Your Elite Inspiration/Role Model

[Grav]

I wanted to make a nice happy, non-autistic thread for once. I hope people enjoy.

When you first joined the-elite or were interested in the-elite, who did you look up to the most and why? It can be for any reason. Personality, skill, dedication, ingenuity, clutchness, IRL reasons, etc. You can name more than one person as well... no rules really.

For early 2000s dinosaurs (or anyone else I suppose), you can name someone who joined after you as well since there obviously weren't many people before you


My inspiration: Alex Anderson

Before I even knew anything about the-elite, I would play super smash bros 64 at GDQs with Alex and it became sort of a tradition between us. We just happened to be near equal skill so our matches were always very close and exciting. It was super cool just meeting someone you didnt know and sharing in a common interest back before the marathons became the clusterfuck they are now where meeting new people is way harder.

When I joined the-elite, I watched his streams all the time and really admired his perseverance. Not just trying to tie the now longest standing untied, but to beat it straight up. He was one of the few people besides me who would go completely yolo for a time even though the slower time (that he didn't even have yet) is already insane. His trance grind streams reminded me so much of my old IL grinding days battling with Peaches and the Japanese community in Blast Corps when I would grind for hours on end to the same music myself. Also, Alex is the highest ranked player with 00A as his best difficulty, something I want to make my goal for GoldenEye in my pursuit of playing all the levels people hate . I couldn't be happier to see him become generate and get engaged. Maybe some fateful day the 53 will finally happen.

[flukey lukey]

Nice Topic

05-07 era

For my first stint in the elite my biggest inspiration was Dan Cervone. I joined at a time where he was in his prime, beasting not only GE, getting untieds and peaking in 3rd place? but showing his versatility by playing PD and getting untieds in that game too. He always had good video proof on time, used a wide variety of great music for music videos, and had a unique endscreen signature no one has copied since. I will always remember seeing his tour video and being pretty blown away by his room. I also didn't expect him to look / sound the way he did so that was also noteworthy. My initial feeling that Cervone would go on to do great things looks like it's come true, with all of his successes in life so far.

Honerable Mentions from this era include:

Wouter Jansen - First "God" player I looked up to, even a few years before getting the confidence to start competing.

Karl Jobst - Inspired me to actually commit and have a go. Special mention to his Archives 16/55/55 in black and white with Hanson and Aqua tunes, but mostly Train 106 with Emo music which pushed me into trying a little bit harder.

Ilari Pekkala - For all of the creative videos he made during this period. Also for getting some of the most chocking untieds of the era and his prime.

[Icy]

10/10 topic idea. In no particular order:

#1: Boss

Boss is by far the most absolutely dedicated player to the games, and has endless passion for improving in them, exploring the games in every manner, and not being afraid to try new, intimidating strats; even some he invents on his own! I think it's awesome that he's been dual champ in normal, has had countless untieds, countless untied sweeps, and maintains his times page even this many years later. On top though, he's also gone hard with LTK, becoming the dual champion of that too, competes at VA, and even has done speedruns of challenge mode!

Boss demonstrates where you can get to with insatiable passion and dedication to your craft, and is very inspiring for what you should strive for in terms of goals and personal achievements.

#2: Bozon

Bozon goes for some of the most insane strategies and ideas ever witnessed in The Elite, from fighting DLTK Xenia around a tree, running the end of Aztec DLTK, and having the balls to go for Silo DLTK to name just a few! Even after Boss's dominance and takeover of GE LTK, Bozon still boasts half of DLTK untied, and is still miles ahead in total time.

Bozon shows what you can do when you are patient, which is a very undervalued skill to have not just in gaming, but in general in the world. Once he knows he can achieve something, he grinds and grinds and grinds for it, which I aspire to be more like. More importantly though is he hones his LTK abilities entirely through love. Speedrunning in the grand scheme isn't incredibly important or valuable or anything, but it's a fun hobby to get involved in. Likewise, speedrunning specifically Goldeneye is only moreso. And beyond that, specifically speedrunning Goldeneye LTK is purely for the personal achievement one gains out of it, but that doesn't stop him from doing so. He plays almost entirely for himself, which you have to respect.

