After twenty years at Lugano, Nicole Bullo now plays for Ambri: “For me: Ticino first!”

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When people in Ticino talk about ice hockey, there is only one question: Ambri-Piotta or Lugano?
Nicole Bullo: I have to disappoint you. I am an atypical Ticino because I support both clubs. I grew up near Biasca – in Claro. Now I live in the greater Lugano area. However, in my family there is a relatively clear Ambri majority. My sister Christina and my mother are big Ambri fans. But there are also one or two cousins ​​or uncles who support HC Lugano. For me, when a team from Ticino plays against a team from the rest of Switzerland, I always say: Ticino first!

What is the biggest difference in the DNA of the clubs?
I think it’s mainly a geographical problem. The Ambri country starts in Sopraceneri – north of Monte Ceneri. But even in the far south, for example in Mendrisio or Chiasso, people are more likely to be Ambri fans. The Lugano-Tifosi mostly come from Lugano.

You played for Lugano for half your life, more than twenty years. Wasn’t it a culture shock to arrive at Leventina?
No. On the contrary: for me it was like coming home – a return to my roots. With the Ambri-Piotta Girls, the ice rink in Biasca is our sports center. That’s where we train, that’s where we have our dressing room. I grew up in sports at HC Biasca. I played there with the boys until I was fourteen. Then I had to move to Lugano – because it was the only place in Ticino that had a high-level women’s team.

But why did you switch to Ambri now?
Because the Lugano Ladies, which had been run separately from HC Lugano (the men’s team) for five years, wanted to withdraw for financial reasons. Initially I toyed with the idea of ​​retiring, after all I have reached an age where you can’t play forever. But then the project in Ambri-Piotta was completed. And I saw this as a great opportunity. With the infrastructure and organization of a large club, women have completely new opportunities. Everything I have had to fight for my entire life as an athlete (good training times, my own wardrobe, a weight room, medical care) is now automatically given to me.

You first picked up a stick and a puck when you were five years old. What brought you to ice hockey at the time?
I actually started figure skating. But after three or four lessons I had to say: this is not my sport. On the other hand, I immediately fell in love with ice hockey. Growing up I also played basketball, tennis and football. My father, Daniele Bullo, was a professional at FC Lugano. But my love was ice hockey.

What has changed since then?
(laughs) Pretty much everything. I was always the only girl who played with the boys – I was probably the only girl in all of Ticino who played ice hockey. That alone has changed. Nowadays, almost all clubs have their doors open to girls.

How important is it that the big clubs are now also involved in women’s ice hockey?
As mentioned, this is crucial. It takes our sport to a new level: infrastructurally and organizationally. For us players it is a crucial difference whether we can train at 7 p.m. or – as before – only at 9 p.m. If you don’t get home until midnight after training, your entire routine will be thrown into disarray.

Can you earn money playing ice hockey as a woman in Switzerland?
At Ambri-Piotta we have a model that covers our expenses. But we only train in the evenings. So we can all still have a job. I work at an international events agency. Other clubs such as Zug, Davos or the ZSC Lions already have a semi-professional model. I am happy with the improvements we are experiencing. Step by step, things are moving forward.

Let’s talk about the national team. With 265 international matches you are a national record player. What does this song mean to you?
I was never focused on this record. It is much more the beautiful memories that mean a lot to me – for example when we qualified for the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2006; or when we won bronze at the World Championships in 2012 and the Winter Games in Sochi in 2014. These are unforgettable experiences.

What was it like when you played your first World Cup in 2004?
We basically started all over again. We had to take vacation and pay for part of the training camp ourselves. And we regularly spent the night in civil defense facilities. No one was waiting for women to play ice hockey. Fortunately, that has now changed.

With five Olympic participations you belong to an illustrious circle. How do you remember the Olympic Games?
It has always been a great honor for me to represent Switzerland – and I feel immense gratitude for this opportunity. Actually, I would have stopped after four Olympic participations. My retirement from the national team was planned after the 2020 World Cup. But then the pandemic happened; and the World Cup was cancelled. And I said to myself: you can’t stop like this. So I played the Winter Games in Beijing.

Is the competition the key to making the national team even stronger?
Absolute. The PostFinance Women’s League is the basis for international success. Only a few of our players are active abroad. That’s why we need competitive competition to keep the level and intensity high in everyday life.

Another highlight is the match against HC Davos on the sidelines of the Spengler Cup. What emotions does this appointment evoke in you?
Mate! I was there as a fan when the Ambri-Piotta men played in the Spengler Cup for the first time. We gave the trip as a gift to my mother. I felt like the whole Leventina was in Davos at that moment – ​​it was incredible. And I get goosebumps just thinking about it happening again.

And what awaits Ambri-Piotta in the championship?
The beginning was good. Our team has found itself and remains in the top group. But the competition from Zurich and Bern is fierce. For us that means: keep working, keep fighting…

…for you, even after this season…
We shall see. At my age, as a top athlete you no longer plan for the long term. But as long as I’m having a good time and my body holds up, I’d like to continue for another season.

Source : Blick