A Chat with GRT

Recently we had a chance to get a hold of GRT for a little chat about what he has been up to since the fold of the CGS, and his recent addition to the iDemise line-up.

Garrett, thanks very much for sitting down with us.  Let’s get right to it.  For the benefit of fans who are new to eSports, please give us a rundown of your professional career.
Oh man it’s getting to a point where I just want to copy and paste old interviews to answer this question. I will try to keep it as short as possible. I started off playing for a lan team in Toronto and we were never really good but I stood out from the rest and always wanted to be CAL-I back in the day. After getting to CAL-P and leading teams to the finals 3 times but never winning, 3 Toronto CAL-I teams at the time wanted me to join and I ended up with a team that eventually died and I was back to where I started. Eventually I got sick of the Canadian lan scene and decided to break the scene and go to an American team which ended up being pV and then GB.

After playing with them for a year and a bit, I quit due to hockey since I played at a high level but unfortunetly got injuried and had to rehab for 6 months. But during that time I was able to play CS again and joined team Pandemic which is when my name started to become more popular and gain some fans (which is cool :))

From there Pandemic and I went separate ways and i ended up on the team every anadian wish they played for (Team EG) alongside with guys I used to dream of playing with. I was with these guys for awhile including when we got drafted into CGS under Chicago Chimera and won the world championship but when season 2 came along I got redrafted onto San Fran Optx and we were able to get to the world finals again but lost in the finals. From there I took a bit of a break and focused on school which I have honours in while playing for the hockey team. Recently I decided to join idemise as a 6th to ring for matches that Punkville cannot play and eventually I will be on a new team or become a starter for idemise when my schedule lightens up.
 
Sorry about that!!! I skipped alot too 😛
 
How did you first get started in professional gaming?  Was it a conscious decision or did you just find that you were very good at Counter-Strike and it evolved from there?
I have always been very competative in everything I do. So when I got into CS I wanted to play in leagues for fun (but still try to become better and win). Eventually I heard about LANs and all that jazz so I went and got addicted to competetive CS. From there I had a thirst to be at the highest level and through a long and messy ride as well as the problems of being Canadian in CS I eventually got to where I always wanted to be.
 
As you mentioned, one of your biggest roles in the early days was with Team EG from Canada.  Talk about those days, your teammates, and your experiences with the organization.
When I was on EG, my teammates and myself were like a family. Whenever we were at lans we stuck together and always did things together and had alot of fun. Practices and matches were serious but always fun at the same times and it was relaxed and we wouldnt get on each other’s ass (cept when I would yell at shag for thinking he was the bee’s knees and not listen to my strats ahha.) Every lan we went to we looked forward to seeing each other again and hanging out and all had that passion to win when we competed.

When we finally got drafted to CGS it was a huge sigh of relief to know we got where we wanted and worked hard for. When me and shag didnt get across the border for the first season we still kept in touch everyday like nothing ever happened and when we finally were able to go to the world finals and live with eachother for 3-4 weeks it was one of the funnest times I have ever had. Gaming is great for the competetiveness but being friends with a team like the EG I was on is something rarely found and I thought it was special.
 
Eventually you did a stint with Pandemic.  Talk about your experiences with that organization.
Pandemic was similar to my time with EG but for alot less time. I lived with the guys basically for 5 weeks over the course of being on the team for 2 months. We lived in Arkansas to bootcamp for WSVG, CEVO playoffs and CPL. It was alot of fun being with the guys for that long of a time and we were very successful as a team considering I was only on the team for 2 months. Winning CEVO, beating NiP 16-1 and beating Hacker, 2 international teams with us only having like 3-4 weeks of experience as a team. But I was a Canadian on an West coast USA based team basically and it was only temporary and then EG approached me and I tagged along.
 
