sapphiRe: "An absolute joy to work alongside some of the brightest minds in esports"

Heather "sapphiRe" Garozzo has been heavily involved in the North American Counter-Strike scene for well over a decade. She has progressed from playing the game, to writing about it, observing it, to now finally making it part of her full-time job as a part of Team Dignitas. We took the opportunity to chat with her about her history with the game, the female scene, and more.

You are someone who has worn a lot of different hats in the CS scene — player, manager, journalist, and most recently observer. Which of these roles would you say is your favorite?

As much as I’ve enjoyed all of the different positions I’ve held, nothing compares to the rush of being a competitive player. I’ve played on stages big and small, dating back to 2002. There is no feeling like working tirelessly prior to a competition and earning that final pay-off; from scooping up multiple Midwest titles, to going to the finals with my brother and boyfriend (now husband) at DC LAN, to winning an ESWC gold medal. Even in defeat, I’ve taken with me memories and lessons that made an impact – including getting slashed by NiP in 2012 and wrecked by Finland’s D-Skyline in 2005 to taking twelve rounds off Na’Vi on LAN and top-fragging vs n0thing’s team at the WCG USA Finals (7 frags – woohoo!). To many, those memories don’t mean much but to me, I’ve got to experience moments that I’ll carry with me for a lifetime.

That being said, being a CS:GO observer has filled that competitive void I lost a few years ago. Though not to the same extent, I get to feel the ups and downs of a team’s journey throughout the tournament. Watching ever so closely as a new team rises to the top or makes a top-of-reddit worthy play makes my job all that more exciting.

You recently went full time in esports — what allowed you to do that, and what exactly is your role with Team Dignitas?

I had joined Team Dignitas as the women’s CS:GO team manager in February when our team was bought out from our Selfless Gaming contracts. Meanwhile, I had been working for almost a decade at a Fortune 500 company in digital marketing. Having completed my Master’s degree a few years ago, I had an expectation of what type of position I would need to work full-time in esports, leaving my comfy corporate job. It wasn’t easy to find. I saw instability and I saw uncertainty. Knowing Team Dignitas was backed by an NBA team (the Philadelphia 76ers), I felt far more promise in the organization’s future.

After a few months with Team Dignitas, it became glaringly obvious that my role of a manager was much more than just looking after the team’s daily needs. For years, I had worked in preparing numerous marketing decks, gave my teammates media training (I previously worked at a PR agency, focused on gaming clients) and demonstrated to them the value of building a brand. As Team Dignitas looked to expand its marketing department, I was able to apply for their open Director of Marketing position — which I later was hired for.

As the Director of Fan Engagement, it’s my role to help build our player’s brands and our team’s brand which will hopefully lead to a larger fanbase and increased sponsorship opportunities. I work daily with our partners at the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils and the Prudential Center on various sponsorship activations, media opportunities and brand building.

I was hesitant to move full-time into esports but it’s been an absolute joy to work alongside some of the brightest minds in esports and professional sports.

You have had a close association with the Team Dignitas squad since they were Team Karma and even before — can you talk about what it means for such a large and well-funded organization to be supporting female CS?

There are hundreds, if not thousands of females, that look at the esports scene and struggle to find people they can relate to. Certainly there are some high-profile streamers but in regards to competitive players, the scene is limited. By having Team Dignitas and our larger owners from the NBA and NHL support women gamers gives validation to aspiring women that being a competitive gamer is an option. I hope that one day, there are as many female competitive gamers as there are male gamers so that being a female gamer doesn’t even need to be a distinction. For me, gaming never felt like a “boys club”. I always did my thing, regardless of what others had to say. However, I recognize it can be intimidating for many women. I know a few female gamers that have been brought to tears when meeting my teammates. Even if we just inspire a few, because of our opportunity to get some of the spotlight, I feel we’ve done our job.

The other North American female team, CLG Red, underwent roster changes, replacing missharvey and klaudia with newcomers emy and jennifer. Do you think the title of best female team in North America now resides firmly with Team Dignitas?

Currently, that’s probably the case as Team Dignitas finished higher than CLG Red at the Intel Challenge in Katowice. However, it’s so difficult to rank women’s teams against each other since female teams rarely play against other female teams. These two only have a chance to play against each other 1-2 times a year and are otherwise competing in mostly mixed tournaments/leagues.

