HAHS holds new club: Esports

The Esports club has been in the works for a few years. Before the pandemic a few students approached Mr. King about having an Esports club, so Mr. King talked with Dr. Beissel to get things started, but because of the pandemic, plans fell through. At the end of last school year, a few students approached Mr. King again about an Esports club, and after talking with Dr. Beissel realized they needed to set up a club. 

     Esports is defined as sports that can be played online and which has official teams with tournaments that are set up by third parties. There are online sport games that people can play at any time, but what makes Esports different is that there is an officialness to it. In Pennsylvania Esports is not considered a sport so it could not go through the athletic department here at HAHS, but it is considered an official sport around the world and is recognized at many universities and colleges with teams, captains, and competitions.

     Mr. King is the only official advisor of the club, but Mr. Brown helps out and comes to club meetings when he can. Mr. King’s job is to oversee any Esports at the high school. Any one who is interested in Esports should join the club. There is not just competing in the club, there are also opportunities to watch recent matches or teach different things about Esports. The club currently has around 15 students who support competitors and raise awareness to the club. An example of something that could happen on a club day is for someone to demonstrate something or for the club to watch a match.

     The future of this club really depends on student interest. There is currently no competition in the Esports club, but there are plans to start. If there is a great student interest in teams and competitions then there may be something like that set up for next school year. If there was not much student interest, the club would still be here; it would just be more about demonstrations and watching Esports.