Ayrine, you have been part of the esports player foundation since November. What has changed for you so far? How have you been supported? And what are your expectations for the future?
Since I joined epf, two things in particular have changed for the better. Firstly, I now have a much more regular daily routine, and secondly, I now pay much more attention to my physical well-being. The epf takes special care that everyone is fit and in shape - it is a pure pleasure to work with them. This has motivated me to stay healthier so that I can perform better in the game. At the end of last year, I also started sports psychology coaching. After a short time, I'm already noticing significant progress when it comes to the mental. I can honestly admit that I am already seeing some major improvements in my mindset. I hope that I can continue to improve mentally! Of course, I also receive regular in-game coaching. In general, I have high expectations for the future and hope that the support measures will have more and more positive effects ingame.
What fascinates you about eSports? After all, only 5% of the players are women. What is your opinion on this?
What fascinates me most about esports is the real-life connection to competitive games and meeting other people who share the same passion for games. I think it's great that more and more brands are realising the potential of this industry, and I'm excited to see how this factor will develop in the future. At the end of the day, eSports fans are the best in the world. Nobody cheers for their favourite teams like they do!
You recently attended the Equal eSports Bootcamp. Describe for us what the bootcamp was like for you.
I missed the first 3 days due to semester exams. However, attending the Equal Esports Bootcamp was like achieving a dream. For me, the bootcamp was like a reward for the hard work of the past months and years. Already, I can't wait for the next bootcamp. I got to meet a lot of great people and felt very well looked after - we had everything we needed. Proper nutrition, physical exercise, mental health workshops and lots of useful talks about how we can improve as players to increase our game performance. I feel like we got a little bit of how professional athletes work every day.
The epf sees you as complete athletes and takes this into account when promoting you. What are your 3 most important insights from the bootcamp?
- workshops - Especially for younger players like us, there is hardly anything better than learning from experts. It's valuable and really necessary. I took some notes during the workshops which are now hanging on my cork wall at my desk.
- the impact of good nutrition on my energy levels. I feel like it helped me a lot to see how much more I can sustain when I eat well and also sleep better, probably also thanks to the morning exercise sessions.
- during the bootcamp there was also the opportunity to talk to many personalities from the esport sector who were very willing to talk about their work and helped us when in doubt. The role of a mentor who is always willing to help is priceless and much needed.
You recently joined the DKB Diamonds team. What are the goals for you personally and the team in the current split?
My journey with the team has just begun. Until the bootcamp, I hardly had a chance to get in touch with the rest of the team. Fortunately, all the Diamonds were also at the bootcamp and I was able to get to know them all better. There are some players in the team who have already played at a very high level. Through their passionate and hard-working attitude, they have inspired me to work even harder on my own skills. My personal goal is to fulfil my potential as much as possible so that I can play in a good team in the future. I think excellent work is being done both in the team and behind the scenes and I have no doubt that we will go far. I want my whole team to succeed, not just me. They are very talented players with great personalities. This split is ours!