Into the Mists - An Interview with Mirsha Grelinek

     Skaata: “Ever since you debuted with a spectacular third-place finish in the second Altador Cup, you’ve been a huge hit with legions of fans all across Neopia wearing red and gold with pride. What’s it like being one of the Altador Cup’s most popular teams?

     Mirsha: “It is a tremendous honour to have such a significant amount of support, even from foreign fans. We read and appreciate each and every letter that is sent, and do our best to reply when we are not practising. However, we must also remember to keep our focus on our practice, first and foremost. This is one reason we spend our time in the mountains – it allows us to focus on each other and our gameplay, with minimal uncontrollable interruptions. Our fans do not annoy us – far from it! But we do our best to maintain our tranquillity when we train, both to focus, as I said earlier, and to keep egotistical thoughts from our minds. The kind praise of our supporters is appreciated, but we are flawed beings like any other, and constant praise can cause our objectivity to wane.”

     “Keeping our pride in check is very important for multiple reasons. Not only would it be a stain on our moral characters to hold our heads too high, but overestimating ourselves is a dire mistake that not only causes us to overestimate our capabilities, but also makes mistakes all the more disruptive to our mental states, which in turn breeds more mistakes. Given that our games are frequently on the longer side, this can prove to be disastrous for our performance, more than most.”

     Skaata: “That’s a fantastic point that I wanted to bring up! Your runner-up match versus Krawk Island in the second Altador Cup was over an hour long, and a master class in defensive play! Team Shenkuu is famous for its back line-oriented playstyle, and you’re the only forward on the team, with three members defending the goal for most of the match. Your personal scoring capabilities throughout the years have always been outstanding, with you being the top scorer of last year’s cup, but what is the reasoning for Shenkuu’s defensive emphasis? Do you believe that an additional forward could help your team recapture its former glory?”

     Mirsha: “I appreciate your praise of my scoring abilities, but truly, none of it would be possible without our mentality, which is reflected in our defensive playstyle. When we play the game, we believe it best to bide our time, look for an opening, and take advantage of it when the way is clear. Like us, our opponents are imperfect beings. A mistake will come – it always does. We simply need to maintain our mental states at their peak to ensure that their mistake comes first, and then gain the upper hand. We must, in plain terms, outlast them. Our back line's ability to erode the stamina and focus of our opponents is a key aspect of being able to exploit the error of our opponents, and thus, is the true secret to our scoring success. As such, I believe that weakening our defensive core’s ability to perform this role would disrupt our strategy, and would cause more problems than it would cure. Our victory, if it is to come, must come from within ourselves when we earn it with true mastery of the game, and not with bending like a reed to quick fixes.”

     Skaata: “That’s a very intriguing answer, and I suspect that your unique philosophy will be key for your future success. I’m very interested in your talk about your tranquillity and mental flow – how important would you say your training in places like these mountains has been in achieving your mastery of self?”

     Mirsha: “To clarify, we do not think of ourselves as masters of self. Life is a constant lesson, and we are always learning. Discipline is not something that is attained in a consistent, measurable way, like a book read or a checkpoint reached. It is a process, something that is constantly tested. Discipline can be strengthened, of course, but none of us has infinite patience, no matter how much we might wish it. Still, this does not mean we cannot work towards being as close to our ideal as we can be. We must be reasonable with ourselves, but we must also be strict. Lower our standards, and we fail to meet our potential, instead settling for mediocrity – this is a disappointment for our supporters, but, perhaps even more importantly, it is a disappointment for ourselves. We don’t punish ourselves for failure, but nor do we accept it as an inevitability. We learn from it, and strive to be better next time.”

     “But either way, I’ve gone off track and I apologise for that. These mountains are an excellent place to train. The elevation isn’t quite high enough for oxygen deprivation to be a serious concern when practising, but the weather is cool enough to be slightly uncomfortable. This keeps us mentally sharp, while not being a hazard to the health of our players. It is far from the distractions of civilisation, and the hustle and bustle of the city. It is easy to improve our inner clarity here, to hear the Naleap’s song carried on the wind, and to see millions of stars at night. Frankly, I would recommend anyone who is interested in getting away from it all and feeling the need to go back to the basics to come to a place like this, even if only for a short while.”

     Skaata: “That’s a lot to think about, and I’ll have to mull it over on my way back. In the meantime, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who doesn’t have the time to come to the mountains, but could use a way to develop their inner clarity?”

     Mirsha: “I’d say that the most important factor is to lessen the impact of passion by making time to contemplate things. During a game, sometimes we have no choice but to make a split-second decision due to the speed of the match, but off the pitch, we can afford to be more measured. In a conversation, for example, it’s often expected that one will respond to a question immediately, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Taking a moment to breathe, to consider what has been said, to take a few moments to think of a good response instead of regretting a poor choice of words hours after the fact. If it’s a big decision that is not urgent, perhaps sleeping on it will reveal a solution that we have not previously considered. In short, we are all imperfect, but acknowledging and working with this imperfection can lead to better outcomes for not only ourselves, but for those around us as well.”

     Skaata: “Thank you so much for your insight, from myself and the readers!”

     “Now, if you don’t mind, given the mist situation and all… How do I get back down, exactly…?”

     I hope you found this interview with the ninjas as intriguing as I did. Please join me in the next instalment for more great insights into the minds of the Yooyuball greats!

     The End.