The bell has rung. School is out for the day. As students rush to their cars to go home, a group of students stay behind — the esports team. For them, the day is just getting started as they prepare to dedicate all their focus and energy on gaming together. 

An esports team is a form of competition using video games. Esport teams can be found across the world and players can earn millions of dollars from winning meets. On a high school level however, the club is not taken as seriously. The biggest prize you can win is a trophy or medal. 

The Mount Vernon High School esports team was created two years ago by former students Lance Eriksen, and Jasper Rood, as well as current senior Eli Krob. It was made for students to come together, have a good time and compete. “We work together, we practice together, and develop together,” said Krob. 

On the team currently are sophomores Aiden Campbell, Noah Pisarik and Ranger Hanna. The seniors on the team are Krob, Mark Liberko and Vance Arnold. Many of them have been playing video games all of their lives, but others just started playing at the start of the season. 

Every weekday except Tuesdays the team meets at 4 p.m. in the computer room off the library. During practices the team gets together to play whatever game is in season. The esports team has two seasons. In the fall they play Super Smash Bros and in the spring they play Mario Kart 8.  “I bring two or three Switches and have two people at each one and they switch to get different playing styles,” said Pisarik.

A normal competition for the team starts at 4 p.m. They simply hook a Nintendo Switch up to one of the TVs in the practice room, get the game code from the other school, and play. It’s all done within a matter of hours. 

So many things go into being a great esports player, “Performance wise, not getting nervous and having good stress management at competitions,” said Pisarik. “They have to be compatible with the rest of the team and willing to be flexible.” 

Playing video games can be a great stress reliever but sometimes it can be frustrating. Some members on the team say that when they get frustrated or nervous they remember at the end of the day it is just a game and your life isn’t going to drastically change if you win or lose. Some members also enjoy listening to music when they play to get into the right headspace. 

“I would say a good player has not a lot to do with talent but that they are all coachable, have a  good work ethic, and are willing to learn,” said Krob. “Good teachers are important as well, such as Jasper Rood.” 

Anyone who does a sport or activity knows that it can impact your life in so many ways and provide a positive social outlet. “It has helped me gain a bunch of new friends and it gives me something to look forward to after long days,” said Campbell. 

“The biggest thing being on the team has taught me is about management and how to cooperate well with others,” said Krob. 

During the peak of the COIVD-19 pandemic, since esports operates fully online for competitions, the team wasn’t really affected. “If someone had to play from home they had to fill out a Remote Player Waiver a certain amount of days before the competition. If they had bad Wi-Fi we just had to sub someone in,” said Krob. 

For esports on a high school level, the team needs a sponsor for the league and a facilitator for the school. This role was taken by Spencer Schmidt the night time custodian; however, it will be the last season of him working with the team. 

This puts the students on the team in a hard position because now they are in charge of finding someone to take Spencer’s roles before next spring season. “ It will be hard to continue the team after next year if we can’t find anyone to sponsor or facilitate,” said Krob. 

There is no doubt that the Mount Vernon High School esports team is one of the best. The team members put in the work and it shows by the hours and growth of the club.