Jesse Vainikka · @iamJERAX
9th Dec 2022 from TwitLonger
Short update on my situation
Hey everyone! I realised the DPC is about to lock and I might aswell give a short update on what happened and what's next for me:
I'm really happy I got to work as a coach for Team Liquid. I had no previous experience in the position, yet I was given all the trust and space. The players and staff made me feel at home from day one and gave me freedom to find my way of helping the team. The season treated us rough and it forced us to constantly look at ourselves on what we are doing and make adjustments. We experienced a lot inconsistency through out the season which I believe was the result of us being in the process of reconfiguring ourselves. In the end, we pulled it all together just at the right time, overcame previous obstacles that felt impassable and exceeded all our expectations on what we were capable of. All the players performed on a level that I had never seen before. It was one of those moments that you wish to repeat for yourself over and over, because it feels so damn good.
As I'm saying all this, I was still left with mixed feelings on what I was doing. It didn't feel right. Not because of the team, not because I was coaching, but because I don't enjoy the game the same way as I used to. It's been a hard thing for me to accept as I have such profound memories growing up with the game and as I've met so many wonderful people along the journey.
Moving forwards, I'll be playing a lot of games. Right now what interests me is how one can develop skills and deliberately practice to better perform in a game. I'm currently doing self-experimenting as I'm playing Age of Empires 2, one of the very first games I've ever played on PC. Soon I'll be also playing Escape from Tarkov (waiting wipe) and maybe one day Ashes of Creation (waiting Alpha 2 start).
I wish the best for team Liquids new roster and the other teams competing in the upcoming season, I can't wait to watch the games at tournaments. It brings a huge smile on my face seeing Johan, Sebastian and Topias unite once again. (:
-Jesse