It will be interesting to see how these two square off at the next Intel Challenge in March.

What kind of preparation do you put into an event that you will be observing?

I’ve been observing for about two years now. Back when I was starting, I made it a point to study the teams prior to the tournament. If I have some idea of player or team habits, I could better predict their actions and be more quick to react. One example is NiP’s now famed Cobblestone B smoke strat. After seeing this setup, I was able to setup a few static camera positions to demonstrate the impact of this strat on the CT’s. Further, each time it’s executed, I try to follow a new smoke so viewers have an opportunity to learn the various smoke options.

Given I’ve been doing this for almost every weekend for two years now, I don’t need to do as much team preparation since I know most of the top teams like the back of my hand.

However, as more observers come into the scene, I try to work on creating additional value as an observer, including preparing workflow documents for production teams to reduce the technical or human resources needed from an observer standpoint. There is more and more competition as an observer, so I want to make sure I’m at the top of the consideration list for tournament organizers.

“Crafting storylines” is something we’ve heard recently when talking about how to observe - can you expand upon what that means a little, and how it adds to a broadcast?

I actually chatted with one of the premier casters recently about this topic. We had been chatting about PUBG vs CS:GO. The caster had praised me for my ability to tell a story. PUBG is a whole different beast. However, even with CS:GO, there is a lot going on.

I’ve seen Reddit threads where the observer was praised for showing every frag in the round. While that’s impressive to do, it’s not practical for an entire match. Some frags are more important than others. Some smokes, molotovs and distractions are more important than others. A big whiff can be just as important to the story as a frag. There is more to CS than simply seeing an average frag. In a 3v1 situation, the team with three left standing is expected to win the round. Sure, you could see another frag if you put it on the right player from the group of three. However, there is more potential for excitement and storytelling if you let the solo player get the camera time. Further, there are situations where a player gets a quick four frags and is going for the ace. Even though I said to switch the camera to the solo player, it’s also important to give the other player a chance for an ace on camera.

There are so many situations that make a match interesting and it’s on the observers and casters to broadcast that narrative, even if that means sacrificing some frags on camera.

Are there large differences between observing ELEAGUE and other large events, due to working with a crew that comes from a television background?

ELEAGUE’s schedule is very tight and refined. I know what to expect from a show and timing is predictable. I know what to expect when I show up, due to having a static broadcasting room where my technical setup is maintained from week to week, event to event. There is a nice benefit of not having to redo my setup each time I arrive. Because ELEAGUE often airs on television, there is very little room for error or technical mishaps.

Beyond that, working with an Emmy-award winning team is fascinating. Our director, Steve Daly, is like a maestro of television. It’s a work of art when he stands up to direct the opening of a TBS show. It sounds silly, but it sends chills through my spine when I get to witness the team’s work.

I didn’t ever have an interest in broadcasting or production, but being an observer working alongside award-winners has opened my eyes to a whole new world that I’d be interested in exploring someday.

Counter-Strike is a family affair for you, as both your brother and husband played the game professionally. You are the most active within the scene currently, but do they still follow the goings on?

My brother, Jon (Jon "juan" Mumm), will tune-in for the bigger events and even comes to events such as IEM Oakland. However, he had mostly quit cold-turkey when CGS shut down. I know he kicks himself to this day that he didn’t continue with “juansource”, which was a website of training tutorials long before Netcode Guides & Boomeo. He’s been extremely successful in the start-up world however, selling his co-founded app to Snapchat.

My husband, Sal (Salvatore "Volcano" Garozzo), still keeps an eye on the scene. He’s working full-time as a game designer on a new Riot project. He actively deathmatches to keep his aim up and has played in a few local tournaments. There are a few times he’s been asked to scrim with a few of North America’s best when they are in need. It’s impressive that he can still take on the best. He’s one of those gifted, natural talents – lucky.

A lot of the pros, especially the old school players from teams like NiP or Virtus.pro, always ask me why he doesn’t come to the events I’m at. He made a great impact on the scene as a player and as the creator of de_cache. I look forward to him being able to show off his new projects.

Unlike some female teams, Team Dignitas make an effort to participate in open qualifiers  — how important do you think this is for the team to grow?

