Conference One: Interview with Western University's Elwin Wang
As colleges prepare for finals week and an eventual winter break, Conference One finished their Valorant playoffs. Western University was one of the top performers in the Radiant and Immortal division, making it to the semi-finals. Western University's Elwin Wang took the time to answer some questions about the team's season in the fall.
After an impressive season for Western University, pride should be at the forefront of all of their minds. Wang discussed his thoughts on the seasons ending with, "When considering the time we got the team together compared to other schools, they performed well above expectations. Our team was formed in late September and had minimal scrim experience before being thrown into their first few matches. Comparatively, most other schools had their teams formed either before school started or within the first two weeks. Last year's team failed to produce any significant results in placement, so a jump from Nothing to 3rd is quite remarkable, especially when you take in the fact that the top 3 is composed of all Canadian schools." Wang is completely justified in this response, as the team performed wonders above expectation.
It can lead you to wonder how the team reached this level of success. Did they work on something specific in the offseason? Wang answered this with, "Nothing particular, it was just a constant grind from each player. They all spend countless hours playing ranked, and I feel like those experiences in all those scenarios helped refine the individual skill. To a certain extent, this also allowed players to become more flexible and team-oriented since they would never know what they got on their team and what they were up against each game." The grind mentality showed up as they won some tough matches, only losing to eventual winners, Carleton University.
With that much success in such a short period together with little plan of action entering the season, the leadership role must have been a crucial role to fill. According to Wang, it was overfilled, but in a positive way for western. Wang says, "The whole team stepped up when it mattered most in the playoffs, from Bouncybear and Xamnation playing the main supporting roles to the IGLs and duelists Flight Risk and Jzao and the lockdown anchor Dynasty. The one individual who stood on their head for all the games would be Flight Risk, who is the most mechanically talented individual on the team. They always entered the site with no fear, opening up sites or getting that first pick on defense, always providing the team the numbers advantage. The others aren't afraid to follow in his wake to clean up and secure rounds that the team would otherwise have no business winning." The outstanding leadership allowed this team to thrive in a combustible environment that was Conference One's playoffs.
It is hard for Western to get better after such an impressive year, but they already have a plan in place. Wang talked about this plan for the offseason, stating, "The main thing is mentality. There were a few matches where the maps weren't going in the team's favour when they should have, and that was really demoralizing for our star players. Those 3v1 or 2v1 rounds that you really should win just not going your way gets into your head sometimes, and that is definitely something that these players need to be able to push into the back of their minds and focus on the upcoming rounds. Being able to have a blank slate, not caring about personal performance, allows both individuals and the team to focus on and excel at what they do best." With their priorities set, they will use this momentum to repeat and expand upon their success from their fall. When asked about the goal for the spring, Wang indicated, "I expect the same mindset, put their heads down and grind out matches, especially against teams like Carleton. We know there's still room to grow, strats to develop and with the added winter season experience, the burden to prove themselves is gone. The team can perform at a higher level, and the Spring season is where they can prove it." Western University will have a chance to take it all during the Spring season of Conference One.
