COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – When you think of after-school sports the first things that come to mind might be football, basketball, and baseball.
But in the Richland One school district, Lower Richland High School has a new sport on the schedule and it’s more than just fun and games.
Inside the school, one of the rooms features a dimly lit state-of-the-art computer lab.
Under a few stands of Christmas lights for ambiance, students sit at a dozen computers clicking away on their controllers, calling out commands to one another.
The setup is the stage for the very first e-sports team, at the school.
Jack Thompson is the coach. A self-described gamer, Thompson recalls when the principal mentioned that the esports team was forming a few months back.
“Ms. Williams mentioned we were going to have this as an option,” Thompson explained. “I said, ‘Oh, I love video games, so let me jump in.’”
The team’s success has been immediate. Iraeana Flores is the team’s manager.
“So far, we’re doing really good,” Flores said with pride. “We’re undefeated, which I’m so proud of them for that. I’ve been trying to pep-talk them and have them know what they’re doing is really good.”
Flores says esports teach lifelong skills.
“Mostly it’s critical thinking, teamwork and respect- not just for each other but for the other teams that we play against.”Madalyn Hazlett is R1’s esports coordinator. She says other schools, including Dreher High School in Richland One have offered esports for several years.
The expansion of the program to Lower Richland High is further proof that esports are catching on.
The equipment in the Lower Richland computer lab is a sign the district is serious about helping students achieve in this arena
“It is better equipment than I have at home than most people have at home,” Hazlett said. “It is great, and I really appreciate it because it gives all kids the opportunity to experience equipment that they might not be able to afford on their own.”
Flores agrees. “The gaming chairs are nice and comfy, the setups are very advanced, I wasn’t expecting that. And it was just something new to the school and I just knew that a lot of good people would come together and put something good into it.
For students like Justin Burwell, it’s a chance to show off and enhance his gaming skills.
When WIS visited, the team was playing Overwatch 2, in a match against a school in Tennessee.
Every player has a role to play.
“It’s very cool,” Burwell said. “All I get to do is just play games that I love doing for fun and do it competitively.”Just like other sports, esports allow students face off with opponents in the district and even- across the country.“
Typically, they play across the East Coast, but we just learned about a feature where they can do rivals week,” Hazlett said. “So, each high school that has a rival, and they can compete with them.
So Dreher and AC Flora just had their rivals’ week last week- which was very fun.”It’s a new kind of playing field, offering a new way to compete, with a new perspective on gaming.
“I grew up with a family in the age of the early 2000s- where people were like, ‘Put the video games down, you can’t do anything with that,’” Thompson said.
“But when you come win with the kids, you say, ‘Hey look what you can do.’”
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