Still in a rush of adrenalin and endorphin Obi was sitting at the dinner table after he had lifted the trophy for the first time just hours ago. While the Portuguese sun was slowly disappearing on the horizon his fellow mates were listening carefully to his personal experience throughout the last 3 days - this ambitiously determined path that led him to the trophy. Besides hearing detailed reports about his ongoing physical struggle of diarrhea it was impressive to discover right away how the newborn king was about to lead his legacy - with as little modesty as possible and cocky as fuck. All members knew right away that this reserved character will choose his destination for the 22 edition wisely and make something great happen. And it couldn’t have been more of a surprise... Without anybody knowing he got in touch with our beloved member Jan Solms down in South Africa to confirm that night that the GinCup will take us to one of the most beautiful places on earth. But the road to Cape Town should be a stony one when all sorts of events started to get in our way. Just weeks before flights were about to leave the first disappointing message hit the GinCup community right in the heart. The two times champion and Gandalf of the team Pete had to announce his withdraw due to ongoing physical struggles. We know you will be back stronger. Not much later it was our second multiple Winner PJ that saw himself in an unexpected scenario when he realized that his passport was expired and that he only had little time to make his way from Sweden to the Luxemburgish embassy in Copenhagen to get a new passport in time. 1600km and 150Euro later this problem seemed to be solved... In the meantime, there were also positives. The night of Roberts wedding warmed the hearts of the GinCup Squat and made us realize that we would only be complete if we add a long time favorite and decided that night that Jan Paffenholz would be the one to fill this emotional gap and join us for the future. Days went past in Sweden. Everyday PJ was making the 1mile walk through snow and elk excrement to his mailbox down at the main road of his new home village to check if the passport would be dropped. He checked the tracking number multiple times. But the passport never arrived at Philippe ́s north pole hut. After calls with the embassy and the passport office in Luxembourg the bureaucracy hit back another time. Another 1600km, 150Euro and a changed flight to Luxembourg later this problem finally seemed to be solved for good... While Philippe was still grinding his way through the wilderness the discussion about filling up the group to 12 players for 2022 started heating up. Who could be the one? Who would have the motoric ability but especially the nerves to stay strong through this battle of verbal needle stitches for a whole week while the body and mind is influenced by alcoholic beverages? The answer was obvious and left nobody doubting. His golf skills might have room to improve. But his addition as a competitor and beautiful companion will leave us telling brilliant stories in the future. We welcome our 13th member Igor “Brate” Stojadinovic. May the onion be with him. Who would have thought that things could take another twist in Sweden? Just two days before PJ was about to board the plane to Luxembourg, personal reasons made it impossible for our past champion- He will be missed this year as our elk hunter always brings the heart of an
elephant and the fighting spirit of a lion. He had to withdraw last minute. Could it get worse from here? When bags were already packed, major logistical struggle seemed to be overcome, some heartbreaking losses had to be accepted, new and a precisely fitted pieces were added to this beautiful GinCup puzzle and a finely tuned schedule was prepared by the reigning champion to take us down south to meet the Big Five, shit was about to hit the fan once more. Just 36 hours before the departure to Amsterdam was scheduled the activity in the GinCup Whatsapp group got taken to another level. Simultaneously messages came flying in as everybody got informed that the first part of the flight was canceled. The champion immediately took over and spend the rest of the day on the phone to figure out the best way to change the tickets and make sure we will be in Amsterdam on time. It quickly got clear that we will have make the way ourselves to the Netherlands and the whole group unfolded their connection potential to find us sitting in a bus to Amsterdam 24 hours later. With plenty of cold barley juice that the onion brought with the Bus from the north of Luxembourg the stress of the last weeks slowly left the group and made us look forward to an easy onward journey from here onwards – Not knowing that this would not be the last hit we would have to take. After an early wakeup call the team made it to the airport on time but got pushed to the limits when Robert and Jan P. were still in the security line while Boarding was about to start. With a quick coffee in hand the team finally made it to the plane and the aircraft could get on its way on time... But never count out Dutch hooligans. Almost on the runway a young man decided that he loaded enough drugs and frustration and wanted to put the crew to a test when he made his call to aggress crew and pilot, only to find himself handcuffed leaving the plane minutes later. With a 2 hour delay the campaign GinCup2022 got air born. Let ́s hope it goes smooth from here. But now let ́s have an outlook to the the Main Event – to say it in the words of a good friend of ours:
The pressure ́s on, you feel it
But you got it all, believe it
When you fall, get up, oh oh
And if you fall, get up, eh eh Tsamina mina, eh eh Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time in Africa
But what do we expect from the competitors? Especially as major contenders for the title are sitting out. Can Chris finally get a hand on the trophy after his nerves let him down every single time so far? Can his weight loss of almost 30Kg make the difference? Or will he be blown away like an African crowned eagle in a sandstorm? Will Obi be able to get close to his last performance or will he be caught by the party train on day 1. Can Doc Solms push it to hold the cup on home soil before he won ́t be seen on a golf course until 2030 after the arrival of his twins? Can Robi make the Grind to unleash his abilities or will his hunting skills on a new
grinder expedition leave him exhausted for the golf. Is it an option that Robert as a newlywed will be the butterfly that takes it all the way? Is Mulles able to control his last-minute shanks and keep his 300 meter drives somewhere within the boundaries of the course. Should Bob finally be able to cut the onion in pieces and shove it to another contender for years to come. Can Igor “Brate” be the one to pick up the onion pieces or will he make a surprise upset and leave somebody else crying in the jungle? Has Jan P. the skillset to compete for the top of the leaderboard as he doesn’t seem to have the ability to leave a good glass of red wine behind. Will the three dozen of balls that Tim took to SA be enough to survive the battle of the dads. Or will the future dad Biggi who comes in with the least golf hours in ́22 fly on a cloud of future parents’ feelings to a new high?
A lot of questions. But only the scores will tell the story. Now go out there. Be patient as a leopard, move like an Impala and bite like a black mamba. Its Gin Cup Time!!
Your time to shine, don ́t wait in line
People are raising their expectations Go on and feed them, this is your moment
No hesitations Today ́s your day. I feel it. You paved the way, believe it. If you get down, get up, oh oh
When you get down, get up, eh eh This time for Africa.
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