“The Major” Thomas Harper is a former Star Wars champion and the winner of the 2021 Mid-Season Star Wars tournament. Drafted by Kate Mulligan in the 2021 Schmoedown draft, he was a member of The Den during Season 8: War. Here are his reflections on the Schmoedown, in his own words.
Looking back on the Schmoedown, what is the most memorable moment that you were personally involved in?
It’s a tie between winning the Star Wars belt for the first time and coming out live at Spectacular in full camo with face paint. The belt moment will obviously live with me forever because of the weight and emotion of the moment, but my costume at Spectacular was a closely guarded secret that was amazing to finally reveal. Only a small handful of people knew the full details of what I was planning, so it was about as classified as Schmoedown stuff gets. I actually spent the last 2-3 weeks behind the scenes practicing in my gear (and once or twice in face paint) to make sure I was adjusted to playing in that setup and that it was comfortable to work in. I even bumped the temperature up during my prep sessions to simulate what it might be like on stage under the big lights.
What is the most memorable moment that you were not involved in?
Watching Gold Leader miss questions and lose always warms my heart. He doesn’t do either thing often, but it’s glorious when it happens. Also, the raw emotion of seeing Smets’ return from the balcony at Spectacular was something I’ll never forget.
Which of your matches would you say is the best you played?
Hands down, the Spectacular title defense. Nicki gave me effectively 0 breathing room, and the questions (particularly round 2), were some of the absolute toughest I’d faced all season. Add in the pressure of playing live in front of the audience for the first time ever and I’m still amazed that I managed to play a perfect game, much less avoid passing out mid-match and falling off stage. The match as a whole was the pinnacle of where the Division had come since challengers to Damon started to rise.
Which match that didn’t involve you would you say is the best you ever saw?
The Parker v. Kalinowski IG title match at Spectacular was the Schmoedown at its best: You had a tilt in score back and forth, two titans of trivia, and a really thrilling OT (decided by a Star Wars question no less)–what more could you ask for??
How would you describe the Schmoedown’s impact on you?
As fun as the trivia and winning was, the real impact was in the new circle of friends I met through the league. I was lucky enough to make some lifelong connections through a silly trivia game and gain a group of friends that share my passions.
What will you miss most about the Schmoedown?
I’ll miss the tightness of The Den from the 2021 season. From the hours after the draft to our celebrations post-Spectacular, we had an incredibly tight-knit group that grew insanely close. We had plenty of highs and lows along the way, but the bond between all of us was incredible and I count myself really fortunate to have been a part of that specialness.
Thomas Harper can be found on Twitter @thomasLharper.
