Team dignitas interviewed

After doing quite well at the 2007 ESWC Finals we decided to do an interview with Dignitas' Managing Director Michael 'ODEE' O'Dell. Result can be found just under here.

Could you please introduce yourself to the audience?
My name is Michael O’Dell and I am the Team Manager for Team Dignitas. I am 35 and have been managing the team since we formed in 2003. I have stopped playing now but I was in the Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2 teams and before Team Dignitas I played top level Quake 3 and RTCW.

Dignitas participated in the ESWC Finals a few weeks ago, your results were what could be called ‘above public expectations’. What do you think is the reason for this, your immense practice or the lesser quality from other teams?
I would say obviously practice but I believe that bringing this group of players to our organization has helped them immensely. We do not claim to be the guru’s of CS I would hope by now the players know the game inside out. What we have taught them though since they joined is how to win and that is what we are very good at. I think to be fair to the team this is one of the best UK lineups that there has been and they have performed and that is what counts.

Worldwide your CS team is relatively unknown. Could you tell us how it started and what the future plans/goals are?
Team Dignitas has steered away from CS since we formed that is true and we always said that if we went into to it the team must suit us. We got the opportunity last year when we recruited RattlesnK and his team and we gave him license to build a team capable of competing at the highest level. I would say he has done that very well and we are delighted that the team are playing so well. The future plans are to continue on the course we are on and that is to gain more international experience and play as well as we can. Those are the Team Dignitas goals for all teams.

You will be participating in GameGune 2007 this weekend, have you had a lot of extra practice or are you always playing at that top-level?
We haven’t bootcamped like we did for ESWC but the team has been practicing every day since they returned. We have now added AdY so they have been playing a bit more to get him used to the team. Already though Ady has fitted in very well, but the team all know him well anyway. I think overall the team will be even better than we were at ESWC with this addition but we know of course it will be just as tough if not tougher.

What are your expectations for GameGune, in relation to Dignitas, do you expect to pull a stunt or was ESWC just a bit of well-earned luck?
We I think we have been seeded 9th so for me 9th would be the expected result. Our guys are well aware of the talented teams they will be up against and we have the up most respect for them. I wouldn’t be surprised though if we exceeded 9th position and the team I know for sure won’t be happy unless they finish as high as possible. Everyone needs a bit of luck to win any tournament ?

Who do you think will finish in the top 3 this year?
PGS Gaming
SK-Gaming
69N-28E

What team do you fear the most at GameGune and why do you?
Our guys are fans of PGS Gaming, we bootcamped at Inferno Online before ESWC and we were fortunate to play a few practice games with them. Our guys said PGS would win ESWC and they were right. PGS must go to Spain with their name already half written on the trophy.

Do you think that there is a possibility that dignitas one day will be just as known and respected as 4Kings was in the past few years? If so, why?
In CS it is possible and I hope we can represent the UK with pride and dignity in the tournaments that we attend. In the other games that we play the Team Dignitas name is massive, it would be nice if our CS team can make that happen with CS too. I am pretty sure they can, they are a superb group of players and with us we can nurture them.

No running into the press-room before it opens this event?
Hehe, not this time I will be staying at home, Meph will be attending the event with the team. I had to get into the press room in Paris quick as I was writing a diary for the BBC website and the deadline for submission was close ?

Well, we’ve reached the end of this interview. I personally look forward to seeing you perform at GG, and so do a lot of fans I suppose. Any last words?
I would like to wish our team all the best, they know exactly what to do and they know our whole organization is backing them. I would also like to thank our sponsors Intel, abit, Creative, Corsair, XFX and Scan Computers.

We wish Dignitas the best of luck at GameGune 2007, you will of course be able to watch their, and everybody elses matches through our HLTVs, be sure to check often!

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