Article by Samuel "oPlaiD" Lingle. Thanks to Mike Luxion of Gameriot for the title.


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ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- The most memorable thing about Dallas Venom’s Kevin “CHA0S” Parrish during Championship Gaming Series first season probably isn’t his edgy, aggressive, racing or brutally honest confidence in himself... it’s most likely his Mohawk.

Considering he and PGR3 teammate Patrick “Indigo Ferret” Wyrick finished season one dead last in the league with a 3-9 record and -32 point differential, there was little else positive to remember.

Parrish left the hair behind when he journeyed to college after season one’s end, although he promises his trademark “do” will return next season. He doubts it’d be hard for fans to identify him without it, anyway.

“I've always been recognized by the sideburns and goatee,” offered Parrish. “I've had the facial hair since middle school and I don't see me ever losing it!”

Style will always be a worry to the more self-conscious gamers in CGS’s televised competition, but the bigger concern for Parrish will be overcoming the ghosts of a season in which his Dallas Venom placed last in the league and making sure his results speak louder than his hair.

“Honestly, it hasn't been on my mind that much until someone brings it up. The past is the past and I'm just focusing on the future,” said Parrish. “If you dwell on the past, you'll never move forward. Right now I'm just focusing on perfecting my lines and becoming as consistent as possible to do what I can.”

He continued, “After the draft I'll focus on working with my partner to make sure we're solid on both the speed and teamwork fronts. A last place spot will not be acceptable this season.”

The recent CGS World Final was a poignant reminder of what could have been for everyone who didn’t earn an invitation. Watching the games from home was “incredibly difficult” for Parrish.

In regard to the World Final competition the Venom racer said, “Obviously there are a lot of rivalries in the racing community and to sit and watch someone you know you can beat get a chance like that is not easy on the heart.”

Those are strong words coming from someone on the PGR3 duo with the worst record and tied for the worst point differential in the entire league, but those poor team statistics are a stark contrast to another tally that Parrish hopes is much more telling. If you award points to PGR3 racers individually based off their race placements, Parrish’s 35 points are good for third in the entire league, only bested by Chicago Chimera’s near-divine Wesley “Ch0mpr” Cwiklo (44) and Jason “JasonX” Exelby (40) (Check out Carolina Core's Crunching the PGR3 Numbers for full league statistics).

“I feel that is far more representative of my skill than what Indigo and I did as a team. Unfortunately under the CGS format, individual skill is only part of the formula for a great team,” explained Parrish. “Both players need to develop their own set of skills and then learn how implement their combined skill sets as best as possible. I learned a lot last year about working with someone else and will be bringing that to the table this year.”

Parrish has made it a point to focus on teamwork when next season begins, but he’ll first have to deal with an obstacle that lies just ahead: next month’s North American Combine and Draft at SXSW in Austin, Texas. The event threatens to shake up all the teams in the league, and Parrish knows all too well that no player is safe.

“There should be a large draft pool... and out of the newcomers there are definitely some who could replace current CGS players,” stated Parrish. “If your season didn't go too well last year, expect a fight for it.”

Whatever way you want to spin Parrish’s results last year, it’s clear he isn’t worried about his future in the league.

He was quick to respond when asked if he’s ready for the combine: “How ready is the combine for me? That's the real question!”

We'll find out the answer in just under a month.



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