Welcome, welcome, welcome to episode 144 of the eavesdrop podcast award winning eavesdrop podcast nominated year again. I got nominated for personality of the year. I got nominated for serious.

The eavesdrop get nominated in that. Yeah, so three nominations for for Papa, the creator of the year, personality, eavesdrop personality year, and then, you know, the show, the podcast team of the year, team of the year last year last or 2020.

You guys got team of the year. Well, what team was that decision gaming space is shut out. Momentshundurus, sir, haven't talked to him in a long ass time, but it's all good. So today we have our newest one of our newest members to the optic gaming team to the optic squadron.

Mr. Slater, Thomas, Reddles, backwards Slater, that's your first name. 19 years old, and I'm just reading up here, started playing professionally in 2017 previously.

Mekji, the dudes, Honduras, Pittsburgh nights, space station gaming, approximate winnings, 254,000. What you do with that money? Nothing about a Tesla and save the rest.

It's a good thing. You are originally from where? Virginia, small town near the beach, Virginia Beach, so. Well, welcome, want to optic into the podcast. I'm excited to be here. Yeah, I'm in.

Tell us, tell us a story. Let's start with who you are today. Who are you today?

I am Slater, Thomas, also known as Reddles. I am a professional rock elite player. I have been for four years now, formerly space station of who would have years now optic.

I am a one of six in the family. Oh, are you youngest oldest? Second youngest. Second youngest. Four brothers and a sister.

I lived in Virginia most of my life, lived in Arkansas for a few years, but now we are in full-time in Dallas. When you say we, who are you talking about?

I'm with the team right now. I'm here permanently. They're here for the season. Got it. Any plans for them to be when we're down here a lot more?

I'm not sure. They're going to be down here pretty permanently. It's like for the regionals, and they're going to take a few weeks off, go home, play the major, come back.

Are you going to go home, too? For Christmas, probably, but nothing else. Good. You should. I always make it a point for people to be like, look, it's really easy to get lost in the grind of this, especially when the opportunity just keeps getting bigger and bigger, but you also have to remember.

Look, I'm guilty of not taking my own advice, but it is important for you to take some time and sort of focus on the things that matter and the reason why you're doing the things that you're doing.

100%. So it's a 19-year-old. Two years ago, you finished high school last year?

2021. So yeah, like a year and a half ago.

Okay. What was high school like for you? I mean, because you were playing.

Interesting. Right. Yeah. It was good. I played soccer all the way up until high school, and then rockily hit. I pulled my hamstring.

I was done with soccer for a bit. Got really into rockily and quit soccer for it.

It was something. Why not FIFA? I played a little FIFA, but the pro scene for that game is just bad.

And I actually didn't plan on going pro and rockily. I just enjoyed it a lot, and I was addicted to it, and I just played a ton.

And I got to 1000 Xbox at first, and I got to top 100 on Xbox and top 50 on Xbox. Eventually number one on Xbox and 1v1s.

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