12-29-2021, 06:46 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-29-2021, 06:47 PM by woelkers. Edited 1 time in total.)
For this Ultimus Week, I am choosing to let my mind wander all the way back to the beginning of my time in the league, before I was a rookie mentor or a general manager, to the S18 draft class. I came in just a season prior, with the S17 draft class, which was just forty-some members total, and in fact the only real boom in draft class size the league had really seen to that point was the S15 draft class. S18 changed all of that, and really changed the way I approached the league for the better as well. This was a class well north of a hundred members strong, although my memory does not serve well enough to grant an exact number, and for the first time since I had entered the league our Rookie Discord was always active, so much so that a dear friend of mine and a member of that very class, @”BaconBrother”, was at one point posting daily “after dark” media about the happenings of that chat during the day prior. I miss that Finnish bastard, and although leaving the league was ultimately the best decision for him and one I fully respect, I some days wish he were still here with us; he truly made this a better place. The S18 class also brought a number of other members who I consider true friends to this day; @Dewalt27, @Hallmonitor_20, @IsaStarcrossed, and @"Laser", to name just a handful. These are the users who inspired to carve a role for myself as a nurturing force for this massive flock, which eventually led me to take on the roles of General Manager for the San Antonio Marshals (now the Minnesota Grey Ducks) and Rookie Mentor Head. It is this class that really shaped me into the league member I am today, and I am grateful to each and every one of them for that.
However, one user in particular from this class comes to mind as perhaps the most impactful in both my personal history and the history of the league: recently-retired commissioner @bex. Bex has been a dear friend of mine since before I knew anything of this league and will remain a dear friend of mine well after this league lies in ruin. She served as my college dungeon master, introducing me to Dungeons and Dragons, a game I would never have found passion for had she not entered my life. And then, once she had heard me ramble endlessly about this silly league I am a part of, she decided she wished to enter this weird football realm, and Marcella Toriki was born. Bex was inspired from the beginning to be a positive driving force in this league, a beacon of hope in a troubled landscape, and rapidly rose to claim a position in Head Office and, eventually, to take on the challenge of being the league’s commissioner. A brief reflection on Bex’s tenure shows a league filled with scandal, sometimes scandal that Bex herself was caught in; this was a tumultuous time in our league’s history, and tension seemed ever-present, but through everything, Bex seemed to carry herself with a certain grace. Now, of course, I am not so foolish to believe Bex’s reign unblemished; she carried her fair share of baggage, and we did not always see eye to eye on the issues our league faced, but my reflection here recognizes those flaws while also recognizing that my love for my friend has not diminished even in the slightest in that time. Although she may have been imperfect as commissioner, I reflect on the Bex era of this league with great fondness; these were our glory days, and she should take immense pride in that.
However, one user in particular from this class comes to mind as perhaps the most impactful in both my personal history and the history of the league: recently-retired commissioner @bex. Bex has been a dear friend of mine since before I knew anything of this league and will remain a dear friend of mine well after this league lies in ruin. She served as my college dungeon master, introducing me to Dungeons and Dragons, a game I would never have found passion for had she not entered my life. And then, once she had heard me ramble endlessly about this silly league I am a part of, she decided she wished to enter this weird football realm, and Marcella Toriki was born. Bex was inspired from the beginning to be a positive driving force in this league, a beacon of hope in a troubled landscape, and rapidly rose to claim a position in Head Office and, eventually, to take on the challenge of being the league’s commissioner. A brief reflection on Bex’s tenure shows a league filled with scandal, sometimes scandal that Bex herself was caught in; this was a tumultuous time in our league’s history, and tension seemed ever-present, but through everything, Bex seemed to carry herself with a certain grace. Now, of course, I am not so foolish to believe Bex’s reign unblemished; she carried her fair share of baggage, and we did not always see eye to eye on the issues our league faced, but my reflection here recognizes those flaws while also recognizing that my love for my friend has not diminished even in the slightest in that time. Although she may have been imperfect as commissioner, I reflect on the Bex era of this league with great fondness; these were our glory days, and she should take immense pride in that.