Loyal co-ops with Greenwood for esports program
Esports — online competitive gaming — is an opportunity to get students connected to school outside of academics, and has grown so much in the last 15 years that colleges like UW-Stout are now giving out full-ride scholarships for it.
The Loyal School Board last week approved co-oping esports with Greenwood, which will provide a new opportunity for Loyal students, as Loyal does not have its own esports program. The decision, which was made on a unanimous vote, came at the Loyal-Greenwood joint school board meeting held in the Loyal gym on Sept. 10.
“I think it’s a great idea. If we’re looking at targeting all kids and finding a way for them to get involved, why not?” said Loyal board member Crystal Rueth.
The Wisconsin High School Esports Association (WIHSEA) was founded in 2018 and has grown from seven schools to more than 100 schools throughout the state. The GreenwoodSchoolDistrictispartofWIHSEA and competes in the statewide competition. There are three seasons: fall, winter, and spring, that last about two months each and roughly follow the schedule of traditional school sports. Greenwood has typically competed in the fall and winter seasons but not the spring because there were not enough participants.
“It’s another opportunity. It catches some of those kids who would otherwise go home after school,” said Greenwood District Administrator Joe Green.
Students compete in the old computer lab off the library at Greenwood High School. They practice Monday through Friday from about 3:30 to 5 p.m. When the school district updated its CAD computers for the tech ed department a few years ago, the old CAD computers became used for esports. The school district also received a donation from a local resident for desks and chairs.
There are six students from Greenwood and six from Loyal who have expressed interest in esports. The number of students needed depends on which games the students want to play. Some of the games need at least five players, some need six, and some are individual. The games change every season. Fall games are Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Overwatch 2. There are varsity and JV/middle school opportunities.
Green said he didn’t anticipate any costs for Loyal other than transportation and, depending on how many kids would sign up, possibly a second coach.
“The coach is a paid position. We would share that cost just like any other co-op,” he said.
Loyal District Administrator Chris Lindner said the esports players could likely ride the same bus as the cross country or football team when they were traveling to Greenwood for practices.
“We do have other co-ops at that time, so that’s a possibility. I think between cross country and football, there’s a bus they could get on. I will check and make sure,” he said.
The fall esports season started on Monday.
