Interview by Jose "swo0sh" Guzman

I recently interviewed Christian "Long Beach" von Quednow from redstar, one of the best teams in Latin America. We talked about the team, Counter-Strike: Source, WCG Singapore 2005, and future plans.

Hey, Long Beach. Could you please introduce yourself, and give a little background on your accomplishments throughout your Counter-Strike career?

Hello, my name is Christian "Long Beach" von Quednow. I’m from Guatemala. Last season, our team was moved up to CAL Intermediate. We finished this season with a record of 5-3, and are currently playing in CEVO Amateur. My team redstar, former Revoluti0ns, have won the WCG Guatemala Qualifiers in 2003 and 2004. We've also won the Bnet League, a major LAN tourney in Guatemala, three times.

How is redstar, as a whole, preparing for WCG Singapore 2005?

We are only playing in the CAL 1.6 season and CEVO Amateur. And since WCG this year is CS: S, I don’t really know if we are going to participate.

What is redstar's current lineup?

Luis "trailer0" Gonzales
Luis Pedro "theory" Arroyave
Christian "Long Beach" von Quednow
Julio "aJaX" Vela
Juan "Squee" Vicente
Sebastian "kekekE" Castellanos
Rodrigo "Juice" Castellanos

How long have you guys been playing together? And how has it been so far?

We have been playing together for a year, and it's been great. We have been evolving a lot. But with all this "1.6 vs. Source," we've lost a little motivation because we don’t see that 1.6 has a future in major events. Even when most people prefer 1.6 over Source, it's very hard and difficult to get sponsors and support for it.

What do you think about CPL's decision on using Source instead of 1.6?

I really don’t think that it will be a successful event because we don’t see the top teams very happy with Source. We will see a lot of new teams that will be top CS: S teams, but I think that CS: S is a whole different game. I’m looking forward to ESWC.

Do you believe that Counter-Strike: Source could be ready for CPL Summer 2005?

Well, I’ve heard some comments about all these new updates, and I really don’t think that CPL is ready for a game that most people aren't very happy with. But I’m not sure because I don’t play CS: S. I would like to wish all CS: S players good luck, and I hope CS:S community grows, but I also want 1.6 to grow. =)

Isn't it hard to play from Latin America? We know that the Internet connections aren't good there.

Oh, this is every Latin American's headache. Here in Central America, we only get good pings in Texas and Atlanta servers, 60-70 ping, not less than that. Servers from Chicago, NY, etc., give us like 110-120 ping and 30 choke. Playing against guys that have 20-30 ping is very difficult, and gives us a big disadvantage.

How much time does redstar practice per day, approximately?

We practice like 3 to 4 hours a day, but not every day, like 3 or 4 days a week, because we don’t have support and sponsorship. It’s difficult to be more dedicated to the game.

What do you think about the LG e-Games and the Latin Cup being canceled this year?

We were supposed to get the Latin Cup this year in Guatemala. We were looking forward to it, but it was another disappointment to us because we don’t get a lot of international qualifiers here.

How long do you think you will continue playing Counter-Strike?

Until 1.6 dies. =) We are still waiting for "Pro-Mode" for Source, but I don't see that coming.

Which Latin teams besides redstar, do you think, are the best right now?

I don't really know a lot of teams in Latin America. But besides Brazil, bTx from Panama is very good, PuntocL from Chile, and Venezuelans that are growing in the Counter-Strike scene.

What do you think of the gaming scene in Guatemala?

It's getting very poor. Online we only have like 6 teams. On LAN, there are a lot more, but because of the Internet problems we don’t get to see them playing CAL or CEVO.

A few quick-fire questions:

CPL or ESWC?
ESWC

CEVO or CAL?
I've only played 2 seasons of CAL, and we are just starting CEVO. The system CEVO is using is pretty good. I think CAL is more prestigious, but CEVO is just getting started. So, I can’t decide right now.

1.6 or Source?
1.6 of course.

Okay, thanks for your time Long Beach, and good luck to both you and redstar in future - any shoutouts?

I would like to thank everyone that has supported us. We don't have any sponsors at the moment. Thanks to GotFrag for this interview.