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Leave it to Tiffany Weimer to mix things up. The Editor of Our Game Magazine/current Vancouver Whitecap player and ambassador/women’s soccer media mogul suggested we try tweaking the 20 Questions format slightly with something fun and different. We began by chatting about our respective Connecticut upbringings (the bit at the end) and then followed that up with 10 questions for each other. Results below, and you can blame the Ocho for this.

JP: You recently signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps. What are you most looking forward to this W-League season?

TW: I’m looking forward to a few things – one winning a W-League Championship (something I’ve never done) two, becoming a better player and three getting to know the city of Vancouver.

TW: What would you be doing if you weren’t involved in soccer?

JP: I’d likely be putting my degree to good use and teach world history to 9th graders, and I’d probably be miserable. No offense to the 9th grade world history teachers out there, of course.

JP: Has Carmelina Moscato helped you brush up on your Canadian? Any favorite phrases?

TW: Carm hasn’t helped me too much, but here’s a text convo we had the other day:

Carm- what are you doing in my country

Tiff- taking it over

Carm- you would!

Tiff- Obvi

Carm- wish I was there to witness it

TW: What motivated you to start AWK ? Where did the name come from?

JP: Sometime in 2009 I went through a really odd period and just felt really disconnected from a lot of things. I missed that feeling of belonging to a community of some kind. Thus, I quickly fell in love with the sport – and culture – of soccer. I then came to know the American soccer blogosphere (Pitch Invasion, Match Fit USA, Fake Sigi, The Global Game, Run of Play, From A Left Wing, Inside Minnesota Soccer etc.). Soccer’s “independent media” was so integrated in the culture of American soccer. The mainstream profile of the men’s game (be that the USMNT or MLS) has risen dramatically since then, so I’m not sure that still applies like it used to. Still though, some of the most engaging, interesting, influential soccer writing is produced by people who have full-time jobs, families to support, and no formal journalistic training. They do it because they love it, and they know it’s what binds the community together. It took about a year before I decided to take a leap of faith, register a blog with WordPress, write some stuff about women’s soccer, and see if anyone would ever read it.

As for the name, I’ve always thought a simple all white kit was just the epitome of cool. Be that Real Madrid or Santos or the ’99 WWC winning team. It’s just very classic and stylish. When I needed a name for the blog I rummaged through one of my old notebooks and discovered some doodlings of an all white kit, and the name just kind of stuck. “All White Strip” was also considered but the idea was axed for obvious reasons. I also liked the AWK acronym.

JP: What about you? What first motivated you to start Our Game Magazine?

TW: Khaled El-Ahmad had the initial idea to start the magazine – knowing about my background in Journalism of course. When presented with the idea I saw the ultimate path to combine the two things I love the most: writing and soccer. I really enjoy the magazine and definitely hope it’s something I can continue for a longggg time.

TW: What is your background in soccer? Did you play? At what level?

JP: I only have three distinct soccer memories that aren’t directly related to writing about soccer: I remember my (former footballing) dad trying to teach me tactics with salt and pepper shakers as a child. A year later, I played one game of rec soccer, stubbed my toe, and never went back. Some time after that, I watched the USWNT win the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It felt like such an epic moment back then, and for good reason.

So in much fewer words, no background in playing soccer whatsoever.

JP: What would you still like to accomplish most in your playing career?

TW: I would like play for a club for more than a year and be an impact player at the highest level.

TW: What level/league/teams do you find most appealing? and which is the most appealing to write about?

JP: When it comes to women’s soccer, I can’t discriminate. WPS is probably the most appealing, because there are so many unique narratives, both on and off the field.

JP: All-time favorite memory from your days in WPS?

TW: All-time favorite memory was a day Carrie Dew and I speak of often. It was the “Glory Day” when we beat Boston Breakers in our opening game for FC Gold Pride. We played some great soccer and we thought we were going to be undefeated that season.

TW: What’s the most interesting interview/story you’ve done?

JP: I honestly don’t know. Probably something having to do with the up-and-downs of the USWNT over the past nine months

JP: Talk a bit about your background in journalism. And is it more useful than a degree in say, History?

