Welcome back to 20 Questions, the series where we help you get to know the players on this year's squad. In previous interviews in this series, we went behind the scenes with Alex Lara, Alfonso Vazquez, Parfait Mandanda, Tyreke Johnson, Matheus Silva, Nicky Downs, Conor McGlynn, Arthur Rogers, Danny Barrera, Mads Jørgensen, Alex Davey, Noah Paravicini, Aiden Mesias, Mac Steeves, Kevin Politz, Gabriel Torres, Cheno, Harry Swartz and Alex Dixon. This week, we caught up with Goalkeeper Mike Novotny. Mike shares his love of goalkeeping, computer sciences, and tells us about an Instagram account he runs with over 30 thousand followers. Enjoy!
1) We ask a lot of people how they got into playing soccer but I'm a little bit more curious about how you actually got into goalkeeping?
MN: When I was really young, my brother was a goalkeeper and he went to goalkeeper training every Saturday. I would just come along and hang out on the side and kick the ball around. Then one day, the goalie coach asked me if I wanted to hop in, and to this day I've always been a goalkeeper and that coach has actually been my goalie coach ever since.
2) How did you build that relationship with him?
MN: Well, he was a very good friend of my dad's, they played in college together. He was just a very good coach and he pushed me and it's one of those things where you find a good coach and you just want to stick with him. You see yourself improving. It's pretty cool to see myself grow with him over the years.
3) What kind of challenges did you face as you learned how to be a goalkeeper?
MN: The biggest thing is probably bravery. Being willing to get the ball knocked right in your face I think definitely is one of the biggest things. You have to be kind of fearless in goal. The first couple that you get knocked in the face, you have to overcome that hump and, I think the biggest thing for me to try and overcome was definitely the bravery part. That just kind of got easier and easier over the years. Sure, the ball’s coming in harder, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
4) Do you have any moments that have stuck with you from when you were younger where you were hit in the face or somewhere painful?
MN: I couldn't remember just one. It happens a lot when you're younger. You're learning the technique, you're failing while you're going along but when you get hit in the face it's a little wake up call to get your hands up a little quicker. Like I said, I don't remember just one but it happened a lot.
5) You created and are the admin of an Instagram page @StadiumWorld that has over 30,000 followers. What inspired you to do that?
MN: We had some free time last year and I was just like what the heck? I mean I do love traveling to see places and I do love soccer so I mean when you combine the two, it popped off at the beginning and then I never looked back. I think it's over 30,000 (followers) now, it's a little crazy. It's just something fun to do on the side and it makes me want to learn about new places and possibly go there and visit or play.
6) So you only started this a year ago and you’re already up to 30,000 followers. How did you do that?
MN: Yeah, I started it just after preseason last year. You hit the explore page a couple times and it pops up a little bit. To be honest, I couldn't tell you too much, it's just a lot of consistency. I haven't really missed a day posting. So I guess they just come back and see what's new every day.
7) What is your process for posting?
MN: You have popular stadiums, of course, and then there's a lot of photographers and people that will tag me in a photo. A lot of these people have drones and stuff like that so they'll fly the drone over a stadium. Honestly, there's not too much to it, if it looks cool I'm probably going to post it. And if they tagged me in it, I'll just tag them in it as well to give them the credit.
8) Of all the stadiums you've posted which is your favorite?
MN: There’s this Stadium in Mexico, called Estadio BBVA. If you look it up, it’s the stadium with the craziest view of the mountains, ever. It is nuts, I mean a lot of them are cool, but there's just something about that one. Every time someone posts or tags me in that one, and it's a new view or something, I just have to post it because it looks unbelievable.
9) What's your favorite stadium you've ever played in?
MN: Probably Right to Dream Park in Denmark. I went over there after college with a team and we played a bunch of teams in the First Division and the top division as well. It was quite a cool experience to get in there and play so that was unbelievable flying over there.
10) Last season, you came to a ton of matches dressed in different hockey jerseys including a Whalers one which got a lot of love from our fans. Are you a big hockey guy?
MN: Big hockey guy. Not one of those guys that's just a playoff hockey guy. I'll follow through the regular season, even though it's tough now, because the Blackhawks are terrible. But it's still fun to watch, it's high pace, you can't go wrong with that.
11) Where did that love of hockey come from?
MN: When you're growing up and your team has a dynasty team going, when you win three Cups in five years you just follow along. When you have a good team, they're just fun to watch. Growing up watching the Blackhawks, I mean, my whole family watched the Blackhawks and when they're that good it's just really fun to watch.
