Family Ties, and Dedication
Topic: CS:GO NoVa interview, life, and more!
Becoming an Esports competitor is not seen as the most acceptable career path in the eyes of most. Similarly to being a professional athlete, it seems like an unattainable dream, and only those who are incredibly dedicated, and very lucky can make that dream a reality.
Seeing as how unrealistic this passion is, it’s not surprising that people won’t support these aspiring professionals, but what happens when one's family gives them all the love and support they can? One such player who receives that support is NoVa.
Introduction
Recently I got the chance to speak with NoVa and he had a lot of insight to give regarding himself, his career, and his current situation regarding CS:GO. Noah "NoVa" Vaknin is a talented AWPer playing in the ESEA Advanced Division. That being said there’s a lot more to Noah than just being a good Counter Strike player.
The Free Agent
Before the start of this season Noah found himself teamless, despite playing well, and keeping a strong positive attitude.
“I struggled to find a team for a little while into the season. I was considering Main for a little bit, but got a message from a friend telling me I shouldn’t consider below Advanced.”
Shortly into the start of the season, Vaknin found himself standing in for the ESEA Advanced powerhouse “Team Omega”. Despite subbing in for a roster he’s never played with, he exceeded expectations and had a terrific debut match with the squad.
A New Home
After just a one match stint with the roster, NoVa packed up and left the squad finding a semi-permanent home with “armageddon”. He was able to find this opportunity with some experienced players, including ex-Splyce Warren “hades” Rettich. Playing with such an experienced, and wise player is a dream for most, but NoVa seemed unclear on his future. Noah was reluctant to join at first stating:
“That it was pretty last minute, and I was a little hesitant to join off of just two scrims.”
Originally he was on the team on a trial basis, but has recently been offered the spot permanently. Regardless of getting a spot on armageddon, NoVa said he would still be on the lookout for a more well-suited team. However, even though his future with the team is uncertain, and the team's record is poor he said that the squad was “pretty motivated to make the comeback happen”. As of right now the team has started to turn their season around, boasting a record of 3-4, after previously starting the season 0-4.
Family Ties
When watching large tournaments you will often see the winners of the events surrounded by loved ones after their successful venture, sadly for aspiring professionals, this isn’t usually the case. However, NoVa has made it public through tweets that his family loves watching him play.
When asked "Who is your biggest supporter?", he had this to say:
“Definitely my grandma, but my mom, dad, and youngest sister are putting up a fight for that spot too. She used to watch me back when I was playing just to spend time with me, you know she didn’t understand anything that was going on. Obviously for me I was playing the game, and I didn’t know how to make time for my family, because I was much more focused on pursuing the game. When she started sitting next to me I was super excited by that, and I just started talking to her about how it works, and the mechanics of the game, and she still didn’t understand any of it. But she still kept coming back into my room to watch it.”
Eventually NoVas grandma moved away, then once again moved back in due to complications within the family. This is when they developed a relationship through CS:GO. NoVa said:
“Slowly but surely she began to pick up aspects of the game, and my mom would send me videos of her jumping up and down… she would text me after every game.”
This touching story from Noah was heartwarming, to say the least. This support from his family allowed NoVa to pursue CS:GO to his heart's content, giving him the ability to put in hours of practice a day.
“Since I started high school, I had a good 3 years straight that I didn’t miss a day of playing CS.”
This dedication to the game requires immense will power, and passion.
Is NoVa Up Next?
With incredible dedication, and an incredible support system a bright future could be expected from Noah, however that future is up to him. It is safe to to say that if NoVa stays dedicated, and if his family keeps cheering, he could be one of NA’s next top players. Make sure to show him some love and support on his Twitter account!
