Khizha and his arrival on one of the most important Counter-Strike teams: “It's being part of a huge family”

The disciplines of women's teams are marking a slow, but clear growth in the world of esports, and it is - to a large extent - thanks to the constant push by women who are passionate about sports and who seek to have the same opportunities as many men to be able to make a living from esports. One of the most prominent cases in Argentina is undoubtedly that of Julieta “Khizha” Grilla, emblem of the women's Counter Strike: Global Offensive in recent years, who was announced as the new MIBR player in Brazil.

MIBR is one of the most recognized esports organizations in South America. Founded in 2003, it has an extensive history in Counter Strike, and the nickname of being the first Brazilian team to be world champions, when it was crowned the 2006 Electronic Sports World Cup of CS 1.6 that was held in Paris. In her almost 20 years of life she has won many important titles, and she currently has a CSGO core team, a women's team, an academy, a RainbowSix roster, VALORANT and another from Free Fire.

The 23-year-old will be part of the sixth team of her career, which joins the list of Primadonna, Malvinas Primadonna, Isurus, 9Z and Aorus Vision. In mid-September last year, he had announced that he was going to take a break from the competition and recently announced that he wanted to return to playing professionally. Her new organization is made up of four Brazilian players: LyttleZ, HeraDeus, Arkynha and flystyle. Khizha. He already made his debut last Thursday, when they beat Quem Sao Elas 2-0 for the first date of the ESL Impact League, and he showed a great level on his return.

From Infobae Latin Power we talked with her about the objectives and challenges that include reaching such an important institution in Brazil: “My expectations here are very high. The team is very strong and each player has something fundamental to achieve our goals. Our biggest goal is to win the Major, but if there's one thing I've always kept in mind about me, it's that you have to have a big goal that you want to accomplish in order to see what steps are left to get there, how many 'mini objectives' you have to achieve first to reach that great goal.”

— During the months that you were inactive, did you think about leaving the CS or switching to VALORANT at some point?

“CS went from being a hobby to a job for me 5 or 6 years ago. Within that time I never stopped for a second. In August 2021, I decided to take some time because I felt like I really needed it. Around this time too -or a little earlier-, a lot of CS players were switching to VALORANT, which never caught my attention, since I didn't see it as a game I like to compete. Beyond the millions of opportunities that VALORANT has today, I decided to continue with my hiatus from the competition, indefinitely until I really feel ready to compete in CS again.

“And what made you feel that way again?

“It's not like there was something that made me change. The moment I stopped competing is because I really felt that I needed some time to find myself as a player again. In August I began to feel doubts whether I really wanted to continue playing and I noticed that I wasn't giving my 100%, and also that I couldn't give it. Something was blocking me and I didn't want to hurt my team by continuing to play like this. It was a very difficult decision because it is something that I have been doing almost six years of my life as a corrido. That pause I gave myself helped me - in January of this year - to feel that desire again until one day I said: “Well, I want to do what I like again.” That's when I posted, several proposals came to me and thank God the MIBR thing came, which was crazy.

— What does it feel like that an important organization like MIBR has noticed you?

“To this day, there are times when I don't fall for that I am part of MIBR. It's a dream. Being in here is being part of a really huge family and it's amazing. The fact that MIBR has noticed me makes me feel very happy with myself, because I know that all the work I did throughout my competitive career was not only seen in Argentina, but also made it to Brazil and made there are Brazilian players who want to work with me.

— What human and work group did you meet?

“I met a wonderful group, super dedicated and organized. I felt very comfortable from day one. We all knew that we had to get to work, that we had goals to accomplish, tournaments on top and we couldn't let time pass. The amount of things I learned, studied and taught me in less than a week as a team is inexplicable. We constantly share information and knowledge, with each other in order to keep us all in the same line and to have a good performance. There is an abysmal respect and trust in such a short time that it makes you feel super comfortable.

— Are you closely following the fem scene in Brazil?

“I was always aware of the women's scene in Brazil, both championships, as teams and as each player as well.

— What are the next tournaments you are going to participate in?

—Our goal today is the ESL Impact, but we will also be playing other tournaments such as, ESEA Cash Cup, Women's League Gamers Club, GC Masters, BGS, WESG, and any other championship that appears to be able to continue adding experience as a team that helps us grow.

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