Esports provides new options for students

Most people are familiar with traditional sports such as football, basketball and baseball, but a new sport is gaining momentum in Hoover’s high schools.

It’s called esports, which involves multiplayer video games. The Alabama High School Athletic Association announced the inaugural season for Alabama high schools in November 2018, with the first season starting in February 2019 and ending in May.

All four of Spain Park High School’s teams made the playoffs in games called League of Legends and Rocket League, and one of Spain Park’s teams won the state championship in League of Legends by defeating Grissom High School 2-1.

League of Legends is a game in which teams of five players battle each other, trying to get to and destroy the other team’s nexus, or home base. Rocket League involves teams of three players trying to get a soccer ball into the other team’s goal while also defending their own goal, but the ball is moved by vehicles instead of players’ feet.

This school year, there is a preparatory season in the fall before the main season begins in February. Spain Park has 20 players this year, including alternates.

Last year’s League of Legends team captain, Sectric Guilford, said being able to win the state championship was a great experience.

“It was absolutely amazing,” Guilford said. “It was a journey to get everything up and running smoothly. … We had little practice all together, but it worked out.”

With esports being a new sport in Alabama, there was a learning curve for the coaches. Spain Park esports coach Cameron McKinley said she had to learn some from the players about the games while also learning on her own about esports in general.

McKinley said esports offers many life lessons on commitment, communication and working as a team to accomplish a goal.

“Having esports at Spain Park allowed kids to play in person as a team for our school, and I saw a lot of benefits to this,” McKinley said. “The games involve a lot of strategy, and each team member is necessary for the team’s success. Also, team members learned about responsibility and commitment to the team. It is different than just playing at home and deciding if you will show up and play or not. Our players learned to communicate with each other, with the coaches and with other teams to make sure we were able to compete.”

Guilford said esports is a challenge and deserves respect like traditional sports. He added it involves quick reactions and good decision-making skills.

Hoover High School’s esports coach, Joseph Hutchings, said esports provides a complex game for students to play.

“Everybody likes to be good at something,” he said. “It’s a showcase for smart and talented players across the state. Esports players master the complexity and optimizing dozens of moves in real time.”

Hutchings said each game has different challenges, and it takes a lot of time to master the games.

Hoover competes in League of Legends, Rocket League and SMITE, a game similar to League of Legends but with characters that are Greek gods, each with unique abilities. Hoover made it to the first round of the playoffs for Rocket League and League of Legends during the spring.

Bailey Flores, a senior member of the Hoover esports team, said the hope is for a great bounce-back season for Hoover’s team.

“Last year we were very disorganized, and we didn’t get to practice as much as we should have,” Flores said. “This led to us being unprepared for the tournament games. This year, I hope we can come together as one absolute unit and work together for the success of the team.”