lose their excitement/ dynamism. One thing I love about ultimate is that, in tournaments, you constantly face new squads. It’s not gearing up against the same dudes continuously. The AUDL offers more variety in that sense.
I also really dig the vibe from the Breeze management and people who have cleated up on the team. Positive guys with a ton of optimism around the team, the league, and the sport."
How is next year on the Breeze going to be different than your previous professional seasons?
"I can’t say for sure, but I know it’ll be different. I’ve heard that games in Canada are a blast, and that the crowds there are comparatively huge, so I’m excited about that. It’ll be a change to have a new set of coaches. I’ll miss my guys on the Current. The coaches, the players, the management. But I’m excited."
What are the stipulations agreed upon in your two year contract?
"These apparently are private. I don’t really care, but Breeze management wanted to keep the details on the DL. Suffice it to say, I will make more playing next year than I did this year – but also that’s not really a part of why I decided to switch."
What are the factors that led you to the decision to sign with the Breeze over the Current for the upcoming year? Money, league outlook, team management, visibility?
"Primarily, I want to play against new teams and faces. The last 3 years in the MLU we’ve played the same three teams so many times, that the games just began to lose their excitement/ dynamism. One thing I love about ultimate is that, in tournaments, you constantly face new squads. It’s not gearing up against the same dudes continuously. The AUDL offers more variety in that sense.
I also really dig the vibe from the Breeze management and people who have cleated up on the team. Positive guys with a ton of optimism around the team, the league, and the sport."
How is next year on the Breeze going to be different than your previous professional seasons?
"I can’t say for sure, but I know it’ll be different. I’ve heard that games in Canada are a blast, and that the crowds there are comparatively huge, so I’m excited about that. It’ll be a change to have a new set of coaches. I’ll miss my guys on the Current. The coaches, the players, the management. But I’m excited."