#3: Luke

Luke is one of the very few players who accepts the game as a whole and tackles every challenge that comes up through the game! I've been vocal before about the lack of interest or commitment with top players towards the levels that are trickier, technical, or require specific knowledge, but Luke went for and still goes for it all! He embodies what a champion should be like, and I hope that he one day regains the throne and continues accomplishing everything he wants out of Goldeneye! He has the OCB, the "gamer IQ", the patience, the fearlessness; everything to form a godly player!

Beyond that though, he's also incredibly respectable outside the game, which is another aspect I greatly value. He has a Master's degree in Architecture, has other deep interests, is very personable and social, easygoing and friendly, and just an all-around awesome guy! For the entirety I've been into gaming, I've always strongly disliked the negative stereotypes surrounding video games and those who continue portraying them. I doubt very few people would ever think Luke to be a top level gamer in a highly competitive game. He's the full package inside and outside Goldeneye!

[Grav]

Secondary post for clemens and luke.


For clemens:
He is half the reason I joined the-elite because of his doom 64 forum post, but more importantly he is one of the few players that possesses that same locked in dedication as me. The dude can grind like none other and its so rare to see people go through as much agony as stuff like SM and GE any% and also shit like Aztec sweep and still be ready for more. He's one of the few people who can understand what my doom grind has been like. We are in a small brotherhood of people who have been through the depths of hell in both RTA and IL gaming and lived to tell the tale.

Also, I really love seeing someone speedrun offensively instead of defensively. Speedbullying is some of the most fun things to do if you can do it and enjoy that kind of thing. When I was going for bunker 1 20 originally and I saw clemens immediately stop playing what he was normally playing and start playing that while ALSO lurking in my stream the whole time he streamed, I could do nothing but smile at what I knew I had found. Once I improve more at GE

Spoiler

or when he improves more at Doom 64

I expect some insane things to happen when we cross paths, so get keen.

For luke:
Luke is the other half of the reason I joined because of his dark caverns exploits. The taste of the raw 1v1 competition for nearly 100 hours on one level pretty much sold me on GE not only as a community full of super skilled players I could share time with but as a community that could provide me an avenue to channel some of my fiery competitive spirit too. It was so fun to have that rare experience of being able to tussle with someone so formidable that each player can do nothing but tip their cap to the other when one finally eeks out ahead at the end. I'm sure the rematch will happen some day and odds are it will be another battle of the ages. He's also been a very good friend and person to talk to and be around and I value his honesty even if he is being critical of me.

[HarryCoupe]

V. Good topic thought I'd post even though no one cares what i think:

#1 Ragequit
I was new and kinda talked a bit but not really and didn't expect to get picked up during the fantasy league bar a last pick from OG cause i was talking to him a bit. Out comes Tyler picking me like 2nd or 3rd pick. I was chocked as fuck and super happy lol. Def made me stay playing a lot longer at the game than i would've without it and it just a great guy to talk with and help with playing GE and PD.

#2 Ogran
Since i started Og has been around helping me get better and talking to me and just being a good pal. After meeting him and another load of UK GE guys i just came to like him more. Great company and a good laugh all around. Yeah he likes shit levels but he's a pretty good teacher too and i would me 10x less rel (im already not rel) if it wasn't for him.

#3 Clemens
Never really had much of a chance to speak to clem or be in the community enough to see a lot tbh. But his times in of themselves are awe inspiring and his entire PD times page makes me cry a little inside when i look at it. With recent streams he's a funny guy and im only starting to like him more!


Honorable Mention
Sam Rodrigues Randy Chapman Gus Riolo Goose

[sɐm]

WODAHS

[Quirky]

I hate to rank, but I guess I could do it in terms of inspiration. Of course being a LTK guy this my inspirations are around LTK people and one old timer.

#1: Icy

I made a YouTube comment on his first AS DLTK completion. I was having a tough time beating PD on PA, and just a comment telling me if I put in the effort, nothing could stop from not only beating it on PA, but on DLTK. That indeed inspired me to beat the rest of the game on PA and take it even farther with LTK then DLTK. Icy's knowledge is beyond incredible, he made it so much easier for me to push through playing PD LTK. Plus I love reading long posts, so Icy-tier posts are always a joy to go through.

#2: Bozon

His incredible mastery at GE DLTK and insane things he has done is what got me interested in it in the first place. Seeing Silo DLTK completed made me so awestruck, I didn't even the full scope at first how incredible an accomplishment it was to finally complete it. I probably would not have been looking at the elite website a few years ago if not for Bozon's runs.

