Kornelia - CyberAthlete (July 1998)
One of the most dangerous cyberathletes out there (but also one of the sweetest ;-) is Kornelia. Sadly she got knocked out early in the CPL tournament, but as Spookie writes, had she had a little more luck with map selection she would have probably made it to the top 10:

"Kornelia was never able to bounce back because she was knocked out of the competition because of that loss on dm2. Bum deal there. Kornelia definitely would have been one of the top 10 finalists had she been able to play her matches exclusively on dm4 and dm6. However that was not the case. So to all you aspiring players out there hoping for your name in the big bright cyber lights make sure you're well versed on all the big 1 on 1 levels, namely dm2, dm4, dm6 and e1m2".

Kornelia very kindly answered some questions for Challenge.AU about the CPL Event and her experiences there:

The LAN Event:
Challenge.AU:
How well organised was the CPL LAN Event overall?
Kornelia:
I think that this was a very well organized event. Things ran pretty smooth and even though we got behind schedule at times, the organizers worked very hard and it paid off.
Challenge.AU:
What were the playing conditions like for you and the other Players? (eg, stuff like - did you have delays, was there too much noise, was the set-up good/bad).
Kornelia:
The playing conditions were good compared to the size of the event. There were delays due to the fact that a lot of players needed some extra time to get their drivers working and to get their setup right. The computers were really good and fast machines and no one really had major problems with them. The announcer was mostly keeping quiet during matches so it wasn't distracting the players.
Challenge.AU:
Could spectators watch the games on large screens?
Kornelia:
The large screens were set up for the final matches and people could watch there as well as the player's actual screens.
Challenge.AU:
If there were large screens, could the Players playing see them?
Kornelia:
The screens were in the players peripheral vision, if they looked 180 degrees to the side than they could see only their own screens projected there.
Challenge.AU:
Was there any commentary on the games (especially the finals)?
Kornelia:
No there wasn't. I think it's a pretty bad idea to have a commentary give updated of the ongoing match even if it's a 4 on 4 team game. A commentary during a 1 on 1 sounds like a bad idea since the players could probably hear it even through their headphones.
Challenge.AU:
Any things you would have liked to have seen or things that could have been done better?
Kornelia:
It would have been nice if it was double elimination from the beggining not just for the final 16. (I found out about this at the event.) Also having a pepsi machine close by and filled up and reasonably priced food would have been nice.
Challenge.AU:
Any things you thought were particularly well done?
Kornelia:
In my opinion the event was very well run overall thanks to Mike (Giggler), Frank (Ignatu) and company.
Challenge.AU:
Do you think the next CPL Events will also be Quake-focused?
Kornelia:
I think at this point the CPL has decided that the next CPLevent will be Quake 2.
Challenge.AU:
Were Gamers keen to continue to play Quake, overall?
Kornelia:
A lot of the "old school" gamers still prefer Quake to other newer first person shoter games. I think a lot of us have really got used to this game. The balance, the way it handles, maps, weapons, etc. It's hard to start over after nearly 2 years and get used to a very different game.
Challenge.AU:
There's been some feedback on the message board concerning the seeding of the Cyberathletes - have you heard of that stuff and (if so) what's your view? (It was some stuff from a few ppl saying that the Cyberathletes got a "dream run" or something due to seeding).
Kornelia:
All players had to work hard for their rankings. Of course we did not get teamed up against each other in the first round and I don't think that it should surprise people. We got seeded so the stronger players would not meet at first therefore the better matches will be toward the end and no one would get eliminated early on.
Your games:
Challenge.AU:
How did you do in the Event and how did it go for you?
Kornelia:
I actually lost in the second round. Me and my opponent were trying to decide on a map. My fav (dm4) was his least liked one and his fav (dm2) was my least liked map so we went to random draw. The random draw was dm2. At that point I knew that I lost. In the past few months I have been really busy with real life stuff so I could not prepare to the CPL as thoroughly as I should/ could have. I did not even practice dm2 I just spent my free time playing dm4 and 6. Of course I lost. My opponent played very well and it was just bad luck on my side.
Challenge.AU:
Did you have a great time?
Kornelia:
I had a very good time! It was very cool to get together with the other Cyberathlete players. They are really great guys and we had a lot of fun at the event hanging out, playing and watching games.
Challenge.AU:
What were some of the personal highlights for you?
Kornelia:
Mostly it was just cool to see some of my online friends and teammates in person and to hang out with them for a few days. I enjoyed watching exciting and tough games and just enjoying the event.
Challenge.AU:
What can we look forward to next from Kornelia?
Kornelia:
Right now I am very excited about the New Zealand Quake tournament and I hope that I'll be able to go and participate. Since professional Quake is probably at it's end, I look forward to trying out and playing other new, cool games.
Challenge.AU:
Were you surprised at the result - Rix winning? How exciting was that final?
Kornelia:
Both Gollum and Rix are strong players. When you have 2 good players in a match a lot depends on how lucky you get with spawns and the first spawn of the game.The final was really exciting. Gollum had a very good start scooping up both rl's and ra, taking out Rix. He had control for a long time, killing Rix a couple more times. At that point it looked like he would take it. Rix stole ra at one point and it turned the game around. Gollum was never really able to come back until the last minute when it was too late.
Challenge.AU:
Were you surprised at the top 8 (the new faces)?
Kornelia:
I was always hoping that a "no name" a person that no one has ever heard of some day would show up to a major event and wipe everyone out. I think that there were a fewpeople in the top 8 that people didn't expect to see, but they played really well and they deserved their spot.
Challenge.AU:
Did you see much of Steve "sCary" Gibson? How was he doing? How did he enjoy getting to the final 6?
Kornelia:
sCary played very well. I was suprised when he beat Thorn on dm4 by one frag. I'm sure that he really enjoyed placing 6th and he did much better than most people have expected.
Challenge.AU:
Was there a big party afterwards? Got any interesting gossip ;-)?
Kornelia:
On the first night of the event a few of us went over to Ionstorm and we got a preview of Daikatana. It looks great. I also talked to some people at id and I think Quake Arena is gonna rock. I had to leave for the airport not long after the finals match to catch my plane, so if there was a party I missed it.
Challenge.AU:
I hope you had a really good time at the Event and that your games went well (ie, nothing really unlucky or unfair). I'm still trying to get through the demos.
Kornelia:
I got kinda unlucky but it happens. :)