Newest Team At Ontario High School Flourishing

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ONTARIO – As the bell rings to signal the end of another school day at Ontario High School, numerous students head to practice instead of making the journey home. In addition to changing a shoe’s spikes or attempting to break in a new glove or racquet, a team of 18 Tiger competitors come together, practicing and helping each other out for an upcoming competition. These teammates are the Ontario High School Esports team.

The Tiger Esports squad officially started last year during the COVID-19 school year. With the return of students to school, this year has been the first the team actually gathers and holds practices in person like other Ontario activities according to coach Ryan Roulston.

“It has been great to meet together as a team,” said Roulston. “Just like any other Ontario team, coming together is building our skills and our comradery. I have seen a real commitment from the members of the team to help each other.”

The Ontario team is just a small fraction of the 29.6 million monthly esports users, a number up 11.5% from 2021 according to Insider Intelligence. Esports is now involved in merchandising and North America alone is expected to hit $300 million in revenue this year.

Like other Ontario teams, the members of the squad are varied and play different positions in the competitions.

Tiger senior Angel Perez plays an online version of a game with origins going back 1,500 years.

“I started playing chess in fourth-grade, but have now been doing the online version for just over a year,” Perez said. “I just find the online version really interesting, the strategy, the people all over the world I get to play.”

Like regular chess, Perez and others around the world are playing to achieve rankings, including master and grand master. Unlike two old men sitting in a park for hours over a chess board, the online version game is fast, very fast. With a timer attached, matches typically take 20 minutes. Even advancing through competitors and playing the online version for Ontario High School, Perez is known to go “old school” occasionally.

“I play regular chess on an old board every once in a while,” he said.

Like many of his teammates, Perez plans on a future in the computer industry. A dual credit senior, Perez has plans to attend Treasure Valley Community College in the fall before going on at the university level.

Fellow Ontario senior Michael Becerril uses his skills on the Tiger team on Valorant. A true team effort, Becerril joins with four additional Tiger teammates in a 5-on-5 competitive shooting game. The current team for Ontario is comprised of three seniors and two juniors.

“It is a search and destroy game and each one typically takes from 30 to 60 minutes to complete,” explained Becerril.

Like many other Ontario seniors participating in activities, Becerril enjoys the team atmosphere, but also sees his efforts paying off in the form of possible college scholarships.

Becerril and his Tiger teammates are rising the rankings in hope of ending in the top 64 squads across the nation and a virtual trip to the finals.

“I am looking at entering computer engineering or graphic design in college,” Becerril said.

Just like other sought after Ontario student athletes, Becerril and others are currently making the rounds of college campuses in an attempt to determine the best fit for their skills. The Ontario team has a planned visit to Boise State University. The Broncos recognize Esports as an officially sanctioned varsity activity and competes in the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE).

Although Becerril and Perez will not see Esports officially recognized as an official sport by the OSAA during their short time left at Ontario High School, it is widely expected the Oregon State Activities Association will make the designation soon. The National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS) sanctioned Esports in 2018. For the Oregon body to start action to sanction Esports, 50 schools would need to offer it before consideration. At the collegiate level, over 200 colleges and universities offer Esports with over $15 million offered in scholarships. Like other activities, colleges are sending out scouts to identify potential players and are offering amenities to attract the top talent.

Akron University offers a new varsity arena, physical fitness training and early registration. Northwood University offers a degree in Esports management. Harrisburg University offers full-tuition scholarships and housing stipends. The University of California, Irvine was the first public university to create an official Esports program and hosts an annual conference with experts in attendance to discuss the newest information in the game world.        

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