#3: Flicker

I did not know who Flicker was when I finally joined the elite. But I quickly learned when I started PD LTK. Like Icy, he provided great advice as I was playing through PD LTK, made it a much easier quicker journey for me. And then when I came back for GE. he invited me to Discord (wasn't publicly linked at the time) and led me to learn more about the great personalities this community. And he still continued to be an incredible help as I played through GE LTK.

#4: Eddie Lovins

Yes what an odd choice from a newish guy like me. But for some reason back in the day, I was more aware of his great GE runs during the time. Obviously was in awe when I saw them. Plus he did some LTK stuff, and really I attribute to him making me aware of what it is because I saw his vids posted.

[Shadow]

I guess I'm one of the dinosaurs

The person who really got me into the PD and GE record running was Pernicious P. He was a better player than I was but we chatted a good bit and he helped me out with some of the new strats that were coming out around that time.

Another player who I really respected was Marshmallow. His guide to speedrunning each level on Goldeneye was an absolute godsend in an era when there were no videos (I don't even think Ngamer had hosted any at that point and I wouldn't have been able to watch them on dial-up anyway). He had by far the most complete and comprehensive write-ups, and while they eventually became seriously outdated, they were a huge help when I had nothing else but a dial-up connection and a Nintendo Power strategy guide :P

While I can't say I really looked up to him, I came onto the scene when Sterling Neblett was absolutely dominating, and while his strat explanations were absolutely horrendous (Derek Clark had a hilarious mock AIM chat a while ago which perfectly captured this), he really was a nice guy. When Wouter came onto the scene he was sweeping the records but I was sort of rooting for Sterling, because honestly Wouter was pretty much an immature jerk, as in, almost unbelievably immature. He finally got over it 

Boss has definitely been a bit of a hero, with his amazing debut time-saver in Aztec followed by discovery after discovery (and obviously it still hasn't stopped). Great all around player with fantastic longevity. Rayan too, I was excited to see his dominance and skill. I love seeing the records drop and the innovation after all these years, even if I'm no running myself. Keeps me coming back.

I can't leave without mentioning Derek Clark though. Absolutely instrumental in the beginning of the-elite, he was personable, would do anything for anyone, and put a ton of his own time and money into making it the place it eventually became. All-around great guy and we had many email conversations and AIM chats. His articles and stories were some of the best stuff on the site and I wish I could still find them but without the main page I can't find the links...

Great thread.

[Niiro Kitsune]

Wodahs by far has been my biggest inspiration when it comes to running GE and, to a lesser extent, speedrunning in general. I have watched him become one of the most skilled and dedicated players this game has ever seen, and his climb has been truly remarkable. I fondly remember being in his stream while he got his first few WRs, the contagious excitement he exhibited, and his live celebratory reactions that reflected the amazing feeling of having hard work pay off. It was truly inspirational in my eyes; I wanted to feel the same excitement he did.

Early on, some part of me wondered how far he would go in the community. I never underestimated his skill, but I was always curious to see where he would "peak" (or if he even would at all). His constant improvement was motivating for me in such a way that I began experimenting with GE after a year of running vicariously through him, all the while still keeping up with his progress. From back then in '14 onward, it has been one hell of a ride with ups and downs aplenty. Some memorable moments include watching his Runway A 22 live (which is still my favorite WR reaction to date), hearing the "Lockwood and the Roach" story live during an OoT stream, the soul-crushing Control A struggle, and even selling him one of my old controllers with a 9/10 stick 

After some time, life began to slowly separate me from speedrunning by demanding most of my energy and eating up all my spare time, and as a result, sadly, I began to frequent Dan's stream less and less. However, I remember when I first saw his Caverns 00 untied and being reminded of how inspiring he had been to me in the past. The lasting effect has been more than enough for me to still put the time into getting better when I can afford to.

Currently, Wodahs is 3rd in the point rankings, 5th in time, and has a total of 29 WRs (1 untied). Having barely achieved Dam A 53(.97) a month and a half ago myself, I am still very inexperienced and have a long ways to go in order to have any relevant accolades. Chances are I will never see the levels of accomplishment Wodahs has reached, but remembering where he once started from gives me a small glisten of hope for my own future. Dan is the kind of speedrunner I want to be.


