Esports opens high school competition to everyone

It's an old stereotype – the geeky kid who wants to be part of a team but doesn't have the physical abilities to compete with other high school athletes.

Now there is a team for them, too.

Several area high schools have started esports programs – teams where the students play in video game competitions.

'I think that the benefits of esports are that it teaches students how to work as a team without having to be physically active,” said Lanie Szewczyk, who competes for New London High School. 'Some people can't do physical sports, and other people aren't interested in them, but esports gives these students the option to be a part of a team.”

Eryk Hovde, who is part of the Mid-Prairie High School esports club, said, 'Esports provides something for those who don't participate in sports and other things to come together and have a chance to shine.”

As it turns out, esports attract all types of competitors.

The teachers who work as advisers to these programs see that esports is bringing together students from different circles.

'We have students who are starters on the basketball team or the lead in the high school play or drum majors in the band,” Fairfield High School esports adviser John Grunwald said. 'We also have kids who aren't involved in any of those activities, but they might go home and play all the time.

'This provides them another social avenue. You see these students on the same team as some of the high profile students playing for the same goal, working together and enjoying each other's company.”

Mid-Prairie High School esports co-adviser Kurtis Broeg echoed Grunwald's observation.

'We have students who are athletes; we have fine arts students; we have students who were not involved in anything,” Broeg said. 'We have quite a few kids from all different interest areas who are gamers.

'They come from different groups. This stereotype of gamers living in their parents' basement is a myth.”

New London High School esports adviser Cory Reid said that in a small school like New London, the 'cliques” still exist but are not as noticeable as they are in larger schools because everyone knows everyone else.

'I have noticed that there is an odd mix of kids who I wouldn't think would hang out, communicated with each other like they hang out every weekend and play together so that is cool to see,” Reid said.

Grant Ward, a Fairfield esports competitor, said the primary benefit he gets from esports is friendship.

'It has shown me that I am not alone with what I love to do by giving me a community of people who love to play those games with me,” Ward said.

'Being a part of esports allows for people who might not typically go out for sports to learn the qualities of being a team,” New London esports competitor and senior Reed Kempker said. 'It also allows people to discover new friendships that they wouldn't normally have.”

Szewczyk agreed that building friendships is a benefit of esports.

'It brings students closer together by them finding more people who like the same games as they do and being able to play with them even when we aren't at practice,” Szewczyk said. 'It can make new friendships and really help students come together and build team skills out of class time.”

Esports help competitors learn and develop other qualities that regular sports foster.

'It has a lot of similarities to other sports, minus the physical part,” Hovde said. 'There's teamwork, strategy and camaraderie.”

Competitors have to learn to work together as a team.

'They aren't one-on-one video games,” Broeg said. 'They have teams, and they have to learn to collaborate together.”

Over the course of competition, leaders emerge, sometimes from unlikely places.

'I've got a freshman on our League of Legends team who started calling a lot of the shots,” Grunwald said. 'You're learning a lot of leadership abilities. You have a team of five people that you have to be able to direct and make sure they're doing their jobs and who needs help.”

He added that part of leadership is being able to communicate with others.

'If you are not a good communicator, you can't lead your team,” he said. 'If you can't lead your team, you'll fail.”

While playing games, esports competitors are picking up other skills as well, especially STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – skills.

'Esports also serves as an introduction to more educational aspects like coding, tech, computers and game design,” Hovde said.

Broeg said that at Mid-Prairie, students have helped select parts for and build 'high-end” computers for their club.

'Computers will be built by the kids,” he said. 'We'll have a bunch of kids here who know how to work with hardware.”

Grunwald said that he has students who are learning to use the school's livestreaming equipment to do 'shoutcasts” of some of the competitions.

He explained that shoutcasts are just like play-by-play commentators at a sporting event.

'Our kids are learning video production,” he said. 'We're trying to branch out to more than just somebody playing the game.”

Esports is opening up opportunities for students beyond high school.

Reid pointed out that colleges are now offering esports scholarships to students.

'There are scholarships out there for esports, and it is just growing in popularity,” he said.

Grunwald said that he had two students last year who received esports scholarships.

Broeg added, 'It also allows for some leadership opportunities that may not have been there before.”

Whether they are playing just for the fun of it or with an eye on the future, esports gives competitors the opportunity to fit in.

'It gives those students who don't have those other avenues a way to express themselves and show off,” Grunwald said.