My 5-ish years in the VHL

[nurx 914]

The theme of 15 years was hard for me to write about. I don't really have much of a history simply because I have never really became a major part of the league outside of a few teams. While the last few weeks have been incredibly busy for me I am writing something for the VHL so I guess that is an improvement. I thought about what I could write about for a day or two before I decided to just tell my story as much as it has happened in what I will call the 4 phases of my VHL career.

 

The first phase of my time in the VHL was under a completely different name and no it wasn't fireballsalad. It was multiple years ago my freshman year in high school when I saw a post on Reddit. I had just begun to get into hockey after my hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada had gotten a hockey team. I was never really interested in hockey and was way more into baseball and loved the Detroit Tigers. I know this may be a surprise but when you were born and raised in a city that doesn't have a sports team and the closest major sports team is in the state that your state is supposed to dislike, I decided to go with where my parents were from. Wel right when I was about to move out of Las Vegas and move to Nashville, TN the Vegas Golden Knight's name was announced. I vividly remember watching the naming ceremony while sitting at the triple A baseball teams game in Nashville. I got into the sport and followed r/hockey. About a month later I saw a post advertising the VHL and I joined under Jose Gonzalez. The whole character was about a Nevada raised boy who loved hockey and simply only wanted to show that the desert can be apart of the sports world just as much as the winter wastelands of Alberta. I believe I had a successful career with the Las Vegas Aces until I was drafted the @Spartan to be apart of I believe Moscow. Then I came out of summer break and lost interest because my whole persona was based around the city of Las Vegas. How was I supposed to stick with some city across the globe. I don't think I ever did another point task after being drafted and I believe spartan agrees that I was his worst draft pick ever.

 

Phase 2:

 

Phase two involves me sitting in microeconomics incredibly bored in my freshman year of college when I decided to just go through old emails. I saw some emails from the VHL and remembered how cool it was. I made a new account under fireballsalad. Not because I wanted to be called fireballsalad, but because I didn't want people to know my old discord name nurx because that discord name was used way back when I used to go as Jose Gonzalez. Well I signed with Miami and fell in love with the VHL again. I believe I maxed out for like 6 weeks in a row. It was crazy and completely unsustainable. After my season with Miami the old AGM retired and left an open spot which I applied for and was hired for. During the same time I was hired as a WJC GM and thought it was only a matter of time before I was a major part of the community.

 

Phase 3:

 

I was drafted to Riga and I don't know why I never became active in their discord but I just never did. I remained very active in the Miami discord, but I felt bad for not caring about Riga or Stockholm. I decided that maybe if I was on a smaller team and was the main part of their team maybe I would be more active. I requested a trade and was dealt from Stockholm to Oslo. Chiang quickly became the best forward in the 2nd half of the VHLE season. I still think that if Chiang played in Oslo all season he would have won every single award in the VHLE. During this time I was helping ledge build a community in Miami and I believe I was helping in every way possible. This great VHLE season was followed up by two incredibly disappointing VHL seasons for Chiang. I honestly think he hurts teams when he is a part of them. Truly one of the worst forwards in the league. The problem is I was really hopeful because Chiang had such strong starts in the VHLM and VHLE. However, I was beginning to become tired of my setting. I was simply just a part of Riga and was AGMing the same team for the last 7 months. Was this what my VHL career was to be? So I created a post calling for help to create VHLM Illustrated. This project is what I believe will be the best thing I did to this league if it was successful. However, I struggled to find consistent writers, I never found a consistent graphics creator. I was not talented in graphics so when I put the mag together it looked unprofessional. Recently I wrote an article talking about my predictions for the VHLM for this season. I was really excited to pop it it out, but I never received any articles. I was given one of the greatest graphics I have ever received from the new member @Carpenter74. It really took the wind out of my sails. I had just resigned as the AGM in Miami and now the project that I loved so much was falling apart. I will take blame for this and I do hope that I can revive it, but I need a significant amount of time to figure out how in the world I can make it viable.

 

Phase 4:

 

I am considering right now to be phase 4. This has truly been the worst season for me in the VHL and one of the hardest times of my life. I think that right now is the worst in my life I have done mentally and I think now I am beginning to recover. I was hired to be the AGM for Geneva, but in reality I haven't done anything. I know @Ledge is resigning from the GM job in Miami and I know it is my dream job and I know I am about to be significantly less busy, but I am not sure if I will even apply for the position. This time period in my life and the VHL is incredibly different. In one I am working my ass off and struggling to even make it through the day and in the other I have disappeared and disappointed the people around me. I really do apologize to everyone for bailing on you when I thought I was ready to help.

 

What does my future hold? I don't know, but it is crazy to be a part of a community that has existed since I was 4 years old. I know the VHL will continue to thrive and I hope I will be here to continue to see it thrive.

 

Words: ~1200 claiming two weeks.

[nurx 914]

claiming second week

[v.2 1,406]

Great media spot nurx! I learned a lot about you that I really didn’t know.  It’s cool that Vegas getting an NHL team lead you to the VHL and to hockey in general.  Try not to be so hard on yourself, you are a very prominent member of this community imo and your dedication to Miami and the VHLM Mag doesn’t go unnoticed.  I really think you should apply for the upcoming Marauders GM vacancy!  Also I know this happened after you wrote the article but all the best with Chiang in New York! Maybe that trade could give your player a second wind this time around.