James Mafia Lauerman eagerly awaited as the voting process closed for Smash Summit 3. I was in the car and couldnt look at the votes in the last 30 minutes, he said.And after the results were finalized? I was so relieved, he said.?Matthew Zaborowski, a longtime friend of Mafia, organized a massive rally to accumulate votes for the New England native. Eighty-four of Mafias supporters accounted for 15,000 votes in the final minutes as Mafia jumped from last to first.The whole New England community coming together reminds me of what family members do for one another in their time of need, Mafia explained. Im very thankful to them.The results were met with some hostility, as fans complained that other players were more deserving than Mafia to attend the Summit. Mafia started the year in 91st on the Melee It On Me annual ranking charts, the lowest of any qualified Summit candidate ever. Despite the criticism aimed his way, Mafia remained grounded and stated, I know that New England has my back no matter what. I just gotta do my thing and be myself.As the Summit players drafted their four-man crews for the Nov. 3-6 event in Los Angeles, Joseph Mango Marquez picked Mafia as the last selection -- and he did not disappoint. In crews, Mafia was sent in as a counter-pick against Weston Westballz Dennis. Many were skeptical of how he would do, but he managed to take Westballzs three remaining stocks while losing only one of his own. He lost to James Duck Ma on the counter-pick, but Mafia maintained the advantage for his team.In doubles, William Leffen Hjelte and Mafia teamed up.Despite never playing together before, they surprised everyone by defeating both PlupBox (Juan Hungrybox Debiedma and Justin Plup McGrath) and PewFat (Zachary SFAT Cordoni and Kevin PewPewU Toy). In each of the sets, Mafia played the supportive role magnificently by protecting Leffen, covering options and extending combos. In winners finals, they kept it close with Adam Armada Lindgren and Jason Mew2King Zimmerman, widely considered the worlds best duo, before losing in four games. In losers, they lost to PewFat in the run-back set to finish in third.The phenomenal run silenced Mafias critics.He did not see the same level of success in singles. He lost quickly to Mango in winners and Westballz in losers to finish in 13th place. Mafia felt disappointed with his singles play, but was happy with what he gained from the overall weekend.This event was an absolute dream come true, he said, and I was able to