Even FNCS winners have struggles. Wave Jur3ky shares his lack of motivation following his win a couple months ago.
Wave Jur3ky shared his feelings following the FNCS win. The champion talked about the high moments and lack of motivation he currently feels. At first, his emotions were high and he helped out his parents with his prize money. Over time, the win caused Jur3ky to lose motivation. He no longer pushed to be the best. Now, he recognized these issues and looks to fight the championship hangover.
The highs of winning FNCS
Back in May, "Wave Jur3ky," Aleksa "LootBoy Queasy" Cvetkovic, Nikola "Glorious TruleX" Krudulj won the European FNCS Championship. The trio was not expected to win, but proved everyone wrong. They dominated the high ground position, won three matches, and earned themselves $100,000 each. Immediately following the win, Jur3ky turned on his stream and share the emotional moment.
Jur3ky hugged his mother and broke down in happiness. This beautiful moment is rare in esports, especially Fortnite. Fortnite hosts most of its events online and fans lose the personal aspect of the game. The moment was a culmination of hours, days, and months of hard work. He achieved his goal.
In his statement, Jurk3y wrote "I want to get my mom out of her debt." He continued, "wanted to do everything in my power to help her." All the effort he put in, allowed him to help out his mother. By winning FNCS, Jur3ky could help his mother and alleviate stress from her life.
Not only did the young player take care of his parents' debts, but also made sure they enjoyed themselves. "Now with all this money, I for sure helped my mom and dad out. They both covered all of the debts, and I made sure for them to treat themselves as well." Jur3ky wrote. Everything was great!
The championship hangover hits hard
In traditional sports, the term "championship hangover" references a team that wins a championship and struggles the next season. A team peaks during their winning run then fails to repeat that success. This human element makes sports great and certainly translates into esports.
After FNCS and achieving his goals, Jur3ky lost his drive to be the best. In essence, Jur3ky was the best. He held the title and looked up to no one. In his statement, he shared " I wasn't as hungry. I didn't have the drive I had when I was striving to be the best. It all just faded away, as if it was never there." The fire that pushed him now faded. He felt lost.
"So what I've learned, make up silly dreams. 'I will win world cup' or 'I will get 10k average viewers on Twitch'. Something so silly that you almost can't believe it yourself, but this way you won't reach it in a month, 3 months, or maybe even a year. It'll take you time. This way you can keep your fire burning, this way you won't ever be 'satisfied'."
Instead of Jur3ky's regular routine, he just played creative mode. There were no Kovaaks, custom games, or Arena matches. Jur3ky said he is still working on this but is starting to get better. "I'm actually still struggling with this, I'm not AS motivated as I used to be, but I'm actually doing ALOT better." He wrote.
Following self-reflection, Jur3ky synthesized that he set his goals too low. His goal was to support his parents and that came more quickly than he thought it would. Now his plan is to set his goals much higher, almost unachievable within a short period of time. Jur3ky said, "Something so silly that you almost can't believe it yourself, but this way you won't reach it in a month, 3 months, or maybe even a year."
The fire has yet to fully return, but it has been reignited. Jur3ky wanted to share this and let people know how he feels. He also asked if former winners felt the same way. His bold statement is one of the first of its kind. Jur3ky provided true insight into himself as a player and person. It takes both courage and humility to post something that vunerable.