Team Name: Gentle
Location: Ghent, Belgium
Year Founded: 2004
Website: http://gentlesite.be
Previous Windmill Appearances: 5
Highest Windmill Finish: In 2009, Gentle finished 9th in the tournament and won the Spirit Award
Founded in 2004 by 10 boy scouts that had grown tired of traveling to distant cities to play, Gentle is a 140-member ultimate club from Ghent, Belgium. Players are split among six different teams based on their skill level, and for international events, the club fields Gentle Open, its top team. Gentle’s leadership has separate organizational and coaching factions that allow for focus on both sustainability and competition. Gentle’s results in both the wins/loss column and the Spirit rankings will be noteworthy for any ultimate team looking to build a program out of a small but dedicated core.
The following is an interview is with Korneel Morlion, Gentle Open’s captain and coach.
Who are you and what is your team all about?
We are Gentle, an ultimate team based in Ghent, Belgium. We started in 2004 and have won the Belgian Championship four times since. We have a strong open team, but on top of that we also have 100 players competing in different tournaments.
How many years have you attended Windmill?
Our first trip was in 2008. The year before, a lot of us were there with the Belgian National Team and we had such a good time that we definitely wanted to come back with our own team, Gentle. Since then we’ve always been present. So this will be our 5th year.
How has your season been going so far this year?
We became Belgian Champs at the end of April, which is a good start! After that we had a good run at Tom’s Tourney, where we beat some top European teams. Unfortunately, we picked up some injuries.
Who are some of your top players? And what do they do best?
Wow. It’s always difficult and tricky to talk about top players. The aim of Gentle has always been focusing on being a team. That said, we have some young guns who have a bright future a head of them. My focus as a coach is the team and not individual players. Therefore i answered in those terms to that question. You’re only as good as your last game as a team.
What does your team do well?
We focus hard on our defense. We try to give the opponents a hard time and never stop running. We also are willing to fight for each other with a positive attitude. For me as a coach, that last thing is the most important.
What makes your team unique?
I think there are a lot of teams like us. We’re a group of friends who started up a frisbee team and evolved into a decent ultimate team.
If you’ve been to Windmill before, what are your favorite memories?
Winning spirit in 2009 and ending 9th. Also, losing the final as the Belgian National Open Team after a great tournament with some surprising wins.
Why did you choose to go to Windmill this year?
Because it’s a high standard ultimate tournament which is very well organized and close to Ghent. It’s the perfect tournament for us.
What are you most looking forward to this year at Windmill?
The long and hard games of ultimate. Windmill is a battle. Every game you try to score as many points as possible and then the swiss draw will put you were you belong. Next to that Windmill always has a strong reputation of ‘off the field’ acts. I remember Mr. Steel last year…
Interested in learning more about Gentle? Check out their video from this year’s Belgian Championships as well as this interview with Korneel Morlion.
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