Edit: Wanted to say thanks, just in case you're reading this, mate 

[SimThreat]

Another player who I really respected was Marshmallow. His guide to speedrunning each level on Goldeneye was an absolute godsend in an era when there were no videos (I don't even think Ngamer had hosted any at that point and I wouldn't have been able to watch them on dial-up anyway). He had by far the most complete and comprehensive write-ups, and while they eventually became seriously outdated, they were a huge help when I had nothing else but a dial-up connection and a Nintendo Power strategy guide :P

Since when did Marsh write any speedrun guides for GE? He never really even ran GE. The only speedrun guide on goldeneye was the one I wrote on Gamefaqs.

[vitorr]

Really hard to rank this, but coming back to 2001-2004:

#1 Paragon: was definitely THE player that motivated me to speedrun PD for real back then. So many sick records, strategies developed and videos for all of his PRs that helped so much new players like me. Also Paragon was a top TFC player (he was in the US roster in more than one ECTFC edition, the "World Cup" of Team Fortress Classic, my favorite game all time), so double respect for him. Personal favorite record: Infiltration PA 1:52 (7 Aug 2001). That run was SICK back then and still is tbh, imagine he got this around 1 year after PD was launched.

#2 Karl: I guess now everyone pretty much know how much of a legend Karl is (https://www.gamefaqs.com/n64/197462-goldeneye-007/faqs/26657), but from my point of view, back in 2002-2003 when I was climbing to top 3, it was very motivating to have someone like Karl to aim for and have some type of competition (he was obviously better ofc). Even though sometimes I thought he was a dumbass dick in the forums and AIM (sorry m8), when I look back now I realize how important he was to my "PD career" if you wanna call that way. Also I have even more respect for Karl nowadays after his comeback to PD/GE achieving #1 on PD and still a being top 10 on GE. Personal favorite record: Skedar Ruins A 1:08 (19 April 2004). This one was really impressive because it was the first time (if I recall correctly) that the "fast" pillar strat was used in a WR, while everybody else was still using the "safer" one (also music was really good, <3 Doll).

#3 Boss: well I can't let Boss out of this even though I didn't play that much GE when he was dual champ, but Boss has done SO much it's crazy to think about. Just to name a few: first to get Dam 53, Archives 16, Runway A 22, Cradle A 34; was the original "Aztec strat master", Dual Champ (the speed he climbed to #1 in PD was ridiculous); current PD/GE DLTK champ; done an INSANE run live at AGDQ 2014, I still watch that sometimes. And more than that, Bryan has so much knowledge about both games and I really enjoy how much of a "enthusiast" he is, discussing/sharing new strats. I truly have a lot of respect for Boss. Personal favorite record: Dam A 0:53 (27 Sep 2002). I know that we're really close to 52 and tons of people have 53, but Bryan joined the rankings around mid 2002 and a few months later he untied of the most common GE records which was really shocking back then (also 53 remained untied for two years).

Of course when you go a little further you have a extensive list of insane players (namely Ace, Clemens and Marc are true legends imo), but that top 3 represents my speedrun "beginning" which was the period I played most. Talking about new players, I have to mention Tyler (ragequit), coolest guy around, very skilled player and one of the bests in explaining strats/analyzing runs, helped me so much already. Also Swiss, Dsx, Ace are people that gave some important advices, analyzed a few runs etc, so they're somewhat inspiring too in that sense

[Wodahs-Reklaw]

In no particular order.

Luke

Clemens

Ace

Marc

They are all inspiring players and I look up to them as to what one can achieve. Each one has their merits and flaws, each have lessons we can all learn from. They inspire emotions, have epic rivalries and have history going way back. I wish my own GE career could rival any of theirs, but in away its a futile effort, but inspiring none the less.

[DYM]

At the time I was first interested (2002-03), I was too young to look at players from an IRL perspective, so this is pretty much just from a gaming point of view.

Wouter: He was all over the GE rankings and the videos page was filled with his videos. At one point he had his own page with tons of videos and his own comments and that motivated me to create a similar page for logging my own records, even though I had no intentions of joining the Elite or playing competitively. This is where I taught myself how to play speedrun GE levels from watching all or most his videos. They were were really inspirational and you could see his passion in playing, especially when he got formidable records like B1 0:17 that made headlines on t-e-n's frontpage (those were cool reads - bring the landing page back!). Anyone who joined between 1999 and 2005 can appreciate this. Coming back from school to check the GE forums and seeing a new Wouter record was cool. Little did I know I would be talking to the legend himself 2 years later. He was so amiable on AIM.

