EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/DoctorHelvetica/blogz/deathofdreams.jpg)
Victory belongs to the most persevering.
A progamers dream is to win a starleague championship. To kiss that trophy in front of his fans on that huge stage. To be the pride and glory of e-sports. Every season, two men walk forth onto that stage and one will achieve his dream. The other's dream will die. Song Byung Goo was once a man who came inches away from achieving his dream so many times, only to have them crushed into dirt before his very eyes. On that day of the Incruit OSL, victory meant much more than it ever had.
Remember that lady who took a driving test hundreds of times before finally passing? Do you think that achievment meant more to her or the 16 year old kids in the suburbs, passing it on his first try? Tears in his eyes and a huge grin on his face, Stork had finally achieved what many thought he would never do. He won the OSL, no longer would he be the man with dead dreams.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/DoctorHelvetica/Stork_wins_InCruit_OSL1.jpg)
Dream status: Achieved
On that night, the torch was passed from Song Byung Goo to a young man named Jung Myung Hoon, a potential royal roader from SK Telecom. That night, the dreams of a youth were crushed so one man who had been crushed so many times before could live his dream.
Jung Myung Hoon got another chance in the Batoo OSL. He faced off against the likes of Lee Jae Dong, the fearsome tyrant. He was so close. He was 2-0 against Jaedong, victory so close within his grasp. Then his dreams fell apart in front of his face.
He was crushed in the next 3 games by Jaedong, his confidence utterly demolished. Before him, the protoss Stork had met many similar fates, and in the far past it was YellOw who was the king of Silvers. Now it was the terran from SK Telecom.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/DoctorHelvetica/200606040935135830.jpg)
So close and yet so far...
It's not easy to lose, especially in such a high pressure situation. It's one thing to lose an ace match (although that can be quite disheartening) or a proleague game, the Starleague finals is the plateau of achievement. It's the reason one becomes a progamer.
![[image loading]](http://boxerforever.com/images/img_memorable1.jpg)
Man does it hurt
The OSL victor transforms into something other than a player. He becomes an icon, a hero, a champion forever remembered in the history books. Imagine, for a minute, what you most desire. Imagine having it right before you, ready for the taking, only to be swiped away.
In fact, I can't blame players for slumping after a finals loss, or feeling terrible. I can't think of anything more devastating in that career. However, a select few have turned that feeling into something great. They've hidden that sadness, the despair, and they've crafted it into a burning fire, a desire to win.
Fantasy is a player who has turned the death of his dream into a resolve to make that dream a reality. If he will win the OSL one day, who knows. But he will continue to go as far as he can. When it's all over, he will always be remembered as a player who tried his best and went as far as he can. And that's the best you can do...
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/NeverGG/everosl/34.jpg)
