8. This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S41 class and later. In 300 words or more, how has your experience been in the league? Who have you met that has made your time here more fun, friendly, and exciting? Have you been satisfied with your player’s early start? What was it like being drafted for the first time? Do you have any comments or suggestions for the entire league that you think should be implemented? (338 Words)
Before creating back in February, I'd never heard of a simulation league before. Football is one of my great passions, but it stands at odds with the rest of the things that gel with my personality. I'm mostly a gamer, both table-top and video, and my athletic prowess is limited to the ski slopes or disc golf courses. I've always played Madden wishing it was a multiplayer game, that we could field 11v11 teams where each player controlled and individual in the game. Finding the ISFL has filled that weird niche of getting to play the individual player as part of a team, and even though Dot Football lacks the visual intensity of a game like Madden, it has fully satisfied that need to feel like a part of something bigger.
My first experience with the draft in the DSFL was intimidating at first, getting these "Very Official" sounding messages from teams as the scouting ramped up. But it didn't take long to realize these guys were just like me for the most part, playing a role in a way not too dissimilar from Dungeons and Dragons, only it's Fields and Footballs or something like that. Through that experience, and my first LR with Dallas, I quickly found a rhythm and a comfort in the league that extended into the ISFL draft and into my team LR at Cape Town.
Staying down in the DSFL for a second season was a challenge to be sure. I was ready to prove that I could tough it out in the big league, and it was especially hard watching my new team find success and eventually an Ultimus win with me just looking on. But it also inspired me to keep grinding TPE, optimizing my build, and preparing for the call-up so that we can run it back for a second Ultimus.
Overall, this league is just one big friendly community that is impressively maintained and engaging to be a part of. I look forward to many more seasons to come.
26. if your player wasn't a professional in the ISFL/DSFL, what would they be doing instead? (245 Words)
Justin Willis was always a voracious athlete. In high school, he was always on at least 3 sports teams throughout the year, with Football becoming his passion by his sophomore year. Whenever he's asked what he would be doing if he wasn't a professional football player, his answer is usually the easy one. "I'd be playing golf," he'd respond sometimes, or "Basketball was my second love, so I'd lose some weight and try to get into that," depending on his mood. But those were the easy answers, the ones that everyone expected from the athletic and gifted professional. Every time the question is asked, he gives a different answer in his head, whispered only to himself. Not out of shame, but out of a desire to keep some passions for himself.
Since he was young, Willis has been an avid player of trading card games. Though the community wasn't really there in his high school for it to become a part of his social life, he spent any Friday night that wasn't taken up by sports at the local game shop, playing Magic or Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon. It's always been his dream to open his own FLGS (friendly local game store) to foster the kind of community that he wishes he'd had in his social circles growing up. And now that he's settle in Cape Town for the forseeable future, it's quite likely that he'll now take the time to make that dream a reality.
19. Your team has announced that they will be laying ground on a new stadium next season. What additions would you like to see included in it. (165 Words)
With an Ultimus win finally under their belts, Cape Town would chose this time to really embrace their champion status in their stadium refresh. The HVAC system would receive an overhaul to support air-vented seats throughout the stadium to ensure maximum fan comfort. A revamp of their culinary offerings would include a rotating international menu featuring dishes from the home nations of each of their players, thus embracing the "International" in ISFL. A new retractable dome would be installed, to protect players from the oppressive South African sun during daytime games and to offer stunning starlight views during night games. Of course, a state of the art jumbotron upgrade would be on the books, something similar to the ovular screen at SoFi stadium to ensure every fan can see the crucial information on the screen. Finally, a complete refresh of the stadium's sound system to support their new initiative of featuring local and upcoming artists during every home game's halftime would round out the upgrades.
Before creating back in February, I'd never heard of a simulation league before. Football is one of my great passions, but it stands at odds with the rest of the things that gel with my personality. I'm mostly a gamer, both table-top and video, and my athletic prowess is limited to the ski slopes or disc golf courses. I've always played Madden wishing it was a multiplayer game, that we could field 11v11 teams where each player controlled and individual in the game. Finding the ISFL has filled that weird niche of getting to play the individual player as part of a team, and even though Dot Football lacks the visual intensity of a game like Madden, it has fully satisfied that need to feel like a part of something bigger.
My first experience with the draft in the DSFL was intimidating at first, getting these "Very Official" sounding messages from teams as the scouting ramped up. But it didn't take long to realize these guys were just like me for the most part, playing a role in a way not too dissimilar from Dungeons and Dragons, only it's Fields and Footballs or something like that. Through that experience, and my first LR with Dallas, I quickly found a rhythm and a comfort in the league that extended into the ISFL draft and into my team LR at Cape Town.
Staying down in the DSFL for a second season was a challenge to be sure. I was ready to prove that I could tough it out in the big league, and it was especially hard watching my new team find success and eventually an Ultimus win with me just looking on. But it also inspired me to keep grinding TPE, optimizing my build, and preparing for the call-up so that we can run it back for a second Ultimus.
Overall, this league is just one big friendly community that is impressively maintained and engaging to be a part of. I look forward to many more seasons to come.
26. if your player wasn't a professional in the ISFL/DSFL, what would they be doing instead? (245 Words)
Justin Willis was always a voracious athlete. In high school, he was always on at least 3 sports teams throughout the year, with Football becoming his passion by his sophomore year. Whenever he's asked what he would be doing if he wasn't a professional football player, his answer is usually the easy one. "I'd be playing golf," he'd respond sometimes, or "Basketball was my second love, so I'd lose some weight and try to get into that," depending on his mood. But those were the easy answers, the ones that everyone expected from the athletic and gifted professional. Every time the question is asked, he gives a different answer in his head, whispered only to himself. Not out of shame, but out of a desire to keep some passions for himself.
Since he was young, Willis has been an avid player of trading card games. Though the community wasn't really there in his high school for it to become a part of his social life, he spent any Friday night that wasn't taken up by sports at the local game shop, playing Magic or Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon. It's always been his dream to open his own FLGS (friendly local game store) to foster the kind of community that he wishes he'd had in his social circles growing up. And now that he's settle in Cape Town for the forseeable future, it's quite likely that he'll now take the time to make that dream a reality.
19. Your team has announced that they will be laying ground on a new stadium next season. What additions would you like to see included in it. (165 Words)
With an Ultimus win finally under their belts, Cape Town would chose this time to really embrace their champion status in their stadium refresh. The HVAC system would receive an overhaul to support air-vented seats throughout the stadium to ensure maximum fan comfort. A revamp of their culinary offerings would include a rotating international menu featuring dishes from the home nations of each of their players, thus embracing the "International" in ISFL. A new retractable dome would be installed, to protect players from the oppressive South African sun during daytime games and to offer stunning starlight views during night games. Of course, a state of the art jumbotron upgrade would be on the books, something similar to the ovular screen at SoFi stadium to ensure every fan can see the crucial information on the screen. Finally, a complete refresh of the stadium's sound system to support their new initiative of featuring local and upcoming artists during every home game's halftime would round out the upgrades.