Senior team receiver Stefan Pflug - here seen between fellow WRs William Elias and Jens Bo Fræk - is spending this fall going to college in Wisconsin, we talked to him about the trip and about the Towers' season.
www.copenhagen-towers.dk: You are going to the states to go to school and play football this fall, how did that come about?
Stefan Pflug: I am going to the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, which is a division three school in the NCAA. It’s an exchange from the Copenhagen Business School where I am currently a student. My grades are good, so I could have gone to most of the schools available, but I decided to choose one where it was feasible that I could play football.
After looking at the different schools (former Towers coach) Anders Munch contacted head coach Larry Terry, to figure out what chances I had of actually making the team.
Ultimately I was allowed to join their three-week, invitation-only, fall camp, where I will have a chance to make the team.
So what are you doing to prepare for this camp?
Right now I am training six times per week, and I have changed my eating habits, and stopped drinking. They have stringent physical requirements, so I am focusing a lot on weight training. Even if I don’t reach all of their requirements, hopefully my efforts will make an impression. I also work a lot on speed, which is the area I hope to improve the most. Coach Miller is helping me plan my workouts, and I train with him a couple of times weekly.
What are your overall expectations?
I am looking forward to the whole experience: university life, American culture, new people, and new challenges. When it comes to football it’s hard to look beyond camp, which starts august 14th. I know that it will be very challenging and I am sure plenty of people don’t leave me much of a chance, but I will do my best to surprise positively.
How do you feel about leaving right as the Towers are doing so well?
Obviously I would like to take part in this positive development, but the hardest thing to leave behind is the sense of community that has developed on the team. We have finally come together as a family. It’s the people that matter. I can’t help wondering whether I’ve played my last game with Ole Toft – a person who means a lot to this team.
What do you think is the reason for the upturn?
The addition of JR has really meant a lot. The defense has done well over the past few years, and it’s nice to be able to give back, now that the offense is productive as well. And the positive development can also be attributed to a core of players who get along well, and really want to the team to succeed.
Regarding JR, what does his arrival mean to you as a receiver?
As a receiver, there is nothing better than a good quarterback. It has really been critical for my development. This is my best season ever.
Having a quarterback that can put the ball anywhere, along with a strong receiver group where four different players have caught a total of eight touchdowns, is really a luxury, but it must be frustrating when there are only so many balls to go around?
Some people might feel that way, but not in my case. There have been games like the latest one against the Gold Diggers, where I only caught three passes, but playing in Denmark, I’ve had games before where I didn’t even touch the ball – THAT is frustrating. This year I lead the team in catches, and JR is very good at spreading the ball around, and in the end it’s about the team so it’s great to put the defense in a bind by having four dangerous players.
Finally, how far do you think the Towers will go this year?
I hope, and believe that we will go very far this year - possibly all the way to the Mermaid Bowl, I don’t believe that that is an unrealistic goal.
