We spoke with Benny Nuger of our FISTF World Cup team in the fifth installment of the interview series with members of the USA squad going to Rome.
ASA: Can you describe the feeling of representing the USA at the FISTF World Cup?
BN: When I tell people that I’m representing the USA in a hobby of mine people’s eyes light up and ask me a billion questions about it, which is a cool feeling. Most people never get to have that opportunity, so to be able to represent my country in a hobby I love is very special.
ASA: It’s been four years since the last World Cup: how has your game changed since then?
BN: I’ve gotten better in all aspects of my game in the past four years. When I moved to Colorado, I trained a lot more with the help of Zach Walker and Patrick Sheridan. I also travelled to more domestic and international tournaments and gained a lot of experience from playing in those competitions.
ASA: How are you training for the World Cup?
BN: I’m practicing on my own and playing in tournaments when possible.
ASA: What are the prospects for the U.S. team in the Open category?
BN: If we can put it all together we can make a deep run. A lot has to go right, inside and outside our control, to make that happen.
ASA: What are your individual goals for Rome?
BN: This is my first World Cup so I am trying to get the experience under my belt, shake off quickly any nerves I may have, and put forward a really good effort. I don’t have any expectations of what stage to reach. I just know leaving everything on the pitch is all I can really ask of myself.