TW: Since I was in middle school I knew I liked writing and I was good at it. I learned a ton at Penn State when it comes to the journalism field and definitely think it was a beneficial choice.

TW: What’s your dream job?

JP: It would be a privilege to continue working in the sport at some level. Whether that be in a media, P.R., administrative, coaching, and/or equipment manager role for the Houston Express U-11′s, I’d probably be happy. Travel would also have to be involved, and lots of it.

JP: What are Our Game’s long-term plans down the road? Any chance of publishing hard copy editions?

TW: Our Game’s long-term plans would definitely be to have hard copies one day and maybe by that time we’ll all have scanners hooked up to our mailboxes and that’s how things will be delivered. Cool, right?

TW: You told us about the past of AWK – What do you see as the future of AWK? Aside from AWK – where do you see yourself in the future?

JP: Honestly, I’m not sure. One of the main goals of AWK is to chart the progress of women’s soccer and to document as much about it as possible. The women’s game has a very rich history, but its narrative is a bit disjointed because of the constant stop/start nature and the peaks and valleys of its popularity. Hopefully we can be there to continue to witness and record its development and progress at the professional, collegiate, and international levels.

But in the short-term, our College Editor extraordinaire Chris Henderson is working on previewing each and every DI NCAA team in the country. Every team. All 321 of them. Amazingly incredible, right? No superlative in the world can suffice. I’m currently working on a project with a friend. That should be unleashed in a few months. And perhaps after that I’ll start writing a book. Working title: “Tiffany Weimer: The Life and Times of the Ocho”.

JP: What’s one interesting fact about you that few people know of?

TW: An interesting fact few people know is that I was a stat freak when I was younger. I have a book of every game I ever played in, how many goals I scored, how many assists I had, the final score of the game, whether I played injured or not, etc. It’s pretty in-depth.

TW: Who has been the biggest impact on your life to get you where you are today?

JP: Probably Richard Farley. I’ve always admired his writing and work on EPL Talk and a hundred other places. Actually, the true motivation to get AWK up and running probably sprang up in one of our many email correspondences a little over a year ago. Eventually I decided to stop blowing up his inbox with women’s soccer-themed emails and started posting them on a blog instead.

JP: If someone was visiting for Connecticut for the first time, what’s the first thing you would tell them to do or see?

TW: Go to my grandma’s house for macaroni and meatballs.

TW: How do you feel about athletes using numbers as names?

JP: It’s totally fine, Tiff, unless you decided to try out for the Cincinnati Bengals – or wherever Chad Ochocinco plays these days. Then it would be annoying.

JP: What would suck more: losing 500 Twitter followers or being barred from wearing the no. 8 ever again?

TW: Nothing sucks more than not having number eight. Nothing.

And here’s some stoppage time material about sharing a birth city.

TW: You were born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. For some people this just means in the city of Bridgeport – anywhere. Not necessarily the hospital. Was this the case for you?

JP: I was actually born in one of the houses P.T. Barnum – of Bridgeport mayoral and circus fame – built. Well, I wish I could say that, but really I was born in the hospital. How about you? And how long did it take you to flee Bridgeport?

TW: Born in Bport (hospital as well, so boring) – that’s what we real Connectians call the city – lived in Stratford until I was about 4 – then moved to North Haven where I was raised and now i live in West Haven. You were in Milford right? Why did you leave the state? Seriously, there’s like so much to do here. We are famous for like so many things…like so many I can’t even list them all in the short space designated for questions. But really. Why would you leave CT? Home of ….Tiffany Weimer?

JP: “Connectians”…I always wondered what the adjective was. It’s funny how the word “Connecticut” is actually bigger than the state itself. I basically grew up in Stratford and then spent middle school and some of high school in Milford. Oh, and my step-grandma lived in North Haven so we may crossed paths at one point or another. My mom’s job transferred to north Houston seven years ago (crazy it’s been so long) so away we went. Truth be told, I had a great Connectian upbringing (does the adjective work there as well?) Connecticut is a state with a history that pre-dates 1950. We don’t really have that in Houston.

JP: According to Wikipedia, you were quite the soccer star at North Haven High School. True or false, and when are they unveiling your statue in front of the school?

TW: I can’t even reply – all I’m thinking about is how bad I want a statue of myself in the town.

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