Absolutely. It’s the same for any team regardless of gender. You’ll never improve if you don’t challenge yourself. The game and your skill will become stale if you don’t push your limits. Our team has made it out of a handfull of open qualifiers into the “closed qualifier” day so I’m enormously proud of them. They learn far more from those events than they would in all-female competition. Beyond that, competition would get boring. Performing well in a female event, I won’t deny, is absolutely rewarding. However, those events only happen 2-3 times a year. What’s the point of playing competitively if you can’t test the results of your practice against the best? Open qualifiers are a great opportunity for any aspiring team.

Despite having more support and funding than most other Intermediate and Main teams, CLG Red and Team Dignitas have struggled to reach the tops of those leagues. What do you think is preventing the all-female squads from taking the next step?

I don’t think funding necessarily has a direct correlation to the team’s results. There are many teams that have succeeded with far less so having the ability to attend events shouldn’t suppress the need for personal improvement. We do have the added benefit recently of having access to a sports psychologist, nutritionist, etc. However, those only supplement the other work needed to become a top team. I struggle with this question, because I also look at the other non-female teams that haven’t made it to the top leagues – there are thousands upon thousands. It’s not easy to be in the Pro League. I don’t want to undersell it. Only a fraction of a percent of competitive males make it into pro leagues so a fraction of a percent of a much smaller pool of players (females) means there are very few pro-league level talents available from the female pool.

I wish I knew the answer because I’d relay that to my team. I played on far more mixed-teams than female teams, with many future hall-of-gamers but still didn’t play in more than three seasons of Invite/Pro level. You can work as hard as the next player, but hard work doesn’t always pay off. I’d challenge anyone that said they watched more demos than me from 2008-2014 (mostly because of my job) but being a student of the game didn’t secure my position at the top. It’s not easy.

I think the team is getting better learning from their mistakes, studying others that do things better than them and challenging themselves against better opponents. We just need to simply become a better team and better players. As long as I see progress, I’m happy.

Often a subject of debate when they occur, what is your opinion on female only events?

I appreciate female-only events in moderation. It gives women something achievable to work towards. It creates an environment where future gamers see others they can relate to. Not only that, there is something fun about wanting to kick the virtual ass of any other female. There is no way in hell I wanted to lose to another female (though I did a few times!). That being said, I prefer in moderation because female-only tournaments, at these team’s current skill level, limit potential. I think the current amount of 2-3 per year is enough to keep women’s teams active and the scene thriving but are infrequent enough that the go-getters will look to other leagues and tournaments for a challenge.

What do you think of the current state of the North American scene at the top level? Which team(s) excite you the most?

I’m happy to see Cloud9 and Team Liquid making progress on an international level. I’m as patriotic as it gets, to the point it brings tears to my eyes when a NA team wins on a big international stage. I hope to see more consistency, but pleased to know those two can crack into the top ten at any point.

I’ve enjoyed watching Rise Nation, a Mountain Dew League team that is just steps away from the Pro League. As much as I’ve enjoyed cheering on our Brazilian friends, I want to see North American teams have a greater presence in our own division. Rise Nation is a promising team that I hope continues to impress.

You often stream lower tier qualifier or league matches while you are practicing your observing — do you think it is important/helps for these lower teams to get exposure in this way?

Yes – this is the reason why I was so excited about writing Power Rankings, interviewing players and making feature pieces on Open, Intermediate, and Main level teams during the CS:Source and early CS:GO days – probably very similar to the thought process behind Dust2.us.

As I learn about other esports and how those amateur scenes compare to CS, I realize how fortunate we are as a community. CS has the most active amateur scene and the road to the professional scene is very clear. Brand building is crucial as top and medium tier organizations look to bring on new talent. Helping these players and teams make a name for themselves, even if my part is minor, is rewarding.

What do you attribute the Europe-North American gap to? What are steps you think can be taken to narrow it?

Another question I wish I knew the answer to. These players seem to work hard. I am not as close to the professional scene as I used to be when I actively played, but I felt practice schedules were strict. Teams seem to be doing the right thing, on the surface level.

