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KenitohMenara · 11-05-2021, 06:44 PM

**1426 Words - Don't know if this kind of media gets graded but hey**

I don’t usually write media like this but over the last few days, I have felt this compulsion to do it. Some users may know me from my previous adventures here while to others, I’m just another user on the site and/or a person they have shared a few words with for draft interviews. In any event, after everything that has happened over the last year and a half and as I prepare for what the future will bring, I want to give you a recount of what has happened and how I came back. I know it’s cliche but… this is my story.

I have been a part of sim leagues for nearly 3 years now starting with my first player in the SHL and maybe I am just a rather lucky individual but I have never had a bad experience in sim leagues. I haven’t been involved in bad locker rooms or had general arguments with people on sites. Yes we’ve had heated debates in the past but I wouldn’t ever say a bad word about the people here. The fellow players I had met in the ISFL, SHL and PBE have been some of the nicest people I have had the pleasure of meeting. They helped me with player updates, welcoming me to teams and helping me write media. I found a good niche for myself in sim leagues and as I was going through the motions with my second player in SHL and branching out into the ISFL, I felt like I could really go far in sim leagues.

Then the Pandemic happened.

The pandemic is horrible for all of us and for me, it was a nightmare that almost put me out of sim leagues for good. At first, I felt rather good about things, I continued my work as the Armada’s beat writer, writing prospect profiles and continuing my various media pursuits and doing what I can to remain active on discord. I was doing alright and everyone kept close by which helped out a lot. But as days turned into weeks and then into months of isolation, I felt worse and worse about everything. I had been furloughed from my job and I couldn’t even study my independent courses because all of exams had been cancelled, (I would later get predicted grade for the full qualification I was studying based on my previous work), and so I was left in total limbo in regards to what I wanted to do. Despite the fact a part of my mind knew I had all my friends in sim leagues right there for me, a larger part kept telling me I was alone, trapped in my house and couldn’t even go outside for the first part of the pandemic. It eventually got to the point where I missed weeks of updates and wasn’t talking at all. I missed seasons in the SMJHL because of it and that just made me feel even worse because it made me feel like I let my team down. I was with the Armada at the time and despite everyone in the locker room telling me otherwise (gwdjohnson especially trying to say that this wasn’t my fault and life comes first), I just felt I let everyone down with letting this get to me the way that it did. After eventually sitting down with them, I retired from both the SHL and the ISFL to get my life back on track and start afresh when I was in a better mindset. Everyone wished me well and made it abundantly clear that the moment I wanted to come back to the league, I would be more than welcome to.

So there I was with no players and left to my own devices to try and get my life in order. My place of work had allowed me to return and I was getting some schedule back and soon after I was able to study again as testing centers were opening up. Slowly but surely, with the help of my family and my colleagues at work, I was able to put together the pieces of my life again and was able to start functioning again. It really felt as if I had the colour in my life again as I started taking care of myself more. It was around this time I also got into walking for exercise which also really helped. Walking gave me a lot of time to just be at peace with myself and allow me to think things clearly. As the pieces came back to me, I started thinking more and more about sim leagues again and how I wanted to come back. I missed you all and I felt that this time, having gone through this period of my life, I can actually come back and thrive again. So in December I recreated in the SHL and in April I returned to ISFL.

Not only did I find my old friends welcoming me back but I made new ones as well. I started writing media again and it was around this time when I started writing the hall of fame ceremony (which I love doing). I started looking at these leagues differently, like for what everyone told me they were for. To have fun. It took all of this to finally get it to sink in but finally it was there. Of course I’m still competitive at this game and want to do well but I started laughing more when sims happened and actually got into simming myself. It felt like I was finally able to just relax, take the league at my own pace and do what I could to help my team… which I could always do but it finally sunk in that this was the case.

And it was after I made made that connection that I started to see results.

Sim gonna sim is a weird thing as we all know. It makes storylines happen that almost seem real and frustrates us to no end. That is all true. But for some reason, over the course of two seasons in ISFL, SHL and in PBE that I joined, I started seeing results I had never imagined for my teams. I didn’t get my hopes up for championships, I was just happy my teams were competitive with me on them and we were looking at the finals of seasons. I was just happy that I was an active contributor to my teams again and that I had my friends with me again.

