coL.cs’s Derek “dboorN” Boorn has recentely been interviewed by the Argentinian website, Clan Co. The interview, which was originally in Spanish, has been translated and is available below. Derek talks about his personal life as well as what he thinks of CSProMod.
Hello dboorN, first of all, thank you for your time, could you introduce yourself for the ones who doesnt know you, what’s your name, how old are you, what do you do besides playing Counter Strike, do you study or have a work?
Hi, my name is Derek Boorn (creative alias, I’m aware), I’m 21 years old and I currently live in Lexington, Kentucky. Outside of Counter-Strike I just hang out with my friends, plays sports and most importantly (mom, if you’re reading) study. I am a sophomore at the University of Kentucky and I’m majoring in Psychology.
How is a normal day in your life?
A normal day in my life consists of going to my morning classes, getting lunch, attending my afternoon classes and then proceeding to take part in whatever else I have planned on that specific day; whether it be something with my friends, off to the library to study or just to relax at home. I’m also an avid sports better so in my free time I like to look at the games that day and see if there are any that appeal to me.
Now lets move to your gamer’s life, could you tell me coL’s lineup and some ingame and outgame’s characteristics of their players? How do you describe as a player?
Our lineup rundown is as follows:
thoMz: The relaxed, composed fragger. Comes up with crazy rounds time after time when we need it the most.
evolution: The outspoken, loudmouth capable of just about anything. As long as he’s emotionally stable, this guy can cause destruction. (you’re awesome scott, don’t deagle ace my team again)
hero: The outspoken wingman of evolution along with being one of the most versatile players I’ve ever seen. The amount of aspects he affects in CS go unnoticed the majority of the time unless you’re fortunate enough to play alongside him.
Xp3: The aggressive strat caller who, along with possibly needing English lessons, controls all of the chaos that is compLexity.
Everyone knows that coL reacently released a new lineup, how do you feel playing with them?
I was just as skeptical as most when embarking on this new lineup but I’ve found it incredibly easy playing with these guys. We’ve all played together in some form or fashion in the past but the raw skill and confidence that embodies our team, even this early into the process, is something I could have never thought possible. Each player is capable of changing a round all by lonesome. Our team seems to have a knack for all of the little things that truly make a good team great; communication, teamwork and chemistry. When you see signs early on of the things that aren’t always easy to obtain and even harder to teach, it’s impossible not to get eager when thinking about what is to come.
Are you looking forward to WCG? How will you manage to play with four players residing in the USA and one in Canada? it seems that compLexity will be limited while attempting to qualify and participate in the upcoming World Cyber Games, as you will need to employ a stand in for the event. Besides, isnt xp3 the game leader?
Am I looking forward to it? Any major event of WCG’s stature is definitely something each player looks forward to. Am I equally as disappointed we won’t be able to use our actual lineup? No question about it. It is possible to find an equal replacement but it’s just a bummer that we’re not able to use the five that we’ll be practicing with for every other event. I wish WCG would implement some rule allowing one player to not be of that nationality but we chose this lineup so we will deal with the bumps in the road that come along with it.
What goals do you have as a team this year?
As a team I would say our main goal is to reach our potential. We want to make sure that we do everything in our power to become the best team we can possibly be so that we are prepared for each obstacle that we can control and nothing is a surprise to us.
How does Complexity prepare as a team, how many hours do you train and how many days? Do you have any routine?
On a normal week we play four to five hours a night, Sunday through Thursday. We have yet to establish a routine as we are just playing as much as possible right now to get a feel for how each other plays and strengthen our teamwork.
How serious do you take Counter Strike nowadays, do you see it as a hobby or as something else?
I take CS as seriously as any other top player, but I also understand my boundaries and priorities. School will always be number one for me but I also know what routes to take when I need time off for a tournament. Maybe you could classify it as an upgraded hobby. I definitely put as much work as I can into it to make sure that me, and my team, are on top of things when the time comes.
Do you have any advise for people who’s beginning to play as a team and want to take it more seriously?
My only advice is to keep a positive attitude. If you are upbeat and you get along with your team, along with handling adversity and losing the right way, I don’t see how you can’t improve. CS is random and you have to understand that from the beginning. There are many “right” ways to play CS and that is what makes this game so unique. People perceive the game in many different ways and there’s more than one recipe to success. If you keep the right mindset and mentality while learning from mistakes and putting in the necessary time to fine-tune your own game, you will only see improvement as time progresses.
What do you think about Counter Strike Pro mod?
CSP has a plethora of potential. It has a few kinks to work out but they have stated how hard they will be working in the following months to make the game even more enjoyable. The biggest thing that it has going for it is that it is community based. When you have people running the game who actually listen to what the people playing it want and think needs fixing, the sky is your ceiling. If you’re displeased with CSP, voice your opinion, don’t give up on the game. Of course it’s not going to appeal to all audiences at first but there will be common ground where two games can meet. The worst thing you can do is turn your nose to it because you aren’t willing to try anything new, give it a shot! The game ultimately won’t be a factor in many tournaments until 2011 rolls around I would imagine as most tournaments have already announced 1.6 being the game. Either way, it is definitely up to the community to make the game.
Do you want to thank anyone or to mention anything I did not asked?
Just a quick thank you to our loyal fan base for sticking by us even through some rough times, we definitely appreciate it and it doesn’t go unnoticed. Also a thank you to our sponsors (Creative, QPAD, G8 Clothing, XFX) who make this dream a reality by providing the necessary funding to send us around the world and soak up all of these great experiences. Last but not least, thank you for your time and I hope it was worth the read! Adios^_^vauMs~
Please be sure to check out the full and original interview at CLANCO