ESports was a varsity sport here at CHS that ended during the 2021-2022 school year, being an online gaming team competing against other schools. Due to loss of interest, however, it’s no longer an option for kids.
When the team was in full swing, Mr. Early, the club’s sponsor, commented that competitions consisted of a tight “best of two matches”, meaning that they played two games back to back. The team would warm up and set their goals at 3:30, then continue to the games at around 4-4:30. During practices, the team would follow all other VHSL practice schedules: starting at 4pm and going until 6. Consisting of practicing “some in-house 1v1 or 2v2 games,” or competing against each other with individual and team warm ups.
As the CHS math teacher and former coach of the ESports team, Mr. Early’s team saw their issues start to emerge after Covid-19. There was a severe lack of “a space with adequate Windows computers where [they] could practice every day and [they] could get in early and get them booted up on game days.” Additionally, the team needed 5 players to participate in League of Legends, an online arena where players battle one another in a multiplayer video game. The necessary attendance was unmet because of the unavailability of kids at the time.
Mr. Jones, our athletic director, is aware of the ESports team, but during his time here at CHS, he hasn’t seen it in action. He understands that the main problems were the team’s inability to come to practices and competitions. It is a varsity sport and he’s more than excited for the club to resume if possible
Talk about starting up the team again has already begun. Students are hoping for the club to be focused around the game “Rocket League”. However, with that being not the club’s initial idea, Mr. Early would be left with no idea of how to coach, throwing another wrench in this VHSL sport.
In an interview with a prior “support character” on the team, Demetrius Brown, he was asked how he views the future of the E-Sports team. It’s clear the team needs more support and interest for it to go again in the future. They want a shift from “the club [being not] popular enough to be cared about by all the students” into possibly a full swing VHSL team. With a common goal between all participants to be more motivated and involved in the activities, this just might not be the end of the E-Sports team at CHS.
