Reaching Top 8 in Ohio from Luxembourg: The Story of Fritos’ Fall Semester
Very recently, the Ohio Smash Power Rankings for Quarter 3 were released. What makes this placement so interesting? Fritos hasn’t played Smash in the United States since July. Their last three tournament appearances since the start of September have been across the pond in Luxembourg and Belgium. I interviewed our fair Fritos to try and ascertain what their new position in the rankings meant to them and understand how studying abroad has affected them.
Studying Abroad
Fritos has been participating in the ETDB department’s Luxembourg Digital Innovation program, which has allowed them to complete their major requirements and get work experience internationally, all the while still competing at a high level against a different type of Smash Player. As Fritos had said during our interview, “I’ve really been given a new point of view through my time here.” But now they are ready to return and get back to competing against Ohio and America’s best.
Competing at Home and Abroad
For Fritos, their relationship with Smash was love at first sight, only being reinforced by the competitive Smash scene after being introduced by a friend in high school. It was finally something that mixed competition with a sense of enjoyment. This drive for competition made it a non-factor when they considered whether or not to compete overseas while studying in Luxembourg. Overall, Fritos had nothing but wonderful things to say about the competition in Luxembourg; however, conceding the point Ohio may be stiffer competition. They still found a similar atmosphere at tournaments and learned a lot about the different play styles present in other regions. The only thing that can come from this is significant growth.
Fritos had this to say about being ranked 8th overall: “It’s always been a goal of mine to become ranked in Ohio, and while I do find it ironic that I finally reach my goal when I’m out of the state, I’m also proud of what I’ve accomplished and am ready to continue pushing myself to reach even higher on the leaderboard.” If this is their first thought after reaching such a significant milestone in their career, I can only imagine the heights Fritos will reach.
To wrap up, I’d like to congratulate Fritos for finally cracking into the Ohio Power Rankings at 8th and wish them luck as they continue their climb.
