EPT![[image loading]](http://babytossfighting.kilitar.cz/aspirebanners/aspirepromo.jpg)
Exactly four months ago vVv Gaming began an amazing journey with the announcement of Aspire: the Starcraft 2 Learning Consortium. Not satisfied with the existing structure of the community, we decided to design a place where SC2 players of all skill levels could come together to learn and grow as a team. All we asked in return was passion for the game, the dedication to participate fully in all the practices and events, and participation in the community that made it possible. We felt that having the right people who would be active and engaged in the program was far more important than finding highly skilled players, and I attribute the successes we've had in Aspire to the great team we put together. Looking back on the past four months, we've seen how much our players have learned and developed, and decided it was time to share our successes with the community at large.
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What success? Well, admittedly we haven't won any GSL tournaments or team leagues, but every single player in Aspire has improved in a significant way. vVv SonTran, who was our lowest ranking member when we started, was able to level himself up from Gold to Diamond League in a very short period of time. Several other members leveled themselves from Diamond to Master, and those who started out as Master players have been climbing the steep ladder higher into the ranks of elite players.
vVv SonTran celebrating after reaching Diamond League (starts at 1:15)
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Improvement isn't just about climbing the ladder, though. In fact, a lot of the focus in Aspire is on scheduled team practices and practicing with teammates. One of our players, vVv PoSeR was having a hard time with scouting and map control in PvT. Another member, vVv TuFF helped him overcome this by dropping him over and over again until he learned to keep several units in the proper position to stop the drops. vVv Wakai was able to improve his multitasking when doing aggressive builds. During a recent practice, he was able to focus on executing hellion drop micro while not forgetting to continue macroing back home.
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In addition to in-game skills, Aspire has even helped several players overcome psychological issues that had been holding them back. For example, vVv Fearful used to have ladder anxiety. After practicing with his Aspire teammates, he was able to improve and gain the confidence needed to ladder without worrying about the outcome of each match. Just recently he was promoted to Master League. vVv BabyToss, Team Captain of Aspire, was always shy around people, but being the leader of the Aspire team has forced her out of her shell and allowed her to grow more comfortable working with and relying on others.
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Our Aspire players have also enjoyed some epic competitive moments. In one UR Team League match, vVv TuFF was able to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win the match for the Aspire team. "I came back and won 3 games. After the match I hopped back onto our mumble channel and the whole team congratulated me. It was very heartwarming and I will remember that for the rest of my life." vVv NazGuL remembers when he played against RockErLighT in a team league: "When I joined vVv, RockEr was someone I looked up to... when I played him I had trained with him a long time ago, so I used a four-gate build that used to work against him. It worked and I was able to stop the all kill. Afterward, everyone on mumble was cheering for me." (If you're curious about what happened next, KawaiiLighT was then able to defeat NazGul in the next game).
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Aspire isn't all about serious competition and practice. We wanted to make sure the team would have chemistry with each other in order to foster the best cooperative environment. vVv BabyToss recalls when she was immortalized in team-lingo: "Well, when they said I have 'BabyToss moments'... when they noticed my infamous anxiety moments and that I basically freeze in the middle of a game. That term kind of became a standard for these moments in Aspire
". Another example is when vVv SonTran recalls when "we started to sing along during practice to songs such as Temp0's 'Drone So Hard' and the song 'Look At My Horse' and we just started cracking up when we were taking turns singing it."![[image loading]](http://babytossfighting.kilitar.cz/aspirebanners/future.png)
What's next for Aspire? We expect the team to keep practicing, improving, and growing together for quite some time. While there are no player positions left open on the team, there is still an opportunity to participate in this exciting new idea. We are currently still looking for a Protoss and Zerg coach for the program. We also need to find a dedicated community member interested in getting some team management experience as an Assistant Manager. You can find a description of these positions here. If anything catches your eye and you'd like to apply, you can do so here.We are also looking to get a second Aspire team put together. If you are interested in being a part of the second Aspire team, you can apply here.
Although Aspire positions fill up fast, we give priority to our community members when spots are available.
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In closing, I want to thank Team Liquid for the awesome space they've created for the SC2 community, and I want to thank the SC2 community for making this game such a huge success in eSports. Let's continue working to make this the best, most competitive, most inclusive eSport possible! There's so much we can do to keep this thing going, and I hope that Aspire will become one of the pillars that supports SC2 as an eSport well into the future. Thanks to everyone who has read this far, and I look forward to reporting much more success in the future
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If you have any questions for the team, please ask them in this thread. I've asked all Aspire members to monitor it for the next several days and to engage everyone who has a question or interest.
vVv was definitely a friendly community and environment. Maybe Aspire vs OpTiK Academy soon? ;D