YE: The first time I heard of this dude was in 2003 when one of his runs (Villa SA 1:28) was on the "Better Luck Next Time" videos page and for some reason I couldn't help but feel bad that he would never be as good as Karl. The run just had that vibe to it.. you know, it looked sloppy. 2 years later, I see he's all over the rankings and videos page. Obviously his runs looked amazing and inspired me to play. Back then YouTube wasn't common and people used to upload videos to thengamer, and I always found the comments he added to his video titles informative or amusing. No one else did that. I admired his music choice and that sort of influenced the type of music I listened to entering my teenage years. He seemed like a super smart and knowledgeable dude and I've always had a lot of respect for smart people in STEM/IT fields. Also kudos to him for developing an inimitable rankings system. Even top speedrunners from other communities are blown away by how good it is.

Honorable mentions to Boss and Karl. Both of them were and still are really good, smart and knowledgeable at both games.

[Jimbo]

Man these are huge posts! I'll do these by classifcations:

Celebrity/Awe-struck:
1. ParagonX9 (unquestioned champion of PD, seemed so difficult to reach him on AIM)
2. Karl Jobst (the multiplayer vid highlights of champions)
3. Derek Clark (webmaster, was the one true "omg wow!" moment I had at VA in 2007)

Playing style:
1. Bryan Bosshardt (easy, literally the guy I always looked up to both in 2004/2005 and modern times)
2. Shawn Johnson (underrated, got all his times up to an 85-90 point level, obv the same strat I do)

Jealous of raw talent in modern era:
1. David Clemens
2. Luke Szklarz
3. Daniel Coelho

"Man, I wish I could have a moment like that again"
1. Alex Anderson with Train 0:59 skip (I long for the day I can pull some crazy skip again)
2. Bryan Bosshardt with Cavs SA 1:14
3. Ryan Lockwood with Streets 1:12

[RWG]

song to play while reading this thread

[Carathorn]

song to play while reading this thread

That's one of my favorite oldie songs man. Mindblowing chord progressions

[Shadow]

Another player who I really respected was Marshmallow. His guide to speedrunning each level on Goldeneye was an absolute godsend in an era when there were no videos (I don't even think Ngamer had hosted any at that point and I wouldn't have been able to watch them on dial-up anyway). He had by far the most complete and comprehensive write-ups, and while they eventually became seriously outdated, they were a huge help when I had nothing else but a dial-up connection and a Nintendo Power strategy guide :P

Since when did Marsh write any speedrun guides for GE? He never really even ran GE. The only speedrun guide on goldeneye was the one I wrote on Gamefaqs.

So bit of sloppiness on my part. I was thinking of his Cheats guide, which were fast strategies for some levels, not all. And yours I'd completely forgotten about  Was it originally uploaded in 2000?

[Spagooda]

Credit to Goose for being a gateway in to the Elite and making GoldenEye look like THE speedgame to play and being the reason I started in the first place, despite not playing it much as a kid.


Wodahs was a huge inspiration and kept my interest in the game for so long. I more or less witnessed his entire ascension from nothing to the pedestal and his attitude and methodology were so healthy.


Birdie and Ogran for coming in half-a-generation ahead of me and essentially setting the template of my level progression. "Hey, if these chillers can start new levels and make this much progress, so can I!"


dsx for inspiring Kapgooda.

[my man]

Mine are:

Wodahs :
When I went to open up Justin.tv one day to watch some Simpsons and/or AVGN episodes, it had been replaced by Twitch. After this initially got me into speedrunning, and after the first four months grinding for my 1080 Snowboarding WRs, I took note of the GE streams happening, namely Wodahs' channel. The 'stache days were what started it all for me. It took a while to convince myself I had the talent, and after getting dam 0:53 using Wodahs' tutorial, my belief in myself to pursue further was solidified. I admire how Wodahs interfaces himself with the game, because I find myself with similar emotional content when doing so. Bruce Lee talked about emotional content, which takes time to develop with any endeavor. This brand of EC I feel lends itself to holding one's self to a high standard, and never feeling like you've done enough--a few qualities that I believe are hallmarks of true legends.

