A variety of clubs are available for students at East—one of the most widely attended being E-Sports.
E-Sports, (electronic-sports), is a club that focuses on building a team environment not only in person, but also online- and unites people who have a passion for gaming everyday in room 135. They not only meet to play video games, but they also attend state competitions and have earned previous scholarships of up to $16,000 for their skill.
Like a normal sport, E-Sports has a varsity team and a JV team. They have different practices for the teams everyday after school with the four main coaches: Ben Herbel, Dylan Kitchen, Robert Greenhalgh, and Antonio Hamersky.
Just as there are many different coaches, there are also many different games played in E-Sports. On Fridays, they host “Free-Play Friday”, where students come in and play a game of their choice.
“Obviously, lots of people play video games, but not everybody does E-Sports,” coach Ben Herbel said. “We try to balance both—we try to do casual games, people who are just there for fun or to get to know their people. It’s a good chance for people who like video games to be in the same room together and get to know each other.”
Competition wise, coach Herbel is in charge of Overwatch (Fall) and Rocket League (Spring), coach Kitchen hosts League of Legends, coach Hamersky directs Smash Bros, and coach Greenhalgh leads Chess.
Members appreciate the hard and dedicated work of the coaches. “They spend time with you, teach you what to work on, what to keep doing well, and overall improve your skill,” Ben Kendle, a 4 year member of E-Sports said.
At meetings, a positive and product environment can be found. If it’s not Free-Play Friday, members are usually being coached to improve their skill for upcoming competitions.
When asked about the workplace and environment of E-Sports, member Vivian Nguyen shares her thoughts: “I appreciate how inclusive everyone is—they’re willing to include you in anything. We pass super mean jokes, but they’re inside jokes so everyone loves them and thinks they’re funny.”
E-Sports is an enjoyable and inclusive event to do after school, and they’re always open to new members. If you enjoy gaming or playing video games, be sure to stop by in room 135 after school sometime to check it out!
