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[Ball 453]

Confessions Of A Captain: The Story Of An Average Member In The League

 

When I first joined the VHL in S9, I was a quiet member who mostly kept to myself and my point tasks. I really didn't think I'd last in the league. Besides Zack Arce and Matt Bentz, I really didn't know anyone and on top of that, I was struggling just to make the Bears roster, but what do you expect from a first gen drafted in the third round? The only things that really kept me going at it was winning a Continental Cup with the Bears my rookie season and Seattle's GM Alex McNeil. McNeil was a great GM and really kept my spirits up. Then, he gave me my first prominent role in the VHL, the captaincy of the Seattle Bears. I was honored to be named the captain of a VHL team, but more surprised than anything. I wasn't a real vocal guy outside the Bears locker room, but either way I took the role and ran with it. I wore the C with pride for two seasons before I was traded to the New York Americans in S15 for Grimm Jonsson, where I retired that very off-season to start anew. I created Ryan Walls and was a highly touted prospect for the first time in my career, drafted second overall in S16 to the Madrid Thunder (ha!). I was ready to finally make a name for myself in the community and was syked to start Walls' career off right. Unfortunately, pretty much right after the draft, I started going through some shit outside of the VHL, one thing led to another, and I had to leave the VHL.

 

I got myself situated around S20 and decided to give the VHL one more shot, creating the goalie Jay Shields. A mixture of personal problems and a lack of interest ultimately led to Shields' demise before I even got my foot in the door and I left the VHL for good. Well until I got a facebook message about a year or two later from thee Joey Kendrick. First off, I was surprised the VHL was still around. The VHL was the first and only sim league I ever participated in, so I didn't know much about sim leagues. Intrigued that it was still around I told Kendrick I'd give it a look. Arce and Bentz were gone by then, but I saw a couple familiar names so I decided to post in the introductions thread. After receiving a warm welcome from older and newer members alike and seeing just how far the league had come, I thought third times the charm and created SBJ. I got passed up on by a few GMs who I thought were gonna draft me and ended up going to the Bears in the second round, but that only fueled the fire of wanting to be successful in the VHL. I worked hard and soon enough became a vital part of the Bears and yet again was named the captain of Seattle in S36. While it was an imaginary title in a sim league, I took pride in being a captain once again and ran with it. Amongst my new brothers in Seattle, I tried to be the voice of Bears in the locker room and on the boards. I may have came off as a douche to most of the members in the league, but everything I did, everything I said, every argument I created was for my team. This was my new family and I wanted to give those guys the one thing I thought we all deserved for putting in all that work as a team, a Continental Cup. But no matter how hard I worked and how much I willed the team to keep working hard, I couldn't quite bring Seattle to the promise land. I grew frustrated with my personal performance and the lack of success as a team. I decided it was recreate or risk losing interest yet again and I decided to retire after my sixth season, ultimately fucking over the Bears. I won a Grimm Jonsson award as the Top Leader in my last season for the Bears, but in the end, I really didn't deserve that as I turned my back on my team that season.

 

This season, I was voted as the captain of the Toronto Legion, my third stint as a captain in the VHL. I will be the first to tell you I have been a shit captain this season. From leaving for days on end to not trying to motivate my peers to work hard at becoming the best players and members they can be (not that they need it, these guys are kicking ass and taking names), I haven't lived up to the title I once took so much pride in. But now I'm back and ready to see this thing through. I wanna lead or help this roster achieve what I couldn't help Seattle achieve, a Continental Cup. I may not be an elite member in the league, I may not be a guy who members wanna team up with and play alongside, but I will be the best damn captain I can be. It's Continental Cup or bust for Cote and just maybe myself. Whether I'm voted captain again in the future or the team decides to bestow it on the capable hands of a jalador, gregreg, caillean122, or any member that joins us in the future, I'm gonna lead this team to the promise land.

 

Toronto is Life, Toronto is love. I am Toronto and WE are the Legion!

[Jala 922]

right on man

[probably not noah 346]

I <3 ball