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"Chat", Dirk starts the stream, "Chat, Chat, Chat, welcome back! To the first GBT magazine of the year. And there is so much to talk about already! The registration lists are closed and believe it or not I did not look beforehand! We will take the first look right here, right now together."
Dirk truly didn't look, but he was warned, that there were a few interesting names.
The beginning of the new season is always his favourite part of the year, seeing the last bits and pieces fall in place, to ring in something new. Sure, there were a few announcements before hand, Held/Kubo, the whole fiasco with the national teams, but usually you only get the full picture when everyone is registered for the first stop.
"Okay, here is how we're doing it: I can't read chat right now, so don't even try to spoiler me, Janni has prepared the list, we'll start at the bottom and it'll reveal one after the other."
He gives Janni the cue to start and she puts the list up, everything covered but the last two names.
"Bungert/Wüst, interesting team, they got a wildcard, immense amount of talent between the two of them, we'll have a lot of fun with them."
"It's starting to feel like a little Wüst inception, doesn't it?", Janni adds. "One is away on the world tour, but depending on Mio's plans and points, maybe we'll see a four Wüsts tournament."
They continue like that, until they reach the second quali seed, sharing some facts, some past stories about the mentioned players. Janni hesitates before she shows it.
"Okay Dirk, prepare yourself, I have been told this is a big one."
"What? Is Julius Thole making a comeback or what?", Dirk jokes, but quickly returns to a more serious approach at Janni's grin.
"Not quite", she laughs and hits enter to reveal it.
Bergmann - Harms
Dirk shifts his weight forward in the comfortable armchair he's been lounging in so far.
"Philipp Arne?", he asks incredulous.
"That's the thing, when we click here and open the profile, it says Yannick."
"And more importantly lists him having played the entire last season with Manu", Dirk points out. "Is that just Yannick Harms? Did he marry? Do we have a Harmsi in chat?"
Spoilers forgotten, Janni pulls up the chat for him to read and luckily Manu is actually there, writing nothing more than "present".
"Do you care to explain?", Dirk wants to know as soon as the message flashes before his eyes.
"No 💛", is all that Manu answers and Dirk rolls his eyes, not even that annoyed.
"Alright, thank you, mods, 10 minutes silent corner for him."
Luckily, Yannick is there too.
"Don't be mean Manu", Dirk reads allowed and then quickly the follow up: "and don't be mean to Manu."
"Yeah yeah, Mods, unban him."
"I'm free", comes the next message of Manu.
"So Yannick", Dirk starts, " is there a marriage we should congratulate you on?"
"Yup, I'm officially Yannick Bergmann now, left the Harms name for Manu to carry on", Yannick types back.
"Well congrats!", Janni immediately says cheerfully.
"That's probably the best practical joke ever done with GBT registration lists. What even are the odds that you marry someone called Bergmann. Be honest, did the fact that it would come out to Bergmann/Harms again play a role in changing your name?", Dirk asks, genuinely curious.
"Honestly a little. We were both pretty open to changing our names and debated just taking the double name and calling it a day, but then Philipp suggested, that it would be way funnier if we'd stick with Bergmann as long as I play with Manu still", Yannick's answer pops up after a little while.
"Wait wait wait", Janni says and Dirk can see her come to the same conclusion he took from that message.
"It's exactly what you think it is", Manu types, before Dirk even has the chance to formulate his question. He asks anyway: "Did you get married to Philipp? As in Philipp Arne Bergmann?"
"None other", Yannick confirms and with that derails the stream indefinitely.
"Okay Düsseldorf, are we ready for the last match of the day? I know it's late, but you're not dreaming, if you're looking up at that LED wall and thinking to yourself: 'Bergmann/Harms? I know that!' and you haven't even accidentally engaged a time machine, this is real, this is happening. Let's start with the younger of the two, he is 29 year old, 1,98m tall, starts for the Rhein-Sieg Volleys, here is Manu Harms."
'We're breaking free' starts blasting all through the arena and Manu vibes all the way out onto the court.
"And now to his older brother, he was solely responsible for the confusion of basically all of us, when the registration sheets suddenly didn't list the Harms brothers together anymore, but had a team name that we still remember very well, from two German vice championship titles, took part in three European Championships and a world championship, as well as multiple victories on the German tour, now it's only half of that team, but I'm sure the second half will be rooting for his better half too. Married in the winter, now under a new name, but with just the same defense skills, everyone, make some noise for Yannick Bergmann!"
Dirk shakes his head. Bergmann/Harms in 2026.