2023 was the stuff dreams are made of. I had set a goal at the start of the year to be part of the broadcast team for a CS:GO Major. Early in the year it was announced that only one Major would take place in 2023 and I was devastated. My first time setting a goal and now it seemed out of my grasp, considering I wasn’t as established in global Counter-Strike events. That changed when BLAST contacted me to desk host the last ever CS:GO Major in Paris. What an incredible opportunity! The year ended with even more CS related events that I have been so grateful to be a part of. I closed out the year stage hosting and interviewing for ESL Challenger at Dreamhack Winter, desk hosting the ESL Impact Season Finals and the final ESL Challenger for 2023. Here’s a quick recap of those events.
ESL Challenger at Dreamhack Winter
Stage hosting and interviewing is one of my favourite roles. You have the opportunity to get to know the players and try mould their stories for the fans watching at home. ESL Challenger Jonkoping, which took place at Dreamhack Winter, was no exception. It was tons of fun being on site for Dreamhack – such an iconic event. Over and above that you have the opportunity to chat and meet the players as well as CS fans who come to watch. It is an incredibly fun event and one I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of! I’ve dropped some of the content I made to give you a taste of what went down during the event.
@techgirlza Welcome to the troll cave! Behind the scenes at ESL Challenger at Dreamhack Winter in Jönköping Sweden. #ESLChallenger #dreamhack #CS2 #esportslife #techgirlza #bts #GamingOnTikTok ♬ original sound – Sam “Tech Girl” Wright
ESL Impact
The ESL Impact Season 4 Finals took place towards the end of the year. Frankie Ward had been the primary desk host for the women’s Counter-Strike league but was not able to make the finals weekend so I was asked to stand in as desk host. It was a great chance to showcase a project that aims to create a safe space for women to compete and grow. I’ve included some content below of that time. There were some difficult moments with this particular broadcast which I’d prefer not to really delve into. I’m hella proud of the crew and myself (I’m going to be honest here, might as well), for forging ahead and getting out a good show regardless.
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@techgirlza Work fit. #gamingontiktok #esportslife #techgirlza #ootd #ggforall #ratemyoutfit ♬ GODS – League of Legends & NewJeans
ESL Challenger Atlanta 2023
My work year closed off with desk hosting ESL Challenger Atlanta 2023. It has been such an incredible privilege to be part of the Challenger family this year. Here’s some fun moments.
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And that was a wrap on 2023. I worked hard to perfect my craft and improve where I could. I really love being part of the Counter-Strike ecosystem and I can only hope that 2024 allows me the chance to do more in this space and keep being able to tell the incredible stories of the teams and players we all love… while still adding a little bit of my sass!
