Not exactly like Jess but I was so anxious when I first got drafted to Chicago because I knew nobody there and I'd been taught to hate the Berserkers all my J life so I wasn't sure how that'd all pan out but I'm so happy it went the way it did, some of the best times I've had these past two and a half years were in Chicago and you had a huge part to play in that. Thank you for being so accomodating of my stupid ass wanting to get traded to chase that weird elusive goal of mine. Take care of yourself. I love you, for reals.
Your effort for the team has shown since day one, and your name is synonymous with the Chicago team at this point. You should be proud of all you've built there, what a fantastic tenure
Stick taps!
Big loss for Chicago but we all have a time where things come to an end. I'll continue to look forward to DND times, otherwise it's been a pleasure being in the GM room with you.
10-04-2022, 11:14 PM(This post was last modified: 10-04-2022, 11:40 PM by leafsftw1967. Edited 1 time in total.)
10-04-2022, 03:12 PMsköldpaddor Wrote: whatever I say here is going to be not enough, but I have to say something because i can't say NOTHING so anyway
When I got traded to Chicago at like...10PM on a Tuesday night, I was just miserable at the idea. Tampa was the only locker room I'd ever had, I thought I was going to be part of a rebuild that was about to happen, and then I wasn't, and I was just so sad, and then I messaged you because you were like the ONLY person I knew there, and you made me feel so much better about it. I didn't realize until I got there how you were so much of the heart of the team already, even though you weren't GM yet. It was you and JNH we were going to for build advice for so long, it was you I came to with FHM questions when I started to tentatively venture into management myself.
We have talked a lot about how a lot of people seem to think you had something handed to you, that Chicago was just a really good team when you took over and you got to reap the benefits or whatever, but anyone who was there before you became GM knows how much work you actually put into building the team into what it was when you actually took over. I know people who weren't in there like to talk shit. People always do talk shit about stuff without all the information (god knows I've done it) but as somebody who lived in that locker room for over two years, I really don't think it's possible to overstate how central you have been to the entire culture that has been built there, and what a genuinely loving, positive environment it has always been since the day I got there. Anybody who says you were handed something doesn't know shit, and I'll leave it at that. You have put so much work and love into this team and making it what it is, and I wouldn't still be kicking around here if it weren't for the time I spent there.
You guys have built a place where people feel valued and welcome - regardless of who they are and what stage of their life they're in, and that is such a hard thing to do. We have pockets of like-minded people form all over this website - people bond over being around the same age, or having the same interests, but you managed to build a little community of people who might otherwise have absolutely nothing in common. You had me in there as a thirty-something first time mom, and y'all made me feel like me (and my little stories about my kiddo, and her occasional keyboard smash messages to the whole locker room when I left my computer unattended) were such a big part of it, and you have made so many people feel that way - whether we were all giving Nyko advice on girls, or tagging @shots, or throwing juice boxes at Patty, or jackbox nights, we were a family in there. It was exactly what so many of us needed at that point in the pandemic, and I don't know what I would have done without it.
i love you and i appreciate you and i see how much you put into your team and this site as a whole and I am sorry if anyone has ever made you feel like that's not valued, because the passion you put into the things you work on is something we need more of and I am so glad to have had the chance to be so close to it for so long. thank you so much for everything, don't go anywhere <3
Jess could not have said it better the way you bring everyone together from different background and create such a loving/welcoming LR environment has been magical. On top of that you have set the standard for gming in the FHM era and constantly brought success to Chicago. Most importantly I really appreciate the extra care and time you take to build deep friendships. From the first day back on the site at the start of the pandemic in 2020 with NL when our friendship begun up until now it means more then you can imagine to have someone you never met in real life genuinely care about your family, your culture, success in school/work/personal life, etc. It has always been more then just helping make Marner into a superstar in the SHL it was about having that deeper connection and wanting genuine happiness for me in life. I appreciate that so much and am grateful to have you as a friend and happy that you will be sticking around in Chicago <3
Can't say as much as the people that have actually been on the team (and I know a lot of them), but it's been a long time for sure and sooner or later we all need to quit. Nothing really wrong with that decision. Chicago has always been our rival when we were still in the same division, but it always looked like it had a cool LR. Anyway, good job there.
10-04-2022, 03:12 PMsköldpaddor Wrote: whatever I say here is going to be not enough, but I have to say something because i can't say NOTHING so anyway
When I got traded to Chicago at like...10PM on a Tuesday night, I was just miserable at the idea. Tampa was the only locker room I'd ever had, I thought I was going to be part of a rebuild that was about to happen, and then I wasn't, and I was just so sad, and then I messaged you because you were like the ONLY person I knew there, and you made me feel so much better about it. I didn't realize until I got there how you were so much of the heart of the team already, even though you weren't GM yet. It was you and JNH we were going to for build advice for so long, it was you I came to with FHM questions when I started to tentatively venture into management myself.
We have talked a lot about how a lot of people seem to think you had something handed to you, that Chicago was just a really good team when you took over and you got to reap the benefits or whatever, but anyone who was there before you became GM knows how much work you actually put into building the team into what it was when you actually took over. I know people who weren't in there like to talk shit. People always do talk shit about stuff without all the information (god knows I've done it) but as somebody who lived in that locker room for over two years, I really don't think it's possible to overstate how central you have been to the entire culture that has been built there, and what a genuinely loving, positive environment it has always been since the day I got there. Anybody who says you were handed something doesn't know shit, and I'll leave it at that. You have put so much work and love into this team and making it what it is, and I wouldn't still be kicking around here if it weren't for the time I spent there.
You guys have built a place where people feel valued and welcome - regardless of who they are and what stage of their life they're in, and that is such a hard thing to do. We have pockets of like-minded people form all over this website - people bond over being around the same age, or having the same interests, but you managed to build a little community of people who might otherwise have absolutely nothing in common. You had me in there as a thirty-something first time mom, and y'all made me feel like me (and my little stories about my kiddo, and her occasional keyboard smash messages to the whole locker room when I left my computer unattended) were such a big part of it, and you have made so many people feel that way - whether we were all giving Nyko advice on girls, or tagging @shots, or throwing juice boxes at Patty, or jackbox nights, we were a family in there. It was exactly what so many of us needed at that point in the pandemic, and I don't know what I would have done without it.
i love you and i appreciate you and i see how much you put into your team and this site as a whole and I am sorry if anyone has ever made you feel like that's not valued, because the passion you put into the things you work on is something we need more of and I am so glad to have had the chance to be so close to it for so long. thank you so much for everything, don't go anywhere <3
@The Syndicate friends, family, loved ones.. I never wanted to do this and I hate to do it, but this is going to be my last season as your GM... I love you all so much but I need a break. JNH and I have talked and I hope he is going to take over. I will still be here to coach and help as much as possible. Honestly I love you all so much... Thank you for making my life so easy for the past 3 years. Gods I hate this message so much...
I'm super happy with what Chicago has become and what my team now, but I am done.
I want to thank my team, my advisors and friends.
JNH you are literally the best person... I cannot express that enough.
<3 u core
Hope you find what you’re looking for in this much deserved break
Welp...one of my bucket list goals for Strom was to maybe be part of the Chicago franchise (since he's canonically from STL) under an SDCore helm. Might as well mark that off now.
Truly awesome person. I look forward to seeing what great heights you go to next.