Michael Szklanny Sr. · @Packing_10
29th Jan 2021 from TwitLonger
Dear Overwatch
First off I want to say thank you for all of the support and love that will be/has been given to all of my staff and players through this trying time. As you all know now neither my staff, my players, or myself will be involved with the LA Valiant Overwatch team in 2021. While there have been a whirlwind of emotions over the past few weeks I wanted to write something to thank everyone for being a part of my Overwatch journey.
As many of you who know me personally know...Overwatch saved my life. It was a beacon of hope for me when I was struggling with PTSD from my deployments and many sleepless nights were spent playing and studying Overwatch. The fact that Overwatch gave me a new life, I will forever be grateful for. I have been so fortunate for the opportunities and success I have seen over the past few years coaching in the Overwatch League. From the insane turnaround in Season 2 and a nomination for esports coach of the year to the top 8 performance from a team ranked 20th in the preseason rankings in Season 3 I will cherish every memory. Regardless of the circumstances, we always overcame and beat expectations. I still remember the rush of being the first team to beat the Titans in the regular season, Shax eating a grav on DVA to win our Stage 3 playoff game vs the Spark, and the insane effort all of our players gave last year to make the season truly amazing. It felt great being able to have fans that stood behind me and the team in the face of adversity every year and for that I am forever grateful.
That being said I will not be coaching in Overwatch League at the start of 2021. While sometimes I still don't fully have a grasp on how I feel about this I am excited to announce that I will be dedicating all of my attention to coaching and managing the Immortals Valorant team with Gunba. I hope you all continue to support me and my family as we make this journey.
Unter - Thank you for everything you did last year. Coming in green to the league, providing a new perspective, challenging my opinions and decisions, and always giving me a good laugh regardless of how long we would argue about what the right decision is. We always found a way to overcome it all and you will make a great Head Coach in the Overwatch League one day. I hope that day comes soon and I will be your biggest supporter and fan.
Sungwoo- I was so fucking stoked when you made your decision to come to Valiant and while we didn't know this was going to happen I still can't help but be disappointed about how great our coaching staff would have been.
The players- I love all of you. I know there were times you hated me for being too hard on you or yelling too much, but everything we did was always to make you guys better and produce winners. Every challenge we faced, we faced together. I will always cherish this past year...The steakhouse dinner after the victory in Dallas, the pride of seeing you develop your own personalities, and the love that you have for this game. I sincerely hope everyone finds a new home and I will always be rooting for you wherever you go.
In short, I love this game and the people I surrounded myself with over the past few years. Thank you to everyone who was part of this journey. I do plan to stay involved in the Overwatch scene throughout this year. I will be hosting companion streams for matches if I am able to attend them and will be trying to put out a weekly "Coach's Corner" podcast giving my unfiltered thoughts on the past weeks games.
Thank you for reading this.