From February 5 to February 11 our League of Legends team had the awesome opportunity to come together for a mid-season bootcamp at the 1337 Camp in Waiblingen near Stuttgart. Esports teams from all over the world come together at the location every year to practice in a professional environment. Since we were very familiar with the facilities and appreciated the quality of equipment and service provided at past visits, we knew this was the right decision.

The primary goal of the bootcamp was to prepare the team for the rest of the prime league split as best as we possibly could. While focusing on extended practice sessions and talking over strategies, the team also worked on the internal chemistry and communication skills.

All players and the coaching staff as well as our social media manager arrived at the location on Monday afternoon. We started by getting to know each other in person and slowly setting up everything for a successful week. The day concluded with the players setting up a challenge for the upcoming days on who will perform best in Solo Queue.

On Tuesday we took the opportunity to take professional photos in the 1337 camp’s very own studio. Afterwards the team focused on practicing against different opponents before ending the day with a very close game against Epic Dudes on the 7th matchday of Prime League. After a very strong early start we sadly couldn’t get the lead over the finish line and had to concede a bitter fourth defeat in the regular season. Despite the loss, we ended the day with a very good pizza from the local restaurant.

On Wednesday and Thursday, we continued our practice routines while also including some valuable group theory and review lessons with the two coaches. In the second match of Prime League on Friday we faced off against one of the leagues favorites, TeamOrangeGaming, where we expected a very challenging game. Even though we found some good picks in the early and mid game, we struggled to keep up with the pace that TOG was bringing to the table towards the later stages of the game. That’s why we had to concede another defeat to end the week 0-2.

Even though the results don’t look too good on paper, we had a great experience at an awesome location in Waiblingen. The players and staff members got to know each other better and worked on improving roles, structures, and processes within the team. The intense focus on improvement allowed players to break through performance plateaus and push their boundaries. We look forward to how the team develops in the upcoming weeks.