Since its founding, Casa Grande’s esports teams have climbed the ranks of California’s high school esports competitions. There is a team for each of the two games played: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Rocket League. The Smash team is 4th overall in the state out of 180 teams, with a record 30-1, and they are 1st in their division. The Rocket League team is 21st out of 109 varsity teams. But the beginning of esports at Casa Grande started just four years ago, with Lynn Gen, a senior here at Casa.
When she was still at Kenilworth Junior High School, she got into Super Smash Bros. and started playing with friends, but she wanted to turn it into a bigger event. With the help of Mr. Radke, a teacher at Kenilworth who shared her enjoyment of the game, they started tournaments. “Mr. Radke organized lunch tournaments in his room in 7th and 8th grade…. When I was in 9th grade, we had nothing else to do, so I thought ‘Why don’t I try and start my own online tournaments?’” said Lynn. She then worked with Mr. Libecap, Casa Grande’s librarian, who also enjoyed Super Smash Bros to start the esports teams Casa has today.
Libecap expressed his feelings about being a coach to the team, stating, “One of my favorite parts is being in a rare position, as a coach, not being better than the students who are playing. A lot of times when you get into this it’s because you played it in high school or you were really good at it, so it’s just a really different and unique experience.” He went on to describe how hardworking the students are, “It’s just a really dedicated group, they’re in here all the time so I’d say they grind as much as any other athletes.” A very prevalent point of conversation that is brought up about esports is in its name—sport. Many people don’t feel esports qualify as a sport at all. But Libecap would disagree, as, in his opinion, “It might not be the same as far as physical exertion, but I’d say mental exertion and things like that are pretty similar.”
Lynn agrees that it qualifies as a sport, stating, “I think it’s a sport—I don’t think it’s athletics because we don’t get as much exercise, but I definitely think that the strategic aspect of the game is something that should be highlighted.” She compares the critical thinking needed for esports to speed chess; quick decision-making, high-level strategy, and practice are all needed to be successful in the games. “I’ve played this game competitively for 4 years and I’m still not even close to being as good as some people are. So there really is a lot of depth to it,” said Lynn.
Multiple students in the team expressed their enjoyment of the game, but most importantly how it led them to meet people who they could connect with. “I get to practice one of my favorite
video games as well as hang out with a bunch of cool people,” said Diego Ramirez, a member of the team. Playing with the group has allowed the students to find people who enjoy the same things they do and to connect over a common interest.
Esports, while being a fun activity that students can bond over, also has many opportunities within it. There are many professional esports leagues and tournaments, supplying scholarships for students and potential career opportunities. Competition prizes can range from thousands to even millions of dollars, with the highest prize pool in a tournament being $40,018,400, in The International 2021 tournament.
“You can have that same drive for competition and you can attain the same levels of insane mastery that other sports players have. It definitely has the same competitive outlet as well as the satisfaction of mastery as regular sports,” said Lynn. Esports have provided students at Casa a place to hang out with friends, have fun, compete in something they love, and have the opportunity for growth. Lynn concludes, “It’s a special kind of video game because it’s about self-improvement. There’s no game mechanic—you don’t level up your character, you just get better at the game… So getting to experience that, improving my own skills while also helping them improve their skills… I think it’s very rewarding. They’re a great community and a lot of fun.”