12) If Mike Novotny wasn't a soccer player he would be what?
MN: Probably some sort of website designer for somebody or just anything to do with the computer sciences. That's what I went to school for and I really enjoy coding so it's fun and interesting. I had one big project with probably over 1000 lines of code and it wasn't executing, it wasn't working and I kept getting an error. And then all of a sudden I just had to change a capital I to a lowercase I and then it went through. So it's pretty nuts. But when something actually executes and you see the finished product through, it's crazy.
13) How did you find out that was something you were interested in?
MN: I've always been really into technology growing up. As soon as I took one of the intro classes in college to Management Information Systems, which is specifically what my major was, it was one of those classes that you just want to be there. I had a great teacher and it was just something that came a little bit easier than the rest of them.
14) Last season you were involved in one of the most special moments in our club's history. On Father's Day, the players wore armbands with your dad's initials after he passed away the previous January. Sem de Wit scored and came running to you to celebrate. What did that moment mean to you?
MN: That game was crazy. I know a couple days before that game, Jimmy (Nielsen) pulled me aside. I thought something really bad was gonna happen, and then he asked me, ‘What are your thoughts on having us wear an arm band for the game?’ and I mean that was unbelievable honestly. It's something you wouldn't really expect and a lot of respect, goes out to the team and the staff and the front office for all that, because they didn't need to do that. That has been and will always be my favorite memory in soccer. I mean, my dad was always at every single one of my games, so it definitely felt like he was truly there that game.
15) What kind of influence did he have on your soccer career?
MN: Everything. He pushed me, he got me through a lot of crap and he was there at every single game sitting in the corner, yelling at the refs. Definitely after he passed, the first couple games you're just like, well, okay, this is weird. I can't go talk to him or even if he wasn't at the game, which was rare, he'd be the first person I’d call afterwards. We talked about the game, what he thought, and how I played. It's definitely weird still, even a year later, of that not happening anymore but he pushed me through everything. All my brothers played soccer as well and he took us to and from every single practice until we were able to drive and just supported us throughout. Any pairs of cleats we needed, we got, any gloves, obviously, for me. He had a massive influence on me and I think that's honestly why I'm here now.
16) What actor would play you in the movie about your life?
MN: I want (Matthew) McConaughey. I'm a big fan, loved him in Wolf of Wall Street. After that movie I just wanted to go watch more and more movies that he was in.
17) Messi or Ronaldo?
MN: I’m not the kind of person who picks one or the other. I just want to enjoy it while they're still playing because we're never gonna see players like that again. Those two great players, unbelievable, the best in the world, and they're playing at the same time challenging for stupid amounts of goals. I don't know man. Now, probably Ronaldo, but before the season, I'd probably say Messi. I don't know, I've always been a big fan of Messi over Ronaldo, but wherever Ronaldo goes he just produces. So, I guess Ronaldo.
18) This is your second season now so I have to ask, Chicago deep dish pizza or New Haven style pizza?
MN: I mean I do love New Haven, but I gotta stick with Chicago deep dish, it's unbelievable. I truly have only had one New Haven pizza. I've had the Pepe’s in West Hartford and I do really like Naple, in Farmington. But I've only had Modern in New Haven. Nicky (Downs) is the pizza connoisseur on the team, he said I have to go to Sally's so I respect his judgment on that so I got to try that out before I make that decision.
19) What has it been like training with Parfait every day with all the experience that he has?
MN: I mean, he is very, very good. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge. To be fair, every goalie that has been here, last year we had (Jacob) Lissek, Freddie (Due) and Cody (Cropper), they've all been very good keepers, and definitely Parfait’s on that list as well. I'm just taking little bits here and there from every single one of them and just trying to make myself better because they've been there, they've done it, and they're still doing it. They're obviously doing something right you know and Parfait, just watching him play every week, you learn a lot of new stuff from them and definitely during training as well. He's always that guy to help you out for the better. He won't just talk crap to you or anything. He wants everyone to succeed and not even just me, even the field players. He's a great guy to have on the field and a great leader to have as well.
20) What are your career goals?
MN: I just want to get myself into a situation where I'm constantly the number one. I want to be on the pitch and be playing, to get on the field at the highest level I can. No matter where that takes me, that's been my goal since I was a kid, I just want to play games. I'm still pretty young and still have a lot to learn, a lot of knowledge to gain, but that's the goal long term for sure is to find a place and be solidified number one.
