PAR ANDŽELO BOMIUSA ATGRIEŠANOS 

Mūsu mārketinga vadītāja Ksenija Maderniece runāja ar Andželo Bomiusu un viņa sievu Žaklīnu Stolci par atgriešanos turnīrā.

KSENIJA: HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED AGAIN IN THE TOURNAMENT?

ANGELO: Janis (Jansons) contacted me late May if I would be interested to come back. At the moment I put it a little on hold as I had to think it over. About a month later he asked me if I thought it over. I did, but had no idea what to expect. Janis explained me he would like to have me as a kind of supervisor, assistant wherever needed and advisor. We discuss about it, I talked it over at home and after approx 2 weeks I gave Janis a positive response.

JACQUELINE: He likes hockey a lot and I told him to follow his heart, but also that he need to realize I cannot take 5-6 weeks off from work. At the end we both agree he should accept the offer.

KSENIJA: YOU RUN THE LAST TOURNAMENT IN 2017. WHY DID YOU QUIT AT THAT TIME?

ANGELO: It started in 2006 as a hobby, but became more or less a full time job. During the tournament weeks you were busy 16 – 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. At home it took 30 – 60 hours a week. Gints Bikars made visa arrangements for Eastern European teams and was contact person with Riga Council (Rigas Dome) and most Latvian teams, but I did all administration and organization. And with all I really mean all, sending invitations, answering emails, searching on the internet for team contacts all around Europe, making all schedules like games, meals, transportation, dressing rooms, taking care of hotel bookings, financial part, arrange majority of the contracts with arenas and hotels. It became too much and it was time for something else.

JACQUELINE: At that time he was also involved with the hockey club in Den Haag (Netherlands). Our life was just hockey. He quit in Riga in 2017 and in Den Haag in 2018. We enjoyed life a different way now. Spending a lot of time with the grand children, holidays, short city trips and so on.

KSENIJA: IS THERE A LOT CHANGED IN THE LAST 2 YEARS?

ANGELO: It is hard to say from a distance. What I noticed at home was social media got an upgrade. Younger people are involved in the team and they are more familiar with it. Website looks very nice. Facebook looks good. They are using Instagram now. As far as I can see the team is doing a great job to provide effective communication and tournament arrangement. Of course most persons got a background for several years in organizing tournaments in Floorball. Different sport, but same idea.

JACQUELINE: I have a public relation background and the first thing I noticed was the more professional way in social media.

KSENIJA: WHAT WILL BE YOUR NEW ROLE IN THE ORGANIZATION?

ANGELO: I will not be the tournament organizer, but during the months before the tournament I can advice Janis wherever it is necessary. We also agree that he can contact me if he needs any help with a schedule or just like to do some brainstorming session (for instance about which way to go with a specific number of teams).
During the tournament Janis likes to have me around as a kind of supervisor and help him wherever he needs me. And of course sharing my experience with the enthusiastic team.

KSENIJA: WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE?

ANGELO: I did the administrative organization for Riga Cup for 12 years until 2017. In Den Haag (Netherlands) I organize tournaments for about 15 years and also several years some pre-season tournaments in Leuven (Belgium). Personally I think Janis and I can complement each other. Janis, the younger guy, with, if I am right, 7 years experience in organizing Floorball tournaments and 2 years the True Riga Cup hockey tournament and I, as the older man, with around 25 years experience in hockey tournaments.

JACQUELINE: The last 2 years they got more teams again in the tournament. With both Janis and Angelo you might have a great combination.

KSENIJA: LAST QUESTION. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THE 2020 TOURNAMENT?

ANGELO: First of all that we make it a high quality tournament, respect for each other and a good service to all participants from referees to players and from coaches to volunteers. Furthermore I told Janis straight away I will not organize the tournament, but will be available whenever he needs me with questions or ideas. Organizing it will be too much time. However, if you see the first weeks it takes already some more time than expected, but that is the way it is. During the tournament I am sure there will be new things. Inbox will be the main Arena. Volvo Arena will not be used anymore. Kurbads, Jelgava (Zemgale) and Akropole are new arenas for me and I have no idea what to expect in these arenas. It will be a new experience for me as well. In between the tournaments I expect to have a lot more free time than in the past, so I can explore Riga again. We will see how it will go, but I am really looking forward to it. I also think during the tournament days there will be more time for personal contact with managers and coaches and meet old friends who visit the tournaments for many years already.

JACQUELINE: A big difference will be that he is all alone for 5 weeks. On the other hand, in the past we had breakfast and dinner together, because for the rest he was busy with the tournament. Sometimes I was joking if I need to make an appointment with him if I like to go for a few hours to Jurmala for instance. As Angelo said already, it takes more time now already at home, but I know him. If he says yes, it means he will go for the full 100% for it. He is a perfectionist and I am sure the coming months will be more hockey than he had in his mind. However, he likes it, so it is fine for me. We have our good times anyway with or without hockey.

SEE YOU IN RIGA! ❤️