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*Carpy48* · 02-15-2024, 08:48 AM

I can't believe it's been 5 (f-i-v-e) years already!

After joining the league in early 2019, I never anticipated still being here after five whole years. Initially, my plan was to approach this casually and give it a try. For a while, I believed that having just one career would be enough and that I would eventually lose interest so I shouldn't get too invested. That is also what I told everyone who asked me. Besides everyone kept saying it's more difficult for goalies - they even asked me to change positions before my J draft, because there were too many goalies. Unfortunately, I have little interest in other positions so I kept my position. Luckily for me the 'goalie experiment' worked out in the end, but it required a lot of perseverence. So much went wrong early on, I don't really know how I didn't just quit.

So what really kept me active? When I was new everything was overwhelming. I knew nothing and had never even used Discord before. Quickly I learned that most users were from somewhere around North America and most of the interesting rookie discussions took place while I was asleep due to the time difference in Europe. So while everyone else from my draft class was chatting away and getting to know each other before the SMJHL draft, I missed out on making those early connections and really had no idea what was going on and was who. Well that time zone issue still hasn't changed, I just learned to accept it.
The one thing that probably kept me interested early on was graphics. I had learned that you needed money to update your player and I'm not super interested in writing so graphics seemed like a good idea. It has been the one constant that has kept me going since the first few days when I learned you could make sigs for other people. It didn't take long for me to secure a job as a grader in my first season, and by the end of 2019 I was promoted to department head. Once the SHL trading cards were launched, I jumped into it and got heavily involved.

Building connections throughout the league took much longer, mainly because I primarily stuck to my own team's locker room. If your team(s) are relatively inactive and not very successful, there isn't much to discuss either. Additionally, I'm not usually the most vocal person who needs to be at the center of attention. The time difference I mentioned earlier also played a role. I would say it took around two years until I had established meaningful connections. Overall I prefer those 1:1 conversations with people outside busy locker rooms.

When you spent about 4 years watching your player week after week, there is no way you can just retire and drop everything and be gone. So of course I changed my mind and recreated about a year ago. That's where we are now. People I met around the league are definitely more important than what my player is doing (or not doing) and I haven't lost interested in graphics either so who knows how long I'll keep going. It's best to not plan ahead.

This is a good time to thank some people before it's getting too long. I'll going ahead, borrow the idea from Jess and post this in this forum instead of the media forum because I would like to do an AMA later and can't ping everyone all the time.

It's difficult to make a list of who exactly I should thank and I usually prefer to not do this because I will forget someone and then feel bad about it - which will inevitably happen - but I'll give it a try.

Thank you for making me stick around in one way or another. Even though some of you are inactive by now.

The early Lethbridge Lions

crew which was relatively quiet and later turned into the much louder Newfoundland Berserkers

crew:
@Fluw, @TnlAstatine, @ByrdeMan, @JNH, @SDCore, @KlusteR, @Nhamlet, @juke, @Patty, @Sburbine and probably a ton more, because I just can't keep track anymore.

The Toronto North Stars Stars

in various different constellations over the years:
@ml002, @CptSquall, @UrsinZ, @_Blitz_, @Dextaria, @Mika_Kandinsky, @Rich, @charlieconway, @notoriousTRON, @gurbs, @honkerrs, @SFresh3, @juniped, @Moreorless89, @Raven, @Dangles13, @Nobody, @mcgriddleluver, @Grapehead, @BadWolf, of course @Wally and everyone else who has been active around the LR. Most notably the S58 gang. We've been through so much together.

More recently my Winnipeg Aurora

team mates:
@Ace, @RashfordU, @sköldpaddor, @Sburbine, @OrbitingDeath, @By-Tor, @SDCore, @SchwarzNarr, @Muerto, @JamesT and everyone else who hangs out there like @Chevy, @_Blitz_, @JURT, @Fluw, @Jexter and @ThePyroAlpaca. Let's win a cup!

The "Winland" gang (past and current) Finland

:
@JURT, @RashfordU, @Sburbine, @puolivalmiste, @Gordon Bombay, @SouthPaw, @Wearingabear, @Matteo, @Rangerjase, @Salming, @sulovilen, @Snussu, @juke, @Ronniewalker, @WannabeFinn and everyone else who made Winland into Winland.

My graphics colleagues and 'employees' over the years:
@Lazyeye, @Julio Tokolosh, @Otrebor13, @takethehorizon, @Lime, @rum_ham, @Bruins10, @Ruggsy, @Ragnar, @Count Chocula, @Gordon Bombay, @Evil_AllBran, @.simo, @slothfacekilla, @Ricer13, @Keven, @thevoicelesscreator - with you guys everything just works. Very smoothly I might add, no drama or anything necessary.

And a handful of others that I never shared a team with and that didn't fit into any of the categories above: @Tate, @Segi, @enigmatic, @hotdog, @Tesla and of course everyone else I probably forgot here.

Special greetings to whoever is still around from the original S47 class. If you were a first gen back then like me you're been around for the same time and that's crazy!

Thank you!

***Seany148*** · 02-15-2024, 09:01 AM

congrats on the 5 years!

***RashfordU*** · 02-15-2024, 09:04 AM

One of the best! Been a blessing getting to know you Smile

***By-Tor*** · 02-15-2024, 09:45 AM

[Image: Change_My_Mind_Meme.png?ex=65e08a72&is=6...height=597]

Congrats on a successful 5 years!

Credit to enigmatic, Merica, and tweedledunn for sigs

*Bruins10* · 02-15-2024, 09:56 AM

Congrats Carpy! Was an Honor and a Privilege to be an employee in the Graphics community back in the day

***Chevy*** · 02-15-2024, 10:24 AM

Five years!? Congratulations Carpy!!!!!

***Patty*** · 02-15-2024, 10:32 AM

Congrats on five years! I've enjoyed our convos over the years and appreciate all you've done for the site Heart

*Rangerjase* · 02-15-2024, 11:25 AM

Congrats Carpy! I thought this would be a fun casual thing too. Cheers to more future winland

CptSquall · 02-15-2024, 11:25 AM

Congrats on 5 years Carpy, and many more legends to be made.

*sköldpaddor* · 02-15-2024, 11:27 AM

Carpy you are a joy to have around, and one of my biggest regrets is that we didn't start talking sooner! You bring so much effort and positive impact to this site and I'm so glad you stuck with it for this long!

***BadWolf*** · 02-15-2024, 01:47 PM

Happy 5yr <3 looking forward to many more

***WannabeFinn*** · 02-15-2024, 02:40 PM

yer a beaut Harry

***gurbs*** · 02-15-2024, 02:57 PM

Congrats on 5 years wow! Loved our time together in TOR. Here’s to another 5

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