Glyn was the 2024 winner of the NNW league, and we love it when one of our members asks to contribute to our blog.
If you want to contribute at any point during the year, just ask Jen! (In person at an event, or via any of our social channels!)
Let’s say one last cheers to 2024, with Glyn’s Journey to winning the league!
“Last year’s league I was one round away from winning the 1st place trophy. That league was Mario Kart themed which was one of my most played games, and I knew I had a good shot at winning that league. What actually happened in that last round was that I got “Mario Karted“, a phrase commonly used in the game when you’re hit by multiple things at once! I was devastated at first, knowing that I was so close to winning the league, but I was happy I still got on the podium for the 2nd place trophy. I jokingly said at the end of that year “next year I shall get 1st” and I named it my “League Redemption Arc.”
Fast forward to the start of this year (2024), the theme was The Olympics due to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games being held this year. There would be two rounds: One round being from Mario and Sonic at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and the second round being a mystery game linked to whatever sport we did in the Olympics that day. I started the league with a good pace, 2nd place with a single point from 1st place (Rain) and two points ahead of 3rd and 4th place (Cat and Rhodri). We’ve played games such as Mario Kart 7, Mush Dash Amigos and Switch Sports which was a nice variety of games.
During the fourth round of league I began to slip up, a round of boxing against Rain in the top position, saw me lose in hilarious fashion as I got knocked out due to the fact that I didn’t know I was able to get up in time. My second league round was against John, in Arms, which was a game he had more experience than me in as I’d never played the game before. We played a best of three in that game with me getting a first round win but John won the next two. This meant that in May, I didn’t win a single round of league and was pushed into 3rd place which was 5 points away from Rain in first position. After another league month in July where everybody in the top three all matched a score of eight points, the top of the league remained the same with me being in 3rd, behind Cat in 2nd and Rain in the lead. That month also saw us play Switch Sports for a second time, playing basketball.
The August event landed on my birthday and it sure did deliver me a good session in the league. We played the Olympics Games’ retro shooting event and after that played Wario’s Woods which was a match 3 game. I won that league session with 10 points and it got me much closer to top position beside Rain on the league table by just a point and that got me up to 2nd place. From there onwards it was a race between two people. September’s event gave me more fortune as we played Horse riding in the Olympics and Ultimate Chicken Horse in the second round. That game just happened to be a game I was playing all Summer as it’s very addictive and fun to play. I scored 8 points and Rain got 4 points, taking me into 1st place with a three point lead.
The October event was the start of the final stretch and it meant every point mattered more than ever. We played wall climbing in the Olympics and Ice Climbers for the second round. Rain and I scored low in those rounds with me scoring 5 points out of 10, and Rain scoring 6. It was clear that the pressure was on us both. However I was still in the lead by 2 points and going into the final month I had the advantage. The final month was a round where if your score was higher than your worst score then it cancels it out. My lowest at that time was 5 and Rain was 4 so that meant we either had to score the same points or I get more than her to win the league. The first round was the Dream Race in the Olympic Games and we both got 3 points out of 5 in that round. It was all up to the final round which was.. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! This felt really symbolic as it seemed like my journey will end where it all started but this time I was adamant that I’ll secure the win. To add more suspense to the final round both me and Rain played our games last and simultaneously. We were in different groups too so we wouldn’t know what the other was doing. Going into the last race we were given the news that we were both in 1st in our Mario Kart groups which would have meant we were drawing this round. Suddenly in Rain’s group she fell down into 2nd place as Drn won in their group which meant all I needed to do was stay in 1st position in my group which I managed to do and just like that league was over and I won!
In the December event I was awarded the 1st place trophy and then took a picture of me holding the trophy with the other trophy winners; Em who got 3rd after a great comeback at the last few months of the league, and Cat who nearly got into the top 3 but was holding Rain’s 2nd place trophy as she was unable to attend the event.
At the end of the event I told the group in a joking way “Next year I’ll win it again!” because it can’t be a reality again right?!
I’d like to thank Jen, Dylan and NNW for giving me the chance to compete in a fun gaming league yet alone win, it’s some of the most fun I have had in the last few years.”