stamina: "I hate that I used the word 'retired' because I knew that I was probably going to come back"

Dust2.us' Jeffrey "Mnmzzz" Moore had the opportunity to speak with Tsunami's Bobby "stamina" Eitrem after their first match v. Crodies at Fragadelphia 19 in Canada. stamina spoke on his return to CS, his new relationship with the game, and his professional prospects going forward.

The full interview is available below on YouTube, with key snippets transcribed underneath. All questions and answers have been edited slightly for clarity and length.

You have this opportunity because you returned from retirement recently. What prompted your return to join Tsunami?

I think it starts with why I stopped playing in the first place. I was trying to tackle transitioning out of being full-time in CS. Even when I was unsigned, I was still full-time for a good three and a half years. So, I had to transition into working a 9-to-5 job, drive home, and then immediately get on the computer to play.

I think it burned me out really quickly, so that's why I "retired". I hate that I used that word because I knew that I was probably going to come back when it made sense. I took a little under ten months off, and if I can make it work, I want to do that until I absolutely can not.

One of the things you said when you "retired" from Undefined was that you felt like you had an unhealthy relationship with the game. What do you think has changed since then?

I had this mindset that I had to have 100 hours in the past two weeks. I had to be the hardest worker on the team and do all this stuff, going above and beyond, but I was also working a full-time job. It was driving me to this point where my significant other was upset that I wasn't giving her enough time, we weren't able to do trips with family and friends because I was always playing tournaments. At the same time, I was just struggling with that transition.

Now, being able to get comfortable in my job, join a team that isn't at that upper-echelon where I need to be playing so much and traveling so much, it's something that's easier for me to manage. I'm also not in-game leading so it takes a lot of pressure off me as well.

You mentioned playing with a lower-level team being important to your work/life balance. Does that rule out potentially wanting to climb the ranks again and go back to being a top ECL team?

I'm fine with pursuing it, but it starts a little bit differently now. In any other team I've joined, we would start practice at 2pm or 3pm and do six hours of practice. This team didn't do that by default. If we can maximize the amount of time we practice, become really good, and reach that next level, and if money comes into the picture, then I would be able to go back to doing it full-time.

Right now, I'm understanding what I'm able to put in, what that might produce, and it may never produce another opportunity to be pro again but if it does it would make me the happiest person on Earth.

Tsunami advanced through stage one, then fell to Zomblers and Chicken Coop and were eliminated in stage two.