A Living Legacy

Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangchod was presented with the Dennis Hawelka Award during The Overwatch League’s All-Star Weekend. Here is why this award means so much to the community, and Mickie.

KT
KT
Sep 3, 2018 · 4 min read
Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangchod being interviewed by Mitch “Uber” Leslie and Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles after being presented the Dennis Hawelka Award. Photo Credit to Blizzard Entertainment.

The smile that had made him famous was wide on Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangchod’s face as he entered the Blizzard Arena to thunderous applause. He had just been announced as the first winner of the Dennis Hawelka Award, an honor given to the player that had, “the most positive impact on the community.” There are few people who deserved this award more than Mickie, protege of the late Hawelka and beam of light in a stressful and controversial first season of The Overwatch League.

As Mitch “Uber” Leslie said while presenting the award in Hawelka’s name,

“Dennis was a leader, but I think he understood something about leadership that many people never really get to. Leadership is not about being the best, or standing at the top and looking down, but it’s actually about bringing up the next generation of leaders…”

Dennis “INTERNETHULK” Hawelka had passed away on November 8th, 2017 at only 30 years old. The details of how he died have been shared a thousand times, and frankly, it is not a story that needs telling, not in comparison to the incredible reality of the life Hawelka lived. Dennis Hawelka devoted himself and his career to mentoring and supporting other players, all while having an incredible amount of impact on multiple Esports scenes, though Overwatch might be his most notable.

A pioneer of competitive Overwatch during it’s beta and lover of all things Esports, INTERNETHULK played for one of Overwatch’s most famous Western teams, EnVyUs, during their meteoric rise to success in APEX Season 1. All of this success would have been hard to find, however, had it not been for the addition of a certain someone.

Mickie pictured with the members of Team Thailand OWWC 2016. Photo courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

Along came Mickie. Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangchod had won the hearts of everyone during the 2016 Overwatch World Cup through his on-camera antics and radiant positivity. Though Team Thailand did not find much in-game success during the World Cup, Mickie was a fan-favorite. Even more than this, however, was how he had caught the discerning eye of INTERNETHULK.

Soon after, EnVyUs saw the departure of Ronnie “Tailspin” DuPree when they needed him the most. They were one of a handful of Western teams invited to participate in APEX, the premier Overwatch competition and were staring at the faces of the most successful teams in the world. Having made it through to the tournament’s quarterfinals, EnVyUs were facing one of their greatest rivals in Rogue, another Western team that was making quite a bit of noise with their success in APEX.

Rogue was absolutely Titan-like, having a 3–0 match score and a 9–0 game score at that point in the tournament. For reference, this would be like playing 3 matches of Soccer or Football (whatever you prefer, regionally) and not allowing your opponent to score a single goal during any of the games. That’s what EnVyUs was up against.

Thankfully, INTERNETHULK knew exactly who to call.

Mickie joined the EnVyUs roster mere days before their match against Rogue, and the odds were clearly against them. EnVyUs, a team that had fought hard to arrive at APEX at all, seemed like they would be taken down by the undeniable wave of Rogue’s power.

Team EnVyUs following the addition of Mickie. Photo courtesy of Team EnVyUs’ Twitter.

They came, they played, and they absolutely conquered — you can see it for yourself right here. EnVyUs had taken down Rogue. Mickie knocked it out of the park with his insane play despite his limited English and having had only 3 days to practice with the EnVyUs roster. Mickie shone so brilliantly in this game that it was almost unbelievable. Despite all odds, INTERNETHULK had trusted his gut about the fantastic player with an irreplaceable amount of positivity, and it had paid off.

This undeniably historic match set Mickie on the path to signing with EnVyUs full-time and thus launching his career as a professional Overwatch player. There are no other Thai players in the Overwatch League, and there would likely not be any at all, had it not been for INTERNETHULK.

Having brought Mickie into the spotlight, having given Mickie the chance to become the smiling superstar that we know him as today, INTERNETHULK had done once more what he had always done best: furthering the reach of Esports and bringing new opportunity to those that deserved it, regardless of nationalities or team affiliations. INTERNETHULK wanted to help the best be their best, and he did that a hundred times over with kindness and good faith.

Dennis “INTERNETHULK” Hawelka. Photo Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

The rest, unfortunately, we know. Dennis Hawelka was gone far too soon. He left the Overwatch Community with a legacy of leadership that lives on in everyone that he’s ever coached or competed with. He also leaves a living legacy in Mickie, a star that has shone so brightly despite innumerable hardships and insurmountable odds.

Honoring the legacy of Dennis “INTERNETHULK” Hawelka in this way means remembering that those who work harder, those who fight together, those who encourage and uplift, will always find their reward.

KT

Written by

KT

Tenured professor, certified public accountant, arkwright, but mostly a journalist.

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