coL’s very own Andrew “Irukandji” Timmerman was recentely interviewed by SK-Gaming. In this interview, Drew talks about the engaging rivalry between coL.cs and EG, as well as the upcoming LAN events that coL.cs will be attending. He also talks about how they match up to the international teams, as well as the one’s in coL’s own back yard.
Below is an excerpt from the interview:
From an outsider’s perspective the chief rivalry of a region will always be between the #1 and #2 teams. However, your team seems to cite your Gravitas as your key rivals. Results certainly support this assertion when one considers the inordinate amount of big overtime games the two teams have played. What do you think it is about the two teams that means it such an exciting matchup and how do you see that dynamic having changed with roster shakeups across 2009?
Well, before goodfornothing went away for hiatus and the team started to lose focus, they were, in my opinion, the second best team in the USA. I still think if they play with full passion and dedication they can be #2 in the USA so that’s why I always see them as a big challenge and our biggest rival rival. Like you said though, on LAN it always seems to be a close game between us regardless of it one team is tearing up the tournament or not so that just fuels the fire we have to win each and every time we play them. It’s nothing personal against those guys as they’re all really nice outside of CS, but in-game I just want to crush them everytime we play them.
The only reason that coL vs. EG is now the main rivalry in most people’s minds is that there is that animosity between our organizations which adds a bit extra when we play them.
Being as you’ve little experience playing overseas how did you find the experience of playing at the EM III global finals? What thoughts did you have on the opposition you faced and did you feel any increased expectations in light of your team becoming the #1 US team by popular consensus?
It was a really neat experience in that we got a good first-hand view on exactly what it’s like to travel and play in an environment that most of us had never competed in outside ESL LA / Philly which were domestic with few international teams. We had a few close losses at the start which we were never able to rebound from which resulted in blowouts at the hands of fnatic and eStro. I never really felt any outside pressure from expectations as, to be honest, being the best team in America means little to nothing at this point in CS. It was tough for us to adjust to the different playstyles presented to us at the tournament as nowadays it’s hard to find a TEAM scrimming in the US, much less a PREPARED TEAM to scrim against. I don’t want to make excuses though as to why we lost as I really feel it came down to us being underprepared for the calibre of teamwork and chemistry that we faced. During our three month bootcamp this summer, we’ve tried to remedy some of those problems so we’re eager to get back on the international stage and see if we’ve progressed.
I feel as if I played decently well individually, but as an in-game leader, I don’t feel as if I led my team as I needed to for us to get wins. At the end of the day, my teammates are trusting in me to control them correctly in-game and I definitely feel like I dropped the ball on that in Germany.
To read the full interview at SK-Gaming.com, click here