Welcome back to 20 Questions, the series where we help you get to know the players on this year’s squad. In previous interviews in this series, we went behind the scenes with Alex Lara, Alfonso Vazquez, Parfait Mandanda, Tyreke Johnson, Matheus Silva, Nicky Downs, Conor McGlynn, Arthur Rogers, Danny Barrera, Mads Jørgensen, Alex Davey, Noah Paravicini, Aiden Mesias, Mac Steeves, Kevin Politz, Gabriel Torres, Cheno, Harry Swartz and Alex Dixon. This week, we caught up with Goalkeeper Mike Novotny. Mike shares his love of goalkeeping, computer sciences, and tells us about an Instagram account he runs with over 30 thousand followers. Enjoy!
1) We ask a lot of people how they got into playing soccer but I’m a little bit more curious about how you actually got into goalkeeping?
MN: When I was really young, my brother was a goalkeeper and he went to goalkeeper training every Saturday. I would just come along and hang out on the side and kick the ball around. Then one day, the goalie coach asked me if I wanted to hop in, and to this day I’ve always been a goalkeeper and that coach has actually been my goalie coach ever since.
2) How did you build that relationship with him?
MN: Well, he was a very good friend of my dad’s, they played in college together. He was just a very good coach and he pushed me and it’s one of those things where you find a good coach and you just want to stick with him. You see yourself improving. It’s pretty cool to see myself grow with him over the years.
3) What kind of challenges did you face as you learned how to be a goalkeeper?
MN: The biggest thing is probably bravery. Being willing to get the ball knocked right in your face I think definitely is one of the biggest things. You have to be kind of fearless in goal. The first couple that you get knocked in the face, you have to overcome that hump and, I think the biggest thing for me to try and overcome was definitely the bravery part. That just kind of got easier and easier over the years. Sure, the ball’s coming in harder, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
4) Do you have any moments that have stuck with you from when you were younger where you were hit in the face or somewhere painful?
MN: I couldn’t remember just one. It happens a lot when you’re younger. You’re learning the technique, you’re failing while you’re going along but when you get hit in the face it’s a little wake up call to get your hands up a little quicker. Like I said, I don’t remember just one but it happened a lot.
5) You created and are the admin of an Instagram page @StadiumWorld that has over 30,000 followers. What inspired you to do that?
MN: We had some free time last year and I was just like what the heck? I mean I do love traveling to see places and I do love soccer so I mean when you combine the two, it popped off at the beginning and then I never looked back. I think it’s over 30,000 (followers) now, it’s a little crazy. It’s just something fun to do on the side and it makes me want to learn about new places and possibly go there and visit or play.
6) So you only started this a year ago and you’re already up to 30,000 followers. How did you do that?
MN: Yeah, I started it just after preseason last year. You hit the explore page a couple times and it pops up a little bit. To be honest, I couldn’t tell you too much, it’s just a lot of consistency. I haven’t really missed a day posting. So I guess they just come back and see what’s new every day.
7) What is your process for posting?
MN: You have popular stadiums, of course, and then there’s a lot of photographers and people that will tag me in a photo. A lot of these people have drones and stuff like that so they’ll fly the drone over a stadium. Honestly, there’s not too much to it, if it looks cool I’m probably going to post it. And if they tagged me in it, I’ll just tag them in it as well to give them the credit.
8) Of all the stadiums you’ve posted which is your favorite?
MN: There’s this Stadium in Mexico, called Estadio BBVA. If you look it up, it’s the stadium with the craziest view of the mountains, ever. It is nuts, I mean a lot of them are cool, but there’s just something about that one. Every time someone posts or tags me in that one, and it’s a new view or something, I just have to post it because it looks unbelievable.
9) What’s your favorite stadium you’ve ever played in?
MN: Probably Right to Dream Park in Denmark. I went over there after college with a team and we played a bunch of teams in the First Division and the top division as well. It was quite a cool experience to get in there and play so that was unbelievable flying over there.
10) Last season, you came to a ton of matches dressed in different hockey jerseys including a Whalers one which got a lot of love from our fans. Are you a big hockey guy?
MN: Big hockey guy. Not one of those guys that’s just a playoff hockey guy. I’ll follow through the regular season, even though it’s tough now, because the Blackhawks are terrible. But it’s still fun to watch, it’s high pace, you can’t go wrong with that.
11) Where did that love of hockey come from?
MN: When you’re growing up and your team has a dynasty team going, when you win three Cups in five years you just follow along. When you have a good team, they’re just fun to watch. Growing up watching the Blackhawks, I mean, my whole family watched the Blackhawks and when they’re that good it’s just really fun to watch.