Marc :
Marc Rützou is the Charlie Parker of the Elite. When I first spent time with the rankings was when Marc's Dam untieds reigned supreme. Unlike some, I was inspired by not only the times, but also the ass video quality. It rang with a sentiment in myself that seeks to place value on the inner core of a person and his endeavors; a reminder that even though perception is reality, Nothing is quite what it seems. I admire his raw talent, being one that seeks answers from the great beyond and an appreciation for art. Regarding Charlie Parker as a musician, he could play whatever came to his head, just like that. As a musician myself the value I place on this talent involves a desire to attain a state of grace after numerous hours of playing, to get to the Zone with little to no effort. MR is a reminder that one's legacy will not be judged by how many World Record times one has, but the significance of the times within the context of the community (which extends all the way back to the developers,) and the journey, not the destination, taken to get that time.

Bozon :
Another primer for me getting into the community was seeing Bozon's historic Silo DLTK completion. By viewing his records, and reading his LTK/DLTK tutorial page, I was vastly inspired by him to pursue the side leagues, starting with my 75+ hr. grind on Cradle DLTK  . As Icy said, he plays for himself. I believe this sole quality/belief largely manifests the strength with which he plays, and is massively powerful. Truly inspiring.

Henrik :
As someone who shares an aptitude for finding out how all things work, Henrik is a great example of grace through technology. If the question is, "How far should we take it," then the Wyst3r answer might be along the lines of what was said in Boondock Saints: "The question is not, 'how far.' The question is, 'Do you possess the constitution to go as far as needed?'" Moreover a great example of taking joy in what one does.

Boss :
Boss is a cornerstone of the Elite as far as I'm concerned, and its an absolute privilege to watch his runs. As someone that has come to believe that the Elite will be in my life in one form or another, I'm inspired by Boss' continued enjoyment and dedication; and that goes for any game in his repertoire.

[AZ]

Bosshardt - copy what Icy said.

Wouter - for all his skill, determination and his peerless dedication when it comes to videos. He might not be too active these days, but his video-dedication inspired me greatly. Also passing him felt surreal in 2011.

Illu - the most important Swedish player in league history. Illu is still the leading figure in this country (being #1 in both games etc). His dedication to the games and the community cannot be understated, having produced several unforgettable videos throughout the years.

Bozon - THE (D)LTK guy. And also a player with unlimited patience. Will never stop playing until he has achieved his goal.

Rayan - has proven in the past - and will prove in the future - that he's the champ.


I would include Clemens, Marc and Icy too but they joined after me.

At an earlier stage I would've include Henning (since he inspired me to keep pushing for faster times and was a great rival back in 2006-08), but after his demise I think not.

There are so many other great/dedicated figures in the-elite (YE - solely for creating the rankings, Karl, Goose etc) but I'll stop here.

[OriginalSketchy]

Hi, all! This seems like a good topic to house my first post.

So, my inspiration is Goose. I've been playing Goldeneye since it came out, but I never knew about this place or speedrunning. Then, a few years ago, I stumbled on to Ryan's YouTube videos, and I was engrossed. He's got such a gift for narrative. I've followed along with his lore series this year, which has led me to watch other top players, as well.

Last night, I finally hooked up my old system and started playing the game again. I'm trying to get used to the N64 controls again, but I got my Dam agent time to 0:57 in a few hours (lol, still a looooong way to go). It's been a blast picking it back up.

Thanks, Goose!

[Scrambler Fanny]

Sentimental idea.

Since I began scouring the Elite back in 1998/1999, I’d have to say that my hero package would include - in order of being introduced to me - Sterling, Wouter, Boss, and David.

Sterling was accepted Champ when I came to know the Elite at it’s genesis (or close to). I honestly don’t even remember what platform we utilized to view vids back then, but always seeing his times and his name at the very top - this was the early benchmark for all players in the era and Sterling owned it.

Wouter came in like the greatest natural disaster the Elite had ever known! Claiming new strats, unreal new time-cuts, and a confidence (cockiness) that caused many top players to game-rage and nay-say on their mothers’ graves that he was a fraud. Seems like it was relatively quickly that Wouter caused Sterling to become “old news,” and there was relatively little back-and-forth until Wouter downright crushed everything and everyone in his way. In my opinion the first true Megastar!

