EPTTranslator Note: This interview is focused on iloveoov, the head coach of SKT1. It was done around the second to last week of SPL round 3 in 2014. The interview mainly documents some of the struggles that oov faces and briefly mentions his predecessor Boxer.
After Boxer retires, iloveoov talks about his coaching experience
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Q: How does it feel to have finally won on the third round?
A: I feel nervous during every competition. Since I'm always worried, I become tired (laughs). I'm often scared about every game, it's so painful. Before Boxer retired as head coach, I noticed that his head had a lot of white hairs. I asked him "why do you have white hair", and he responded, "you'll understand one day". At the time, I didn't understand why. Even though I don't have any white hair now, I'm already understanding how Boxer felt. (laughs) Even though we might have gotten first during the regular season, I still can't relax or celebrate because there's still more tournaments left to go.
Q: You couldn't make it to the round 2 playoffs?
A: I wasn't nervous during round 1. I was filled with confidence, but after we lost the finals, round 2 was played poorly, so there was no way we were going to make the round 2 playoffs. I can only blame myself. Despite having such a good lineup, we still did poorly. I guess I'm not meant to be a head coach. If the players and coaches are that skilled, the head coach should be confident. However, I feel so helpless. I constantly compare myself to other coaches, whom I think are better. It's not just me though. The other coaches have that mindset also.
Q: During round 3, you managed to get an overwhelming first place.
A: Last year on September 17, I just retired and then became a SKT coach. I've already been a head coach for 6 months, giving myself high standards. (laughs) Whether you're a player or a coach, you will always have time to gain experience. Even though I was already head coach, I thought I would still have some time to gain experience (laughs). However, since my expectations were too high, getting second place in round 1 wasn't enough. No one said we did really well, only my wife congratulated me (laughs). As for round 2, we didn't enter the playoffs, so people lowered their hopes, reducing the pressure on me. Having a realistic view of the team's capabilities helps me as a coach. Even if we have to switch coaches due to poor performance, I still want to lead the team the way I see fit. I can't sleep well with all the worrying, but I still have enough time to focus and lead the team in the right direction. Now, I feel like the team is stable enough to improve itself to some extent. It's amazing. There's a bond between me and the team.
Q: Players in these individual rounds are often repeat winners
A: The individual rounds don't have any practice time, but somehow people still win those rounds (laughs). Even though I give the players practice time for individual rounds, they only practice for SPL. You might think I'm making this up, but this is for real (laughs). For example, Dark doesn't practice, but when he wins during the individual rounds.
Of course, the individual rounds have multiple battles, so the pressure isn't too much. There's a lot of pressure for SPL. On round 3, we make sure to reduce the pressure for our team. The working staff don't even enter the room, just to lower the pressure on the players. I tell the players to just play as they see fit.
Q: Now you're waiting until round 3 to get first place.
A: If we lost during the finals, we would only get second place. However, since we did well during round 3, this shouldn't be a problem. If we somehow don't do well on the spot, it will be hard to lead the team. But anyways, the players in round 3 will always find a way to play well. So even if we don't get first place, it won't hurt morale that much. I'm confident that we can do well in round 4. And with the finals BO7, we definitely have an advantage. With all of these events going on, even if we don't get first place, I'll still be happy. As long as the players are playing their best, I don't care about everything else.
Q: Any last words?
A: Before going to the military, there was only SC1. After retiring, there's already SC2. I don't like pointless things, but I really feel like this game isn't without meaning. Our hearts are open to SC2 fans or any fans of other games, so I hope everyone will support us. I hope that the games aren't just a performance for our fans, but part of a culture where people can enjoy esports. In this way, the players will have more motivation and can play better. From now on, I hope people will give us more love.
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