Esports: Continuing competition

By CUW Athletic Communications Student Assistant Alyssa Jodarski

MEQUON, Wis. – This fall, competitions have been postponed and team practices reduced have left athletes struggling to find a way to compete during this time. At CUW, our student-athletes are still practicing and competing in some way, shape, or form. While most traditional sports have been affected by COVID-19, our esports team, which has 14 multi-sport student-athletes on its roster of 73 student-athletes, is still competing.

So what exactly is esports? Esports is, according to Jackson Kral, captain of the Hearthstone team and the men's cross country team, "a way for people to compete against each other in their favorite video games either through local or organized play." A few of the different games that CUW's team plays are Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Fortnite, League of Legends, and Rocket League. However, as Kral explained, "Esports is open to starting a team for any game that has a competitive front and people who want to compete."

The esports team at CUW has an esports arena where our players can practice. This is a room equipped with 12 PCs and four monitors for consoles. Kral praised the esports team for this area: "This allows athletes who don't have the resources to practice and compete for a chance to participate regardless of financial reasons or lack of resources." While the student-athletes are encouraged to participate at home or in their dorm if possible due to COVID-19, any athlete who doesn't have this ability can practice and compete in the arena.

The CUW esports team has been welcoming athletes and new students across the board with open arms. CUW head coach Lewis Smith explained excitedly that the esports team has "been growing like crazy this semester," and that "part of it is the pandemic, but part of it is just the excitement about our new team growing." Smith also added that he has "seen a pattern of traditional sports athletes joining as they crave a competitive outlet."

Coach Smith started the esports program in January but has been working in esports for about six years. While many new students are joining the esports team, many have been playing for years. Angel Uriostegui, a sophomore on the men's soccer team and the esports team has been playing his game, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, since December 2018. Kral has been playing his game, Hearthstone, for eight years.

Uriostegui described how "COVID-19 has affected our soccer team's ability to compete with other schools." He then went on to say that "it has been immensely helpful to be in esports ever since the pandemic" because it allows athletes "to be competitive and have tournaments on the games we love without the virus canceling anything."

Coach Smith praised esports; "It has been an absolute blessing during this time. With so many aspects of life up in the air, it's nice to be able to still participate and enjoy something you are passionate about for that sense of normalcy."

Kral pointed out that esports has given him one part of his year that has been relatively unchanged by COVID-19.

As far as our traditional sports athletes, Smith mentions that he "actually loves when athletes make the transition over to esports." He asserted that "there are some amazing lessons that sports can teach you, and I am working to bring that dedication and mindset to esports. A lot of the time, athletes are already one step ahead in this aspect."

Overall, the esports team is excited about their season and welcoming new members. Kral, Uriostegui, and Smith all had similar responses when asked about how open they are to new members. Uriostegui is excited to accept new players that "enjoy the game and are willing to grind out and are committed." Kral feels that it is "really nice to see our members increasing to multiple teams per game." The esports team, according to Coach Smith, "is open to anybody ready to dedicate themselves to what we are building." Smith feels confident about this year, with esports having a very clear and very bright future. With new members and a full season with completely online tournaments, Smith feels that the team can "focus on our goals and advancing our program."