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Counter-Strike: zonic interviewed

By: Mark Cheben - Published August 26, 2005 at 5:32 PM EDT - Writer Archive
Danny “zonic” Sørensen, former member of SK.dk just rejoined Clan.IT and Mark “jESUIT” Cheben had an opportunity to talk with Sørensen about leaving SK, and his future. Enjoy!


You joined SK.dk as a stand-in for CPL Spain from Clan.IT, if I remember correctly. Why did you join? Did it work out in your opinion? And now that SK.dk is done, where will you go?

Well, I knew from the very first beginning that the SK guys had some problems finding their level. But when you have played for three years and get an offer like that, you cannot say no. :) About the future...hmm. Well, I am coming home. :)

So we will see zonic rejoin ClanIT?

Maybe!!! :D (at the end of the interview zonic tagged up and officially rejoined Clan.IT)

Do you think the team could have done something different to not end this way?

Well, honestly no.. The Titans guys (spx, egene, whimp and drally) lost the motivation, and I really tried to work this out, but after fighting since ESWC, I gave up last week.

What was the main reason for the lack of motivation?

Girls, tired of spending so much time on a computer game was probably the main reason. Spx is golfing a lot and whimp has a girl plus his education. I think Drally and egene were motivated, but they were fine with idling, and I was not.

How did the return of SK.swe affect your team and its morale?

I cannot say it felt great becoming the "second team" but well, that is our own fault. About the morale, it actually helped us during ESWC. We felt the pressure was on them, and people lost expectations to us.

Did the organization let you know that they will bring onboard a second CS team, and that you will become the #2?

No, they said nothing would change, and it did not, but I think that we were the second team, and I hope they saw us like that, because we did not deserve to be the main team to represent SK-gaming. The SK organization was cool all the time. I have nothing to complain about.

So you did not lose any support after the Swedish team joined?

I do not know. From the first day I joined, we got a lot of criticism, so I pretty much got used to it from the beginning. :)

But the organization kept their word and did not cut your funds or traveling back?

No, not at all, as I said before.. they were great all the way. :)

With your results leading up to ESWC, many people did not expect you to place second. How did that good placing affect your team?

I thought that was the key to get the team morale up, but it actually went the wrong way. People wanted a break, and we took two weeks, and that basically put us where we started.

Word on the street was that SK.dk's contract expired at the end of the month. Did this have anything to do with the timing of the announcement, and was the Danish team going to be re-signed if you were to remain as a team?

My contract was going to end next year, but I actually wanted to get out of the team, and that started some meetings with the leaders and we agreed on terminating the contract.

Compare and contrast the current European scene to its predecessor of around two years ago. Is the European scene still dominant in international competitions, or do you feel the relatively large number of roster changes have lead to a disposable scene nowadays?

Well, in 2003 there was SK, a team no one could beat. I think the game has changed again. For like a year ago, the recipe was "stay together for a long time and you will get better with time," but I think it is different today. People who are winning this game today are having fun, and just playing a lot of mixes, et cetera. They enjoy gaming...that is why I think the "old pro-gamers" are getting their ass kicked by the newcomers. :P

What changes do you think could be made to help CS progress further?

It is hard to say; more organizations I guess. There are a lot of teams who do not have the opportunity to travel the world and prove their skills. Actually, I do not know. :)

So far in your eSports career, what has been your most enjoyable experience and why?

Hmm, that must be ESWC, of course. Unfortunately, we did not go all the way because of a strong playing coL. But playing on the scene (making a TK) must be the biggest thing I have achieved so far. And I am not done, yet. ;)

What are you looking forward to this year [event and league-wise]?

First of all, I think I am going to make it clear that my new clan is number one in Denmark, and after that we are going to work outside Denmark. :)

Any parting words?

I want to thank all our fans for supporting during this difficult time. I want to thank whimp, calc, egene, drally, spx for some great trips. I really love you guys!! And I want to thank SK for being a great organization. They really showed us how pro gaming really is. :D And last but not least, our team manager Iantje for a great job as coach.

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