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Esports launches Districtwide in March (Video)
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
2/28/2022
Students who have a passion for video games will get a chance to flex their skills when Senate League esports competition gets under way .
The first set of schools -- Ginn Academy, John Marshall and the Cleveland High School for Digital Arts -- will go head-to-head on March 2 in an exhibition match playing Super Smash Brothers.
“It is nice to see the dream start small and grow to what it is today,” said Nicholas Maskey, one of the esports coaches at John Marshall. “I am so glad to see all the other schools getting behind it, and of course, CEO Eric Gordon and everyone else showing their support for esports.”
The District has invested in gaming by buying the teams gaming chairs and computers to use in competing with other teams across the District and the state.
Maskey and fellow teacher Arley Trujillo started the esports team at John Marshall on their own several years ago. Now, it is going districtwide, with close to 14 high schools competing against each other in the Senate League.
“I am excited. I am pumped. I have wanted to do something like this for a while,” said Tylar, a ninth grader at the John Marshal School of Information Technology.
Esports has become a game changer for students who don’t have the build or desire to play traditional sports like football or basketball.
“It has nothing to do with your DNA,” said Maskey. “It is about whether you can learn new skills and devote time.”
Many of the teams practice several days a week. At Digital Arts, the esports team is divided into groups to practice different video games that are all rated T for teen. Some of the teams have coaches who aren’t physically at the schools, and they conduct their practices virtually.
“Though I play these games, I am not a master-level competitor,” said Dan McGlaughlin, the Esports coach at Cleveland High School for Digital Arts. “So
having these virtual coaches that really know the games really helps. They go over everything and talk about big picture strategy to win the game.”
Esports has become a billion-dollar industry with professional gamers making six-figure salaries. Many colleges, including the University of Akron and Ohio State University, have teams and offer scholarships to students.
Maskey said these opportunities are part of the motivation for some students to join the team and do well in school.
“There are so many scholarships available now,” said Maskey. “Now students are realizing they can do this at college. And, for some, they weren’t even thinking about going to college, but now they are.”