Meet Chase Geddes, Blazer5 Gaming’s New Talent & Logistics Manager

Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school?
I’m Chase, I’m 21 years old and I’ve spent my entire life in Oregon. I grew up in Aloha where I went to Century High School. After high school, I spent three years in Eugene where I attended University of Oregon to study Psychology and Political science. After getting my Bachelors degree, I moved back to the Portland metro area.

What’s your background with esports?
I’ve been involved in esports in one capacity or another for several years. I started out as a semi-professional League of Legends player during Season 3. After realizing I had a passion for helping teams grow, I transitioned into a coaching role, working with various challenger teams and assisting NME in qualifying for the LCS. Moving from there, I worked in the LCS as a Head Analyst for teams before moving to Overwatch where I became a manager. When I saw the opportunity to work for my favorite team in my hometown, I jumped at the opportunity.

What excites you about the 2K League?
I’m excited about yet another esport receiving a very organized league, and more so, I can’t wait to see how the league bridges the gap between traditional sports fans, and esports fans. With many other esports, there’s no appeal from a spectator perspective unless you actively play the game. With 2k, anyone who’s played basketball can watch a stream and understand whats going on and whos winning. It’s got a ton of potential and I can’t wait to see it finally unfold.

What will your role be within the Blazer5 Gaming organization?
At Blazer5 Gaming I’ll be the Talent & Logistics manager. That means I’ll be in charge of the team’s day to day including scheduling, practicing, organizing meals and travel, and making sure the players have everything they need to succeed. Basically anything outside of playing the actual game is my responsibility, but I’ll also be acting as a coach as well, leading discussions, creating strategy, and ensuring efficient practice. Outside of the players and game itself, I’ll also be working with the rest of our team to create engaging content and interacting with fans.

What kind of goals do you have for the team?
Obviously my number 1 goal is to have a competitive team and win. Aside from that, I want to make Portland a very entertaining and engaging team. This will involve filming and editing weekly videos as well as a couple other surprises that will be revealed later in the season.

What are some of the biggest challenges you think you’ll face in your first season?
I think my biggest challenge will be not only growing my team as players, but helping them to grow as people. For a lot of these guys, this will be their first job and possibly their first time living on their own. I think helping introduce them to the balance between working, relaxing, and having more responsibility than they’re used to may be a challenger.

Tell us about your philosophy when it comes to managing players and coaching
My philosophy when it comes to managing players and coaching is that everyone’s perspective is valid and its important to understand why each player feels a specific way about an issue as well as what lead them to that decision. I like to make sure I hear everyone out whenever there are disagreements, and get all sides before offering a final solution. I think it’s important for the players to be able to express their thoughts and get constructive feedback rather than simply be told the correct answer.

How do you feel about the esports & gaming scene in the Pacific Northwest?
I think it’s honestly underrated. There’s a lot more of an esports scene here than a lot of people think. It doesn’t have quite the same concentration as the Los Angeles area, but the fans and players here are all super passionate. I love it.

What kind of sports did you play growing up?
I was actually never a really big traditional sports guy. I used to love playing basketball but was also pretty short as a kid so I was at a disadvantage. I looked for a sport that wasn’t too reliant on stature, and started bowling. I got pretty good, and was the number 1 ranked youth bowler in Oregon for a while. It helped that my first job was at a bowling alley so I got free bowling and used to bowl 10 or more games a day to practice.

What are some of your favorite games of all-time?
Probably my favorite game of all time that I don’t play anymore is Runescape. I used to play it back in elementary school with my big brother and we made our own fishing shop and it was loads of fun. After that, I got into Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 after buying an Xbox360 with my first paycheck, and that was my first foray into pretty serious gaming so it will always have a special place in my heart. I also used to play a decent amount of League of Legends which lead me into getting my first professional gig. Other than 2K, I really love Overwatch, Fortnite, and any game where I can compete against others.