Yesterday, two DLE Cascade players revealed that they are female! Inga Dedekind (back-up quarterback) and Nicola Krukenberg (wide receiver) has been playing the first half of the second DLE season for the Carroburg Crimson Cascade, and in this interview you can meet these two amazing young ladies and listen to their experience.

Hertha: So, tell us, how did you get the idea to apply for the try-outs last Fall?
Nicola: It was mostly a lark, you know. We had this hen party for Cecilia, one of Inga’s friends, and I mentioned the idea that we should get Cecilia to go to the try-outs. It was voted down, but Inga challenged me and said, why don’t you go to the try-outs? I will go, I said, if you will join me. And two days later, we were there, in the Crimson Pool (the Cascade homefield) in disguise.
Inga (grins): I don’t think we fooled very many for very long, though.
Günther: So you are saying the team knows about you two?
Nicola: Of course. They have been in on this from the start. They think it’s great fun.
Inga (grins again): Except for the manager, of course. You should have seen his face when we announced it yesterday!
Hertha: And the opponents?
Inga (shrugs): I’m not really sure…You know, they always see us with all the equipment on, and so it is hard to tell, and we don’t socialize much after the games either. There is always someone who knows, though…
Günther: Let’s turn to the current situation. Cascade is at the top of its division at half-season. What do you think of that?
Nicola: It’s like an adventure. Nobody thought we could do this well, not even the coach and the manager.
Inga: Yeah. After all, we are an expansion team and the older teams have much more talent and experience. When we started, the manager told us the board would be satisfied if we could get at least two good games in, and be better than last in our division. But we have done much better than that, haven’t we?
Nicola: Yeah. And we even had an excellent change at equalizing the game against the Sharks, which would had made us the only team beside Gunners and Patriots who haven’t lost a game this season. We still rib Anders a bit for that…
Günther: You have somehow sneaked into that first place, quietly but competently. Not with the flair and sensationalism that many other teams have! No player awards, for example.
Nicola: I guess that’s true.
Inga: Yeah. We are more like our name, grinding away as a Cascade.
Nicola: On the other hand, the expansion teams have done quite well. Maybe it’s more of an uphill battle for us, so we are more determined, while the older teams have become more sedate?
Hertha: Tell us about your own seasons. Nicola, whats your best and worst moments on the pitch this season?
Nicola: I think that must be the third round match against the Kemperbad Knights. The first half was awful. We started with the ball and TJ was held back for later, so I was the lead ballcarrier. Anders passed to me and I was jogging at the midfield for the blitzers to clear the path, and then they were on to us before we could react. I hardly had time to think before Dietmar was KO’d and poor Axel killed, and then I only see Knights around me and Jim Thorpe hits me hard… It was horrible. Truly a lesson in real Blood Bowl… And later in that half, when Martin blitzes their ballcarrier and Turbin succeeds in getting the ball thrown into the stands, so the fans could put it on the Knights goalline and I am running like crazy to score… and then, just before I get there, Lou Groza (Knights blitzer) grabs the ball and runs with it. I almost had tears in my eyes, then. After all, at that point there were only five of us left, and Martin and Turbin had done so well, only to see the Knights score after all. In the second half we were doing better, though. I was almost free on our right flank, running for the goalline when Kyle (Knights wide receiver) tried to grab me. His dive tackles are famous, but it was like I knew what he was going to do, and I dodged at the right moment, just as he was trying his tackle (Nicola needed 6+ to avoid the dive-tackle. Had RR but did not need to use it), and got away. That was totally awesome and sooo exhilarating. It was my first professional TD as well.
Hertha: And you, Inga?
Inga: I haven’t played as much as Nicola. And even when I play, Anders handles most of the passing and decisions. But my greatest moment was when I sent Travis off the field in the seventh round match against the Marauders. I only played the second half, and we were under heavy pressure late in the half when I got a boot in, and bang, off went Travis (badly hurt). I think that’s my only star player points this season. By the way, Travis was one of the first to congratulate me when we announced that we were females. “Never thought I’d fall for a woman like that”, he said.
Hertha: What can you tell us of gossip about your teammates?
Nicola: My favourite is Friedrich. He is big and strong, one of the strongest in the league I think, but he has the kindest hart, and has always been kind of protective towards the two of us.
Inga (grins): It’s probably because you always have to help him with his shoelaces, Nicola!
Nicola (laughs): Maybe. Anyway, he is so nice he haven’t had one single cas so far this season. He always holds his punches. The coach has been on his case, and I know Friedrich is struggling with that. He so much wants to please the coach, but he can’t let loose totally because he’s afraid players will hate him afterwards, and he can’t stand that. I hope he will realize it’s just a game, and that we are all friends when it s over.
Günther: And you, Inga?
Inga: My favourite player is Anders. He is so cool under fire, and is really the heart and brain of the team. You know, he must be the most underrated quarterback in the league. He has more star player points than any two of us put together, and the only game he has not gotten spps were in the Sharks game…
Nicola (laughs): He was dead drunk in that game, Inga!
Inga (indignated): He was not!
Nicola (laughs harder): He was too!
Inga (somewhat miffed): Anyway, he does not get the fame he deserves. You know, the only player award he has is the DLE sucker award from week two when he didn’t manage to dodge for the equalizing TD against the Sharks… Those award committee members are such jerks… And he is a local as well. Nicola went to school with him.
Nicola (teasing): Come on, Inga. If you were handing out awards he would win every week. You’re sweet on him!
Inga (reddens): Am not!
Hertha and Günther: This seems to be a good time to leave. We wish you the best of luck and hope the second half of the season becomes even greater than the first half!

Brought to you by Hertha Wendlinger and Günther Schiele, Carroburg Tageszeitung.