3 minute read
eSports at the Tech
COACH HECTOR CRUZ (MAT '16)
ESPORTS
RISING TO CHALLENGES.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERACTION & COMPETITION
Earning national rankings may not have been in Coach Hector Cruz’s (MAT '16) immediate plans when he established the school’s first eSports CIF team this academic year. But the 29 students making up Bosco Tech’s varsity and junior varsity teams who compete in seven competitive online games far exceeded all expectations, reaching the top 0.5% in U.S. rankings. Despite distance learning, the students had fun team building and competing in a unique, creative way.
Rising to the challenge of forming an official CIF team while under pandemic circumstances, the young digital athletes displayed agility and resiliency. As health and safety prohibited freshmen from making new friends face to face and kept upperclassmen from seeing their classmates, the hugely popular and highly competitive eSports varsity and junior varsity teams, and its supporting eSports club, created an environment to play together, strategize, and virtually high five team mates. And that made them the envy of their non-Bosco Tech peers!
“My friends are surprised when I tell them my school has an eSports team,” said MAT sophomore Jeremiah Solano, eSports Club President & CIF General Team Manager. “Not many schools have the privilege of having a team available to them so they’re shocked that we get to play video games and compete against other schools. And now that some colleges are giving scholarships to students who are talented players, we wanted to bring new opportunities to Bosco for students who are interested in the multifaceted eSports industry as a whole.”
Coach Cruz, a 2016 Tech alumnus and college digital athlete, initially developed the idea for the Tech’s team and club to provide a means for home-bound students to interact, use their digital skills, and enjoy healthy competition and much-needed camaraderie. In addition to playing against each other in a non-regulated setting, club members joined streaming parties to cheer on the CIF team. They employ their STEM skills and talents, Cruz said, by creating supporting graphics, text, and social media digital content to promote the program and the internationally rising sport (overall awareness of the fast-growing industry doubled from 2015 to 2019, and the market is valued at more than $1 billion in 2021.) More importantly, the Tech’s group has created what Cruz calls a home.
“As a teacher, I understood the importance of bringing ‘Bosco’ to students who couldn’t be on campus,” said Cruz, who teaches web and mobile applications and fine arts. “It made sense to create a virtual space for them and, as CIF had just established a new official eSports platform, the timing was right. The boys have found a nice community in the 40 or so members of the club.”
Representing the school in the same way a traditional sports team does, varsity team members have even earned letters. The teams competed against digital athletes from participating California high schools in titles such as Rocket League, League of Legends, Smash Ultimate, Madden 21 Trios (PS4), and FIFA 21 Trios (PS4). Additionally, club members have been competing in Valorant and Fortnite tournaments.
“We’re incredibly excited that our students are able to compete together on the gaming platforms, in something that brings so much joy to young people, especially during distance learning,” said Coach Cruz. “eSports is providing the opportunity for social interaction and team building, and it’s a great opportunity to develop sportsmanship, a sense of community, and develop advanced conceptual thinking.”
