Sometimes the best stories aren’t written, they are witnessed. I say that because here recently the Schmoedown world has seen a couple of amazing stories that didn’t happen on paper – they happened in real life. Peggy Gubbins wanted to be a part of the Schmoedown so bad that she joined the fan leagues to start her journey. Then the draft came and her name was called. You see the excitement and joy in her eyes, they weren’t just from hard work because her true journey started when her brother passed away. One of the last things they spoke of was the Schmoedown. In her heart, that moment she chose to take the plunge no matter how much she it feared going in.
That is something magical – not just making it to the Schmoedown, but winning your first match as well. That’s real, and it makes the game real.
Then you have Andrew Dimalanta. The Hunter, the one who came so close, reaching as high as he could even using his tip-toes to try and grasp that Star Wars belt. And every time he fell short by inches. The pure pain in his face showing every time. But an opportunity was laid before him and instead of giving up or running away, he grasped it. Whatever you want to call it – luck, fluke, or right place at the right time – it doesn’t matter because in the end, he got what he wanted to have. That belt in his hands meant something that we may never understand.
Because overall, this is a game, or to some a sport. Whatever you call it really doesn’t matter. It’s something a lot of us enjoy but sometimes it becomes more than just a game. It becomes something special. It becomes hard work, determination, it becomes tears of joy, it becomes remembering a brother, and sharing something you earned with your daughter. Remember that and you can enjoy this for a long time to come.