I left the internet and the Elite for a few years, but when I reconnected, Bryan Bosshardt had become the new King of the Hill. The amount of times that he lowered (all of them?), his tenure as Champ, his consistency, his core knowledge and understanding, as well as his natural ability to apply all of these traits were unbelievable and still looked up to by 99% of the Elite. When I met Bryan in 2011, I had honestly fulfilled a life-goal. I still get butterflies thinking about being near him IRL (no homo).

Clemens is the strength of this community. He and I share similar music tastes, and really made a nice connection at Virginia in 2011 when we first met. We still chat from time to time (usually when I lurk in his stream sesh) and he is one of the few guys that I wish I could connect with from time-to-time. Aside from those real life connections, he really has an intriguing “I-don’t-give-a-fack” attitude and a genuinely higher brain function when it comes to GE/PD that baffles any and all spectators. His dominance over Karl in 2012’s worldwide anticipated multi player match was sheer will and might. Karl is REALLY good. David made a spectacle of him for all to see.

I love all these guys and always hearken back to when I was a young buck and would literally skip school to watch their vids! Good times etched into my heart forever.

Thanks Jim for the mention.

***edit***

I'd be amiss if I didn't mention that I've kept up regularly with both Eddie and Derek for several years now due to a shared enjoyment and consistent friendly challenge of Words With Friends. Both are far superior in strategy and vernacular, but it has been pleasurable to maintain connection with them through this medium. For some reason I am a glutton for punishment in playing them.

Eddie has been my ace up the sleeve for a few years in that he has low-key helped me to pass a couple college math classes through quality control and process explanation. He is sharp and precise, both qualities that I veer towards, and even though my record against him is currently 38 wins to 453 losses, I love the fact that he hates every single loss. True competitor!

Derek has enriched my own abilities, both in honesty and intelligence. He is a true gentleman that has generated some very stripped down and open conversation. He has been my absolute all-time favorite Eliter to speak with (mainly through various "chat" avenues). He is calculated and puts unbelievable amounts of thought and strategy into each play in WWF as well as in his conversation with me. I wish that there were more people with some of his attributes.

There are a handful of others that I have had wonderful experiences with. Jones, Matis, Jimbo, Alex, Koch, Wiff, Stinson, Third, Patrik etc have all touched my life in some fashion.

Miss ya'll...

[flukey lukey]

done

[Big Fat Gora]

HipHop4Alivin

[Wody]

David N Clemens
Eddie Lovins
Bryan Bosshardt

When I watched all their vids I was just amazed and looked up to trying to achieve some of the same records. I also had david teach me when i used to play hardcore. Prolly look up to david the most. He also used to help me with SM as well. It was cool just using aim and talking about runs and how to play the levels. Good times

[Laercio Rodolfo]

I've talked to so many cool guys, yet can't say that "role model" is the correct word, but all started to me because of this run:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm012Sj6Pec (Wouter Caverns SA 1:27)

I was trying for a faster time and got something like 2:45, then I just found about the WR and Vitor managed to get the video somewhere. So this video was my inspiration.

[Funky_Buddha]

I'd be amiss if I didn't mention that I've kept up regularly with both Eddie and Derek for several years now due to a shared enjoyment and consistent friendly challenge of Words With Friends. Both are far superior in strategy and vernacular, but it has been pleasurable to maintain connection with them through this medium. For some reason I am a glutton for punishment in playing them.

Send Eddie my way on words with friends please! FB5813. (Or drop his UN here!)

To stay on topic - Paragon obviously. #1 when I joined, videos for everything with an amazing melting bloody logo, occasional 20+ second untieds using ridiculous strats and held every PA record simultaneously at one point. A beast. No one will ever be as good as he was to my eyes then.

[Deuceler]

Wouldn't pin point a single player as a current inspiration - don't even have any submitted times quite yet, but learning ILs and watching has been cool. I think the biggest allure to me (other than enjoying the game) is the community's willingness to be real and not put on the normal speedrunning facade. You get what you get and you don't have to put on a show, get a good time or get the fuck on. That's the biggest inspiration to get better for me.

[Stubby]

For me it's gotta Goose

He both introduced me to this wonderful community, and through his videos and streams,  he inspired me to go out and pick up a copy of Goldeneye and start running this game.

[mop890]

Watching Goose's speedlore is what initially got me interested in picking Goldeneye up.
I'd have to say IrieButler is my inspiration to run and keep playing though, he has a chill stream, and has always been very helpful whenever I've needed it