The CGS obviously left a big mark on gaming, especially in North America.  You started out playing with the Chicago Chimera but were drafted by the SanFran Optx in year two.  How did the organizations differ?  What were the differences playing under Brian Flander versus playing under Kat Hunter?  Which did you prefer?
Well both organizations were so different it was like night and day. Chicago was more laid back and gave you a good deal of time off so that you don’t stress out and over play and stuff because that is a huge issue with gaming. San Fran was more like you practice everyday for 6 hours and maybe you’ll get a day off. But it’s our job so it made sense to why we played so much. When I was on chicago it was like a family and we always stuck together and were best of friends. On San Fran we were all friends but it wasnt family like; most of the time I wouldnt see the other players on the organization until we had a mandatory meeting every day. A big difference also was how Brian was a part of the team. Brian and our CS team were very close and we always hung out with us and was one of the guys which made it alot easier to play for him. Some of the time though he should have been more strict but thats just the way he was and we always listened to him. With Kat she was more driven to make us practice and always check up on us. She really wanted to win which was great but it wasnt that “hey we’re great friends” type of relationship. Both were great GM’s but I would pick Brian just for the fact that he was a great friend of our team and was a shitload of fun to be with.
 
What is your favorite memory from CGS?
Favorite memory would have to be the CS team on San Fran coming back and beating the Dallas Venom’s CS team 11-7 when we were down by 2 heading into CS and the Dallas Venom didn’t lose for I think 11 straight matches and won the individual CS title. No one expected us to win but we stuck it through and played a great 2nd half which we had to get 7 rounds and we did which was amazing. Was so much better then winning the world finals in the first season.
 
What, in your opinion, was the reason for the closure of CGS?  Did you see it coming?  How did you feel when you heard the news?
Well I always thought it was doing well but I assume its because they put SOOOO much money into it in the first season and alot in the 2nd season that it just wasnt worth all the money they put in. Like the appartments alone were rediculous to rent and each team had 3 rooms plus a GM room. It was like $2,500 a week or something retarded. I saw it coming to be honest but I thought it would be at the end of the 3rd season. When I first found out I laughed pretty hard and I was in the middle of a lecture in class. The teacher didn’t like it 😛 But it sucks it closed down because everyone who worked on the show was awesome.
 
After CGS closed your fans didn’t hear much from you for awhile.  Tell us what you were up to prior to joining iDemise.
 I have fans? Before joining iDemise I was taking a break and focusing on school because I was trying to get settled in and get good marks. While doing that I won CEVO -Pro AM with the Optx then we split and I won the Alienware tournament with KBS. I decided to go back to 1.6 and originally I was going to make a Canadian team but plans fell through and I decided to join iDemise to help out since they didn’t have a 5th that could be on 100 percent of the time. So I ring for them when they need it but I have yet to make a full return. Soon though.
 
I just want to show up and help them win whenever i play and so far i think we are 7-3 when i play so im happy about that, and each time we lost i could have won it if i actually practiced.Talk about iDemise.  What are your goals for the team?  Is this a temporary stop for you or have you finally found the home you have been looking for?
Man I’m going to answer this again! haha. My goals for this team personally is to not suck whenever they need me. I go into each match with literally 2 hours of CS practice prior to each match each week. I am not even playing close to what iI am able to but I’m still doing OK.  I guess but if I played more full time i would be back to where I used to be easy. I just want to show up and help them win whenever I play and so far I think we are 7-3 when I play so I’m happy about that, and each time we lost I could have won it if iIactually practiced. This is only temporary until I figure out what course of action I am going to take for the future. I could end up being the 5th for this team or be on a completely different team. Who knows… cause i dont. Gonna have to wait and see 🙂
 
Thanks again for your time.  One obligatory question:  cake or pie?   Any final comments or shoutouts?
In which context! nah I kid ummm I like cake since I’m not a huge fan of pie.. although cake is horrible for you too. Just shoutouts to apparently my fans which apparently I have…apparently. Also to Gamers Outreach which I think is a great project that’s starting to take off a bit and has been successful so far. You can visit them at #Gamersoutreach. And no I do not work for them I just think its for a good cause 🙂

Shoutouts to iDemise and their fans as well. Now I gotta be shameless and say if you want lessons come holler at me in #esea 😛 But its my exam week so give me some time ahaha.
Shoutouts to Mr. Lake as well for being kickass like always.