This is my second interview and perhaps thankfully it wasn't as monster long as the predecessor. I'm really excited to be able to do interviews with a variety of people and a lot of them will end up being varying in length and depth. Any time spent to help me is super appreciated.
So, in case you don't know, CurryshotGG is the Coach for NA Challenger team Ember who just secured a spot in the NACS playoffs this week. He was formerly the HC for Team Fusion who lost the promotion tournament to Dignitas in spring and then Team Imagine who then went onto lose in the promotion tournaments against Team 8 in summer.
I'd hazard to bet that this is going to be the split where that losing streak in promotion tournaments ends. Having seen where the Ember players have come from and how they've took the Challenge Series by storm and the amazing infrastructure and support staff that is in place... I'm just hard pressed to think anything but success will come their way. I'm totally ready for my Ember summoner icon.
Without further ado, though, here is the transcript of the interview (as will always be the case as close to verbatim as possible with cutting out of some tangents I went on):
[2/19/2016, 8:50PM]
Kit: So you're only my second interview. I'm still really new to this.
CurryshotGG: No problem.
K: You're the first coach I've interviewed. My other interview was a player who is currently between teams.
C: Who was that?
K: Maplestreet
C: Oh, yeah, yeah I know him.
K: So, let's get to the questions, the first question is what got you into video games and league of legends originally?
C: It was my older brother. He's a genius, like actually. He's in med school. It was our way to connect basically. So that's what got me into league.
K: That's so cool. Does he still play?
C: Yeah. He actually goes to the med school in Reno.
K: That's cool.
C: He still plays though.
K: I can't imagine med school and anything else. I'm not that much of a genius. Were you into any other video game before league?
C: I like modern warfare 2 a lot. Call of Duty, modern warfare 2.
K: I've watched people play that but I've never played it. I'm not very good at first person.
C: Takes practice.
K: Yeah. So, what happened to make you transition into the competitive scene?
C: I'm just a competitive person. I just always want to win. Yeah, that's pretty much it. I just love the idea of competition.
K: What went into you actually making the decision to go into coaching from playing?
C: From playing to coaching?
K: Yeah.
C: I had a coach that... Well, there were a lot of people that weren't doing anything but had the title. So, I wanted to be somebody that actually helped other people. Even if it's in the slightest way, you know? So that's what got me into coaching.
K: Awesome. Do you have any regrets leaving the playing behind?
C: No. I don't really have any regrets at all. Yeah, I didn't like playing all that much at all. I didn't like playing twelve hours a day. So that's not what I like doing.
K: So what was 2015 like for you between there's lot of movements with the teams and everything so...
C: Yeah. Well, it was a pretty rough year. I was almost qualified with Fusion. Which is probably the best team atmosphere that I've ever had... not counting this one. But it was just definitely... we really thought we were going to make it because we practiced really hard, had really good scrim results. But yeah, for the year of 2015 just basically I kept making relegations and we lost. We barely came short of LCS.
K: With everything that happened last year, did losing both those promotion tournaments with fusion and Imagine... did that like impact your mental fortitude or desire to be a coach?
C: If anything, that made it stronger. Losses like those... it can either go one or two ways, right? You can just give up, you know, and not be satisfied with your life. Pretty much, not to be harsh, but be a loser. Or, you know, you get stronger from those losses. Yeah, that's what I think it did.
K: Well, it definitely looks that way. What are your hopes for Ember?
C: My hopes for Ember... Just that all five of my players, I just want them to be happy. I want them to make LCS, live out their dreams, you know, for the next year or so... just so you know, they're satisfied with themselves as people and as players.
K: How did you get involved with Ember?
C: Mason contacted me. He was actually with C9T and that's how I got involved.
K: I know you said the team atmosphere with Fusion was good. What's the atmosphere like on Ember?
C: It's good, competitive. There's no sugar-coating. So that's nice. So, we improve at a really fast rate because of it. Everyone's completely... we don't care about feelings. We're just completely serious.
K: Everyone has tough skin.
C: Yeah, exactly.
K: Did you ever have struggles with team atmospheres, not necessarily on Ember but previously? How did you deal with those?
C: I don't think I can comment on that one.
K: No problem. How does it feel to work for a new organization that already has the infrastructure to support longevity?
C: It's one of the best orgs I've ever worked for. It feels great. Physically we have physical training. We have yoga. You know, we have a sports psychologist who's helped us a lot. We have everthing that we need. They're giving us every tool that we need to succeed.
K: That's awesome. What has been your biggest challenge?
C: My biggest challenge has been... I have to think about this one... Just making sure we, we meaning me and my support staff are consistent.
K: What are your thoughts on the direction of the game and competitive play in season 6?
C: Can I say something just general... I think it's a lot better than season 5. It's more... how do yo say it...it was really stale last time and it's the opposite of stale this time. There's a lot more stuff popping up.
K: It's a lot more dynamic. Alright, this is the last question I have written down. What are your hopes for yourself in the future?
C: Obviously, I really want to make LCS this split. Further from that, I just want to help my team in any way that I can even in the smallest way to maybe even go further than that. If that means worlds, worlds... maybe just LCS... MSI. Who knows.
K: Be the Origen of NA.
C: Yeah. That's what we're aiming for.
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Thank you again, CurryshotGG! Hope you all enjoyed the interview! It was short and sweet. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to interviewing people.
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