Slhoka
Smash Lord
It's been a long time since I first met smashers from outside of France. Almost seven years, to be accurate, since I first met CaptainJack in the summer of 2006. And then, it only snowballed to become one of the greatest adventures of my life.
But now, the time has come for a new adventure. Next friday, I'm boarding a plane leaving to French Guiana (an oversea region of France in South America), where I found a job. Since the community there seems inexistant, it means that I will have to retire from this game.
It's been a wild ride since I first entered the smash community. I've never been a good player, but I still like to think I contributed to the smash community in my own way. I've witnessed some of the most memorable moments in Melee history. I hosted and/or attended some of the greatest tournaments, from the old ESAs to my new pride, the hf.lans, but also the Genesis and BEAST series. I got to travel around the Europe, but also to the US, meeting amazing people in the process. And I got the opportunity to make my place a welcoming stop for travelling smashers, so much that my parents actually know the european smash scene way better than many smashers.
In short, I've been happy to experience all that.
Melee gave me so much. The truth is, I managed to get higher diplomas thank to the things this game brought me. Hosting tournaments, acting as the head of the French Melee community, or simply interacting on the boards taught me how to speak English, how to be responsible and patient, but also the joy of a job well done. To be honest, I don't think I would have got this new job without the knowledge and skills to which this game indirectly gave me access.
More than that, I learned valuable human qualities travelling around the world and meeting people from different countries/cultures/backgrounds/etc.. My open mindedness will never praise this game enough.
Thank you so much to everyone I met, you really were a part of a massive change in my life. I will not thank people individually, because I met thousands of smashers, and I'm pretty sure I could give an heartfelt shoutout to hundred of them (bonus points for all those who housed me during my travels, or helped me in any possible way).
And now, what ?
Well to be honest, for the many of you who know me but aren't from Europe or don't travel so often to tournaments, it won't change much to the relation we currently have. I'll still be online, having a role in the life of the French Smash Community from afar. But unless I'm quite lucky and manage to go to a tournament during my vacations away from French Guiana, I won't be attending any event before I move back to metropolitan France or anywhere else, that is, within a time period ranging from a few years to never.
I'm quite sad to leave all these in-person aspects which are what made these last 11 years of my life so special. But I'm confident. This last months have been very encouraging. On a global level, we've seen that Melee is doing fine in North America, being closer from e-sport than ever. Evo should bring a nice worldwide boost to this. And on a local level, I've been taking part in various projects in order to improve the Smash community in France and give it visibilty to the larger audience it deserves. So far, it's doing really well. Our activity is on the rise, we're discovering many new players (8 newcomers out of 58 players at our last event, and the next one will be even better !). So I think that the community is going in the right direction, and even though it will be harder for me to contribute to that, I'm quite happy.
Because Smash brought many beautiful days to my memories, but I'm still convinced that the brightest days are yet to come. And I'll make sure to watch them, no matter how far I'll be.
But now, the time has come for a new adventure. Next friday, I'm boarding a plane leaving to French Guiana (an oversea region of France in South America), where I found a job. Since the community there seems inexistant, it means that I will have to retire from this game.
It's been a wild ride since I first entered the smash community. I've never been a good player, but I still like to think I contributed to the smash community in my own way. I've witnessed some of the most memorable moments in Melee history. I hosted and/or attended some of the greatest tournaments, from the old ESAs to my new pride, the hf.lans, but also the Genesis and BEAST series. I got to travel around the Europe, but also to the US, meeting amazing people in the process. And I got the opportunity to make my place a welcoming stop for travelling smashers, so much that my parents actually know the european smash scene way better than many smashers.
In short, I've been happy to experience all that.
Melee gave me so much. The truth is, I managed to get higher diplomas thank to the things this game brought me. Hosting tournaments, acting as the head of the French Melee community, or simply interacting on the boards taught me how to speak English, how to be responsible and patient, but also the joy of a job well done. To be honest, I don't think I would have got this new job without the knowledge and skills to which this game indirectly gave me access.
More than that, I learned valuable human qualities travelling around the world and meeting people from different countries/cultures/backgrounds/etc.. My open mindedness will never praise this game enough.
Thank you so much to everyone I met, you really were a part of a massive change in my life. I will not thank people individually, because I met thousands of smashers, and I'm pretty sure I could give an heartfelt shoutout to hundred of them (bonus points for all those who housed me during my travels, or helped me in any possible way).
And now, what ?
Well to be honest, for the many of you who know me but aren't from Europe or don't travel so often to tournaments, it won't change much to the relation we currently have. I'll still be online, having a role in the life of the French Smash Community from afar. But unless I'm quite lucky and manage to go to a tournament during my vacations away from French Guiana, I won't be attending any event before I move back to metropolitan France or anywhere else, that is, within a time period ranging from a few years to never.
I'm quite sad to leave all these in-person aspects which are what made these last 11 years of my life so special. But I'm confident. This last months have been very encouraging. On a global level, we've seen that Melee is doing fine in North America, being closer from e-sport than ever. Evo should bring a nice worldwide boost to this. And on a local level, I've been taking part in various projects in order to improve the Smash community in France and give it visibilty to the larger audience it deserves. So far, it's doing really well. Our activity is on the rise, we're discovering many new players (8 newcomers out of 58 players at our last event, and the next one will be even better !). So I think that the community is going in the right direction, and even though it will be harder for me to contribute to that, I'm quite happy.
Because Smash brought many beautiful days to my memories, but I'm still convinced that the brightest days are yet to come. And I'll make sure to watch them, no matter how far I'll be.
Best of luck.