I feel like the Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams in Europe have more opportunities to attend LAN events, so they can test themselves against better teams. I wish there were more events like the iBUYPOWER Master’s in North America. The country is so large and traveling from the East Coast to West Coast isn’t cheap, quick or easy. Not only are Tier 1 teams in EU surpassing Tier 1 teams in NA, I feel like Europe’s Tier 2-3 scene is thriving. That is my one speculation that a more active LAN scene has helped those teams test themselves in a tournament environment.

I hope more tournament organizers follow suit after the success of the iBP Masters.

What was the worst event you’ve ever attended and why was it IronGaming?

Hah. I felt awful because I think I was part of the reason NiP and Na’Vi attended. They were in Dallas the weekend before and I mentioned a $15,000 tournament in Austin – just a few hours away. At the time, $15,000 was nothing to laugh at. I may have validated the event to those two teams. At the very least, we all had fun on Sixth Street.

Because of technical delays, IronGaming wanted to switch to BO1, single elimination – with NiP and Na’Vi on the same side of the bracket. It wasn’t fair that all of these teams wasted their time and money to come only to potentially play a single map. It got to the point I had to step in and advise on the tournament format. It seemed like the teams appreciated that.

Further, the event forced all teams to buy passes to get into the Rooster Teeth Expo – passes that were SOLD OUT! In what insane world would a team have to buy their pass to get into a venue space they’ve already bought a separate tournament pass for? We had to buy scalped tickets to get into the tournament. Madness.

Dignitas recently replaced CAth with milk - what can you say about the reason for the change, and what does milk bring to the team?

A needed change and a fresh look at the game. CAth is enormously talented and a veteran of the game, but the team was only making minimal progression – not necessarily one individual’s fault. The group was looking for some new blood and thought milk had potential to take the team to the next level.

What are your thoughts on “Team X”, a new team of female players featuring missharvey, masq, klaudia, and others?

They are a talented line-up of female stars. Klaudia, I feel, has the most potential to be not just a great player on a female team but could star in a Main or Premier level roster. She hasn’t been able to attend most LAN tournaments but that seems like that may change in the near future, so I look forward to seeing her impact.

Team Dignitas was acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers last year, what kind of support does the CS team get from the basketball organization? For example, it was mentioned that the team would be bootcamping at their facilities ahead of upcoming events.

We’ve visited the 76ers Training Complex two times for bootcamps. While the bootcamp includes play-time, it’s far more than just non-stop Counter-Strike. We could do that from California, where we are mostly based. The added benefit is access to the same resources as the NBA team. Dr. David Martin, the Director of Performance Research and Development, has pioneered a training regimen for esports athletes. From sports science and psychology, to training, rehabilitation, nutrition and team communication, we’ve worked alongside a team of 76ers doctors, coaches and chefs to better our habits and routine as gamers and teammates. We are also given media and brand training to prepare ourselves for future careers that may or may not be in esports.

The qualifiers for WESG Americas just happened, and two mix teams of Dignitas players qualified for the LAN. How important do you think an event like WESG is for the growth of the female scene?

I felt it was important – with a record-breaking prize pool for females, this of all female-events, should be the one that drives competitive players to form teams. Even if they are just pugs and they don’t work out, it gives teams an opportunity to experience a team environment.

I know the number of competitive females is small, but I was still shocked by the low turnout. Though, the same can be said for the non-female scene. Perhaps WESG is not nearly as recognized as other tournament organizers and therefore the interest seems limited across the entire scene. Unfortunate considering the massive amount of money at stake.

The upcoming BLAST Pro Series will be using a new format for their event. As someone who works behind the scenes, do you think there is still room for organizers to innovate? Moreover, is there incentive?

Yes – absolutely. With so many events, sometimes two per weekend, there needs to be some innovation to add excitement to new events. I worry that CS:GO viewership has hit a standstill. Even as a devoted fan, I’ll often pass up watching an event every few weekends because I know that the same teams will meet again the near future. BLAST gives fans a reason to experience a new way to watch CS:GO. Adding differentiation will potentially ensure existing events maintain viewership as well, as fans may want both a mix of the new and the old rather than predictable line-up every weekend.

sapphiRe was wearing her observer hat this past weekend, as she was working the BLAST Pro Series taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Sadly, she will not be present at ESL Pro League Season 6 Finals, but will be attending both the ELEAGUE Major Boston offline qualifier as well as the main event.