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Alyssa Montague and David Decker are in the process of building and recruiting an esports team for Murphy High School, which they will coach.
Murphy – The future of professional sports is upon Cherokee County.
When they return after the summer break, Murphy students will have an opportunity to compete in the High School Esports League, a competitive video gaming league that offers college scholarships as well as other grants and prizes.
More than 1,700 schools across the nation have teams that compete in the HSEL, which consists of about 45,000 students and is sponsored by the U.S. Army National Guard, AsusTek Computer Inc., Zaxby’s and more.
Since schools require students to maintain academic performance to remain on the esports team, learning institutions that participate in the HSEL have seen students’ grade point averages increase. Moreover, participating schools have reported an average boost in attendance by up to 95 percent.
70 students seek 20 spots
Murphy High School’s esports team will likely be the envy of the county, as Andrews and Hiwassee Dam high schools do not have similar programs. To date, nearly 70 teenagers have expressed interest in being a part of the Bulldogs’ inaugural esports team, but there are only 20 spots on the squad.
Tryouts will be fierce,” said assistant coach David Decker, who will train the students along with head coach and Murphy High librarian Alyssa Montague. “We’ll use Aim Lab to score them and see how they compete live and in person, when the pressure is on.”
To make the team, students will have to do more than score points and rank high.
“They will have to write a 500-word essay about why they’re interested in joining the esports team, what they’re going to get out of being on the team and what they can bring to the team,” Montague said. “We want to make sure we recruit team players.”
As coaches, Montague and Decker will be tasked with ensuring the students not only know the rules of each game, but also know how to strategize to win a tournament. The coaches will also physically train students to increase their reaction time, while mentally training the players on how to control their emotions and push through adversity to win.
“It’s all about mental fortitude,” Montague said.
Grades and netiquette
Practice sessions will be held two to three times a week after school in the Murphy High library, where team members will also gather to compete in tournaments throughout the season. Of course, students are free to practice at home using their personal gaming systems.
The HSEL lists Rocket League, Super Smash Bros: Ultimate, Minecraft: Survival Games and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War among the 11 games that students are playing to win scholarships and prizes in current and upcoming tournaments. Games are often removed or added to the list.
“The vast majority of the kids are already playing these games at home. This provides them a way to do it in a constructive, competitive environment,” Decker said, adding that coaches will also teach students about teamwork, effective communication and healthy practices, such as limiting their game time.
“We’ll also be checking their grades on a weekly basis. If they’re failing any course, they cannot practice and they can’t compete.”
A student’s netiquette is also considered when determining who can remain on the team.
“If anyone reports your gaming account for bad language or cyberbullying, you can’t participate,” Decker added. “If you’ve been banned because you cheated, you can’t participate. Learning how to behave online and present yourself online is a big part of it.”
Future careers
Esports is a booming industry, with the global market valued at more than $1 billion. The global esports market revenue is expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2024.
Many job opportunities besides being a pro player exist within the esports industry. Esports also teaches participants skills relevant to a number of other industries, such as video production and computer programming.
Plus, with Montague and Decker both being computer science teachers, students on the esports team will learn how to upgrade software and install new components in various hardware, such as gaming consoles and PCs.
“If they don’t become pro gamers, they could become video game journalists, commentators for esports competitions or coach their own esports team,” Montague said.
“This opens up all kinds of opportunities.”
The two coaches started building the esports program about three months ago with grant funds and a strong desire to be successful. They hope to have the computer lab setup in the library before the end of this school year so kids who don’t have gaming gear or access to the internet can practice before tryouts begin in August.
The coaches are working to obtain additional grant funds and scholarships to expand the computer lab with the latest gaming technology and allow more than 20 students to be on the team in subsequent years. Students must have parental permission to be on the team.
“I grew up with a console in my house, playing video games and listening to my mom and dad say that this was a waste of time,” Decker said. “Now I teach kids how to make video games and I coach an esports team, where the kids competitively play video games, winning college scholarships.
“Mom and dad will read that and probably laugh, but that’s where we are now. There’s an entire industry around it, and there’s billions of dollars in this.”