By Baylee Guedes For Times Leader
Members of Crestwood High School’s esports team compete on the school’s gaming stations. The team competes against teams from around the country.
Submitted photo
WRIGHT TWP. — James Zabiegalski, Crestwood girl’s varsity soccer coach, has added some additional responsibilities to his duties at the school.
Along with leading the girls soccer team, Zabiegalski now mentors Crestwood’s esports team, which competes nationally on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Crestwood is the only high school in the area that allows its club team to compete at a national level in the High School Esports League. The school has dedicated an enormous amount of time and funds, exceeding $25,000, to the program in hopes to further the esports athlete’s collegiate resumes, team participation with others and computer skills.
“The administration, our athletic director, and our board saw the value of adding esports as a club,” said Zabiegalski. “They saw the potential for not only an exposure to technology but as a career path in the gaming industry with how big of an industry it is now.”
The program was created last year during the pandemic and has since thrived as students have been able to come together and compete as a team.
“It is a very welcoming team,” said Madison Van Gorden, an 11th-grade team member. “When I first joined, especially as a girl, I was like, ‘Oh, maybe this is going to be a little judgmental or rough to get into,’ and it was actually such a welcoming community and I met a lot of people.
“It is just so exciting to get to feel this atmosphere and energy.”
The team currently has a roster of more than 30 participants ranging from grades 9 through 12, with half of the students not currently participating in any other out-of-school activities. The remaining members on the roster are involved in other athletic programs, such as football and softball.
Crestwood competes in two separate seasons, fall and spring, just like a regular sports program. The team has practices, games and other competitions.
“This gives students the opportunity to represent their school,” Zabiegalski said. “Crestwood is very forward-thinking as we see the value of this investment.”
This experience can help prepare the students for their futures, which is the main goal at Crestwood. The crafts that they can learn go beyond the world of gaming as they are taught many skills, including eye-hand coordination, computer expertise, coding, team cooperation, competition, organization and more.
“It can definitely help me (in the future) with getting to communicate with new people because I have met people from different states doing different things,” Van Gorden said. “I am very introverted so this has definitely helped me get more opportunities and get out of my comfort zone, so it will definitely help me express myself.”
The opportunities that the students are exposed to as a result of their participation in the club could lead to collegiate scholarships to further their education and future employment possibilities.
“I think this exposure is something unique that we provide here,” Zabiegalski said. “It is a great opportunity.”
