The H20 Esports Campus Amsterdam was the location of the second TOP weekend on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 May. In the Talent Development Programme (TOP) we train nine talents to become professional esports players.
Saturday 1 May
Saturday 1 May, it was time again for the second TOP weekend in which we trained nine talents to become professional esports players! All the talents had brought lots of extra stuff with them because they had to stay overnight.
Before we started, of course, everyone had to undergo a little quick test and fortunately everyone tested negative. Then it was time for the real thing! The day started with a Wim Hof workshop. The method of the same name was of course invented by the Dutch Ice Man, Wim Hof.
In this workshop, the talents had to do exercises in which they learned how to push their own limits. It was a lesson in not giving up, but continuing no matter how badly you want to stop. Finally, the talents' willpower was put to the test when they each had to sit in an ice bath for two minutes!
After a nice hot shower, the talents had to go straight to Senaptec where, just like the first TOP weekend, their reaction skills were tested in the Esports Vision Lab. This happened with a number of 'reaction games'. After the talents were physically and mentally exhausted, it was time for a hearty lunch. Good nutrition is of course very important for top talents.
After lunch it was time for a presentation by an esports legend. Former professional esports player Sander 'Vo0' Kaasjager took the talents into the world of a professional esporter. The former Quake champion talked about his experiences, travelling and how it really feels to be an esporter. Our nine talents were very impressed by the presentation.
Afterwards, the talents enjoyed a delicious portion of home-made pasta. After dinner, they had to work on their own goals. The professional ex-soccer player Dirk Marcellis from the Talent Academy took care of this workshop. At the end of the day, the talents could of course play free games and then go to bed early.
Sunday 2 May
On the morning of Sunday 2 May, the participants were lovingly woken up at 6.45 a.m. by a cheerful tune played on a boom box, with the volume turned up nice and loud. This sweet, gentle approach helped a lot, because 15 minutes later our talents were already ready to work out.
This sports session was given by Michel van Halderen of fitness centre Wellness Profi Centre on the grounds of the H20 Esports Campus. The session consisted of a combination of condition and strength training. Despite getting up early and the surprise of a sports session the talents did great! Therefore they deserved of course a good breakfast. During the breakfast they also discussed what they had learned in the past weeks.
After breakfast, it was time for a presentation by Damn Good Nutrition about how important nutrition really is for a professional. Our talents should of course pay attention to what kind of nutrition they take, what kind of nutrition is best for them and how healthy is what they consume. Of course, our talents were very hungry after the presentation, so it was time for a nice lunch.
After lunch, Dirk Marcellis gave a fun but educational chaos training that looked at how the talents would deal with changes in situations. They had to work together in this game in order to win.
The last activity of the TOP weekend was ´Gaming under resistance´ in which the talents had to play an official game in their respective video games but with a big twist. In their own video games they are of course very focused, but do they stay focused when people try to distract them?
The talents were bombarded with loud noises from all sides while gaming, bright lights were nearby and a shoutcaster was chatting in the background so it seemed as if they were in a full esports stage. The top players had trouble concentrating in the beginning, but eventually it went a lot better. After the chaos training, they reflected on how they had experienced it. With this, the second TOP-weekend was also successfully concluded!
Interested in the TOP track?
Do you think you have what it takes to become a professional esporter and do you want to be the next TOP talent?
Go to h20.gg/talent/ to register for the Autumn edition!
The current course runs until the beginning of the summer and the next TOP weekend will take place on 5 and 6 June.
Partners
We would also like to thank our partners!
Talent Academy Group, Damn Good Nutrition, Senaptec, Grenade, BodyResults, Stanno and Gladiator Esports, thank you very much!