Then in the ISFL, I won my first sim league championship. The Ultimini title with the Minnesota Grey Ducks.

I will admit that I cried when I saw those results. It was like the culmination of my entire sim league career had happened for this one moment. 0 to 1. I was finally there.

I know this has been a roundabout article with not real point to it other than my ramblings but the point of it is this… I want to say thank you to all of you for what you have done for me. You were there for me from the word go when I stepped on the scene nearly 3 years ago and you continue to be there for me now. You made me feel special and you made feel like part of a real family, no matter how far apart we are. I have loved my time here because of all of you and I want to continue here for as long as I can because I love these leagues. Maybe I’ll even give SBA a chance in the future but baby steps. It was because of all of you I came back to the leagues from my darkest point and it was because of all of you that I had all this success:

ISFL:
Two Ultimini Titles in Two Seasons (Season 31 and Season 32) with the Minnesota Grey Ducks
Two Straight All-Star Games

PBE:
Reached back to back Minor League world series with the Chicago Kingpins
Awarded MiLPBE Pitcher of the Year
Set MiLPBE All Time ERA Record (1.86)

SHL:
216 points (1st All Time Whalers)
Awarded the Raymond Lindsay Award as voted by all of you
Won the Four Star Trophy in Season 61

None of this would have been possible without you and I thank you all once again for helping me write this incredible story… my story.

Thank you all. God bless you all. God bless sim leagues

Kindest Regards
Kenitoh

DarkCanuck29 · 11-05-2021, 06:49 PM

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm glad you are back and part of the Dragons future successes!

Winnipeg Aurora Aurora

steveoiscool · 11-05-2021, 07:24 PM

ASM ASM ASM ASM

ACapitalChicago · 11-05-2021, 07:49 PM

I don't think I'll ever be able to full express just how amazing it is to have you in the LR, day in and day out. I think the trade to bring ASM to Calgary has been one of the best ones we've ever made, the effects of which are bringing returns each and every day. Thank you so much for being here, you're a leader and one for the books already, but your ceiling has yet to be hit. Cannot wait to see how far you go!

S66 Damian Littleton

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***Pythonic*** · 11-05-2021, 10:07 PM

fuck SBA join WSBL instead

also ASM the goat

Vulfzilla · 11-05-2021, 10:13 PM

Sco Dux Sco Boatz

kikish18 · 11-06-2021, 02:49 AM

As an recreate with nearly 20 season break I can share similar emotions. Good You put this in article. I think a lot of people share common feeling.

Dextaria · 11-06-2021, 03:13 AM

It was an honour to be a part of both your Ultimini win and your Four Star Cup win! You know you always got my support <3

Henrik · 11-06-2021, 05:57 AM

Glad to have you back in the league, its a better place with you for sure!

DeletedAtUserRequest · 11-06-2021, 01:18 PM

moving into my 4th season as head GM.. I took over an old team and I’ve had a ton of decisions to make… im confident that trading for ya will turn out to be one of my great legacy moves.. your just amazing for this franchise, your devotion and dedication is young izzy esk..and your a great dude.. to a man this franchise loves that your here with us.

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Steelhead77 · 11-06-2021, 02:00 PM

Very happy to hear the league was able to provide you with what it did at a time you needed it, that's one of the great things about the SHL and sim communities in general. Thanks for sharing your story, it's been a pleasure getting to know you in Calgary and you've brought a fantastic attitude and personality into the locker room. Really looking forward to sharing the sim league experience with you moving forward as teammates!

Cheers

---> ParmBorg Highlights <---

#1 All-Time SHL Goal & Point Scorer
- First 2,000 TPE Player in SHL History -
- First 400 Goal Scorer in SHL History -
- Only 500 Goal Scorer in SHL History -
- First GM to Win 5 & 6 Challenge Cups -
Esa Anrikkanen Award - SMJHL ROY - Est. S34
Vidrik Onoprienko Award Winner - S45

Dragonite

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