When I Was a Young First-Gen...

[animal74 1,855]

When I Was a Young First-Gen...

animal74 (Gunnar-Rune Rorvik)

 

Way back in my day as a First Gen - early 2008 from what I recollect, it was a different world - both in the VHL world and the real world. Before Disney bought Star Wars and Marvel and before the launch of Disney Plus; before the rise to fame of the likes of Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, and Kendrick Lamar; before Game of Thrones became an international sensation and Spotify made its way to North America. 

 

Before all this, there was a fledgling sim hockey league named the VHL and a little known defenseman from Norway who found his way to the Toledo Scorpions - Gunnar-Rune Rorvik, “The Norwegian Nightmare”. Rorvik caught the tail end of the Scorpions’ fifth season (S5) and then helped them to win their first Founder’s Cup. And thus began my career as a “First Gen”.  

 

Rorvik with the S12 Continental Cup

 

Rorvik was drafted by the Seattle Bears 6th OV in the S7 Draft with 102 TPE - a measly sum in today’s VHL. The highest earning prospect and 1st OV that draft was future Hall of Famer C Lazarus Hatzifotiou-Kyriakos (Layken Heidt) and he had a grand total of 150 TPE which would likely have him going late in the second round nowadays. Rorvik could have been drafted by teams of yesteryear like the Stockholm Rams, Vasteras IK, the Hamilton Canucks, or the Avangard Havoc. 

 

To earn TPE, we could write media spots or create graphics - similar to now - but they were graded. And I was one of the toughest graders. Multiple spelling and grammar mistakes? Good luck even getting 5 out of 6 points! 

 

There was also just the forum to chat in and the index for the scores. No portal for easy button clicking (we had to type the TPE changes in the forum), no Google Sheets (well maybe a couple) and definitely no Discord for happy internet banter (the horror!). Everything was manual. But we had a good time!

 

Eventually, I learned the ropes and Gunnar-Rune Rorvik became one of the first Triple Crown winners (Founder’s Cup, World Cup Gold, Continental Cup). I didn’t come back until ten years later, but I would check that it was still running.

 

The VHL has doubled the amount of teams it had back then. Franchises have folded, been created, resurrected or switched leagues. Members and HOFers have come and gone. But one thing has remained - the people. There is a dedicated community that has run this league to new heights since I first joined, both participant- and technology-wise. The BOG continues to work to make things better and smoother. The community is worldwide, friendly, and willing to help first-gens. That has never changed.

 

I’m not the only early first-gen that has come back. Some created a new player right away. Others, like me, waited a while only to find a vibrant community ready to welcome them. Hopefully, that will always be the case and we’ll be able to make new first-gens introduction to the world of the VHL one they want to return to again and again.