SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Roughly 30 groggy-eyed high school students walked into the Scottsbluff High School library at 7:30 a.m. Monday for what they thought would be just another early morning Esports meeting. They weren’t expecting what they saw in the back of the room.
Six new computer-gaming setups — complete with new towers, monitors, keyboards and weighted mice — were installed over the weekend by the SHS IT department. What’s more, the Esports team received a dedicated internet line exclusively for the team’s use, which was donated by ALLO Communications.
The students quickly woke up to the news, swarming the new computers to check out all their new features. There was definitely excitement as the new equipment would improve the overall gaming experience.
“The independent line (will) help us compete with no-to-little lag on many of our games,” team sponsor Chris Brening told the Scottsbluff Star-Herald.
While the Esports club is still relatively new, having only started last year, the students involved have been taking the bull by the horns to really build up the program.
“Having it at a small school like this is really, really cool,” senior Breckden Holten, who is captain of the Super Smash Bros. team, said.
Junior and Rocket League captain Jaimason Kulovany said, “It’s just like a different club than all the other ones, so people who didn’t like to join sports or something, they have something else to do.”
Even for those who are involved in other clubs, Esports provides an outlet for a hobby they’ve had since they were young.
“I just played League of Legends for years,” senior and League of Legends captain Jacob Findley said, “so I was like might as well play it here.”
Senior Sawyer Riddick, who is the Valorant team captain, said, “I’m on two teams. I’m on the Valorant and Smash Bros. teams, and those are just genuinely the games that I enjoyed the most.”
It’s not just about pure enjoyment though. Esports has also brought together people from across the school that would not have known each other otherwise.
“You meet a lot of new people — some people you didn’t know to like Esports,” Findley said. “…Like some people are in like three activities, and you’d never think they played games because they don’t got time for it.”
“Sometimes, it’s been hard,” Holten, who is in band and choir also, admitted.
One of the best parts about having a high school Esports team is that now there are even scholarships being offered for it. Western Nebraska Community College has an Esports program and offers scholarships to incoming students to play for its team.
SBPS director of technology David Davis, who helped get the computers set up, said that it actually helps encourage students to want to go to college so they can continue to play. According to junior Jaedon Marshall, Esports is one of the fastest growing industries, so it only makes sense to fully invest in it.
“Esports is the highest, I think, most rapidly growing industry in the world right now. Period,” he said. “It’s super easy to get scholarships, and it’s great to break into in high school because it’s brand new, and it’s way easier to get spots.”
For these captains, it comes down to having that outlet from schoolwork or whatever else they have going on.
“I think it’s a really good place for students to become involved outside of academics where they usually wouldn’t be,” Holten said.
Kulovany said, “It’s brought together a lot of people, so that creates new friendships and just creates a good community.”
The SHS Esports season began this month through the organizations PlayVS and high School Esports League. Students have one mandatory practice once a week, allowing the flexibility needed for some of the more involved students. Students must have passing grades in all classes in order to compete.
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