12) If Mike Novotny wasn’t a soccer player he would be what?
MN: Probably some sort of website designer for somebody or just anything to do with the computer sciences. That’s what I went to school for and I really enjoy coding so it’s fun and interesting. I had one big project with probably over 1000 lines of code and it wasn’t executing, it wasn’t working and I kept getting an error. And then all of a sudden I just had to change a capital I to a lowercase I and then it went through. So it’s pretty nuts. But when something actually executes and you see the finished product through, it’s crazy.
13) How did you find out that was something you were interested in?
MN: I’ve always been really into technology growing up. As soon as I took one of the intro classes in college to Management Information Systems, which is specifically what my major was, it was one of those classes that you just want to be there. I had a great teacher and it was just something that came a little bit easier than the rest of them.
14) Last season you were involved in one of the most special moments in our club’s history. On Father’s Day, the players wore armbands with your dad’s initials after he passed away the previous January. Sem de Wit scored and came running to you to celebrate. What did that moment mean to you?
MN: That game was crazy. I know a couple days before that game, Jimmy (Nielsen) pulled me aside. I thought something really bad was gonna happen, and then he asked me, ‘What are your thoughts on having us wear an arm band for the game?’ and I mean that was unbelievable honestly. It’s something you wouldn’t really expect and a lot of respect, goes out to the team and the staff and the front office for all that, because they didn’t need to do that. That has been and will always be my favorite memory in soccer. I mean, my dad was always at every single one of my games, so it definitely felt like he was truly there that game.
15) What kind of influence did he have on your soccer career?
MN: Everything. He pushed me, he got me through a lot of crap and he was there at every single game sitting in the corner, yelling at the refs. Definitely after he passed, the first couple games you’re just like, well, okay, this is weird. I can’t go talk to him or even if he wasn’t at the game, which was rare, he’d be the first person I’d call afterwards. We talked about the game, what he thought, and how I played. It’s definitely weird still, even a year later, of that not happening anymore but he pushed me through everything. All my brothers played soccer as well and he took us to and from every single practice until we were able to drive and just supported us throughout. Any pairs of cleats we needed, we got, any gloves, obviously, for me. He had a massive influence on me and I think that’s honestly why I’m here now.
16) What actor would play you in the movie about your life?
MN: I want (Matthew) McConaughey. I’m a big fan, loved him in Wolf of Wall Street. After that movie I just wanted to go watch more and more movies that he was in.
17) Messi or Ronaldo?
MN: I’m not the kind of person who picks one or the other. I just want to enjoy it while they’re still playing because we’re never gonna see players like that again. Those two great players, unbelievable, the best in the world, and they’re playing at the same time challenging for stupid amounts of goals. I don’t know man. Now, probably Ronaldo, but before the season, I’d probably say Messi. I don’t know, I’ve always been a big fan of Messi over Ronaldo, but wherever Ronaldo goes he just produces. So, I guess Ronaldo.
18) This is your second season now so I have to ask, Chicago deep dish pizza or New Haven style pizza?
MN: I mean I do love New Haven, but I gotta stick with Chicago deep dish, it’s unbelievable. I truly have only had one New Haven pizza. I’ve had the Pepe’s in West Hartford and I do really like Naple, in Farmington. But I’ve only had Modern in New Haven. Nicky (Downs) is the pizza connoisseur on the team, he said I have to go to Sally’s so I respect his judgment on that so I got to try that out before I make that decision.
19) What has it been like training with Parfait every day with all the experience that he has?
MN: I mean, he is very, very good. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge. To be fair, every goalie that has been here, last year we had (Jacob) Lissek, Freddie (Due) and Cody (Cropper), they’ve all been very good keepers, and definitely Parfait’s on that list as well. I’m just taking little bits here and there from every single one of them and just trying to make myself better because they’ve been there, they’ve done it, and they’re still doing it. They’re obviously doing something right you know and Parfait, just watching him play every week, you learn a lot of new stuff from them and definitely during training as well. He’s always that guy to help you out for the better. He won’t just talk crap to you or anything. He wants everyone to succeed and not even just me, even the field players. He’s a great guy to have on the field and a great leader to have as well.
20) What are your career goals?
MN: I just want to get myself into a situation where I’m constantly the number one. I want to be on the pitch and be playing, to get on the field at the highest level I can. No matter where that takes me, that’s been my goal since I was a kid, I just want to play games. I’m still pretty young and still have a lot to learn, a lot of knowledge to gain, but that’s the goal long term for sure is to find a place and be solidified number one.
