This Week in Esports
The First High School-Sponsored Esports League In Oklahoma is Launching
Students at Sapulpa High School, were trying out for their schools’ esports team this week. They competed in Rocket League with six teams of three to determine who would represent Sapulpa High School in the Oklahoma Esports League.The league, as it stands today, will host high schools from 10 districts.Several of the students trying out were already involved in extracurriculars. For many others, however, Sapulpa’s esports team was their first extracurricular. Todd Borland, director of technology at Union Public Schools, said starting the esports league was another way to reach those students who may not play football or participate in band. Borland said esports is “another opportunity for us to … make the high school experience more relevant for them.” This is a trend that should be welcomed with open arms. Not all students are athletes but a large majority, across many different social classes, play and enjoy video games. This gives a much wider range of students the ability to meet other people that share the same hobbies.
Stockton University Wins Fortnite Tournament
Last weekend, Stockton University left the Eastern College Athletic Conference Fortnite Championship as the champions. The entire tournament saw 400 students across 19 universities compete in Fortnite, League of Legends, and Overwatch. Stockton wasn’t a slouch in the other titles, either. They ended up with second place in League of Legends, and made it to the quarterfinals for Overwatch. Stockton’s winning team was made up of Austin Van Zant of Lincoln Park, Damian Majewski of Barnegat, and Parker Teliszewski of Barnegat. Van Zant and Majewski won MVP awards for Fortnite and Brandon Yip and Joseph Difilipo also earned most valuable honors for League of Legends. The team is coached and managed by Demetrios Roubos, who is also Associate Director of Information Security at Stockton.
Durham College Opens Esports Center
Durham College is opening a gaming center that will be able to host 120 spectators for esports events. While this is small relative to the normal size of these centers, Durham is a smaller school and this is still a step in the right direction. According to CBC, “The 3,000-sq.-ft. facility, which opened on Tuesday and is described by school officials as the “first of its kind,” will serve as a training area for the Durham Lords, the college’s varsity electronic-sports team, and as a hub for gamers on campus. The school’s varsity esports team was established in 2018 and competes in tournaments with teams from across North America.” Arena manager Sarah Wagg has been working in the industry for six years. She says a facility like this is breaking the stigma around esports and proving that it is a viable career path. “With a collegiate push behind it, it’s becoming a household term,” she said. “We’re showing that there are initiatives for college students so they can learn, grow, and hone their craft.”
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