Greyson Gilmer · @Goldenglue
1st Dec 2020 from TwitLonger
The end of a decade long chapter
With much enthusiasm for the future, and a tinge of bittersweet emotions for the past, I am announcing my retirement from professionally playing League Of Legends.
Competing professionally for nearly a decade has changed, defined and shaped my life in every way imaginable. It offered me purpose and meaning, and structure to my everyday life. It presented me with the opportunities to travel the world and culture myself out of my suburban shell. Most importantly, it provided me with a platform and community in which I became proud of who I was as a person and what I did as a career. Through this community, I was fortunate enough to have met a variety of amazing and inspiring people who came from all different walks of life and continue to inspire me to be the best version of myself that I can be. To all my friends, teammates, coaches, managers, colleagues, acquaintances, and mentors, I am beyond grateful to have met you and been a part of your lives.
I played my first game of LoL as a socially awkward, and anxious 14 year old highschool freshman in season 1. At 16, I hit top 10 on the NA challenger leaderboard, and at 17, I quit football and left school early on Friday mornings to fly out to LA and play LCS on the weekends; catching up on homework on the plane rides, and returning home late Sunday evening to go back to school early Monday morning.
I've played for roughly 14 different organizations (I seriously had to go to my wiki to count them all lol) and while it is unfortunate I was never able to find a stable home to build a traditional legacy, I couldn't be more proud of the way I responded to all the adversity I faced in my career and the life long lessons I have learned from it. I have always been the guy who would come into a chaotic situation, often with the deck stacked against me, and fight tooth and nail to prove my worth.
My favorite moments in my career came from such moments; being subbed in on C9 in the 2018 Summer season versus the best team in the league at the time, who also just so happened to be the team I got benched and kicked off of (TL), and against everyone's expectations, I absolutely crushed them.
Being subbed in 1-2 vs TSM in the semi-finals playoffs match that same season and then reversing the momentum to win the series and play in my first finals.
Or most recently joining EG mid split last summer, and again crushing my former alma mater and the best team at the time (C9) with my Zoe.
Although writing this fills me with nostalgia from a young boy's dreams, I can't emphasize how excited I am to start the next stage of my life as a coach. I didn't get to achieve everything I wanted to in my career as a player, and I intend on channeling that unmet energy into fueling and propelling the next generation of players; letting them learn from my experiences, mistakes, and lessons I had to learn the hard way.
Finally, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to all my friends, fans, and family (especially you mom) for supporting me in chasing my dreams. I will forever be grateful for my time as a player and hope you continue to support me as I take on my new role as the Head Coach for the 100Thieves Academy team.