The first-ever, in-person St. Dominic Esports Classic Tournament was a huge success! Many colleges, and recruiters were in attendance. Dominic ended the day with second place in Overwatch, coming into the Final Four of Valorant, and a top six finish in Rocket League.  

The layout of Saturday was four tournaments of games, all going on at once. Each school had four teams of players, who specialized in a specific game. The games that were played included Valorent, Smash Bros, Rocket League, and Overwatch. 

Valorent is a strategic shooting game, that is five versus five, best of five rounds. Smash Bros, has a three vs. three matchup of smash teams, which is double elimination. Rocket League, is the popular online car soccer game, often played on iPads here at Dominic as well. This game is also the best of five. Finally, Overwatch is another five vs. five shooter game, that is a whopping best of thirteen rounds. 

“Organizing this has definitely been a lot, but I’ve had a lot of people help me out. The most stressful part so far, has been figuring out what schools are going to be in attendance,” Head Esports Coach Doug Small said. 

Along with being involved in Esports, Small also has experience running Dominic’s Girls, and Boys Chick-Fil-A Basketball Christmas Tournament. He hopes he can make this tournament a St. Dominic tradition as well. He started our wonderful Esports team a few years back. Small has helped the game of online sports grow immensely, while also promoting the tournament.

On Saturday October fourteenth, St. Dominic High School was buzzing with athletes, filling half the school. High schools from all around the area participated in this outstanding tournament. One school that stood out above the rest was CBC. They went home with a sweep in Overwatch, four first place wins, a win in Rocket League, and Valorant as well. 

To prepare for this intense twelve hour competition, Sam Hucke from CBC gave an insight as to how much practice it takes to win. Whether it be at home or after school, these boys and girls are willing to train for their games, no matter what. 

“I spend about ten to twelve hours per week practicing,” Hucke said.

This dedication can lead to scholarships, at the collegiate level for these young athletes. The recruiting process is the same as athletics, like core values such as scholarships, and talent. College coaches were prowling for their next generation of online gamers on Saturday, in hopes to find a fit for their future team. 

“My program has four core values: sportsmanship, critical thinking, growth mindset, and teamwork,” Head Esports Coach at William Jewell College, Conon Gillis said. 

Ten colleges were in attendance at Saturday’s event. Some note-worthy places include: St. Louis University, Mizzou, Maryville, and Lindenwood. Some focus on the person before the player, such as the Missouri Valley College Associate, Esports Coach Raven White. 

“I believe I can coach any player to the national level, I look for good students, and good people first in my recruits, then game play skills second,” White said. 

Esports has grown immensely throughout the years, and has become a love, and passion for players. It has made a safe, and fun environment that is open to everyone. It is competitive, fun, and imaginative. Esports is also an asset by making friends online, and meeting new people from other schools. 

“Esports here means a lot because you can get together with friends, and play at school and get to be around teachers like Small and Winkleman,” Senior Parker Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson is the Varsity Valorant Esports Captain. He demonstrates leadership skills, and leads his team in a supportive way. He shows maturity at practices, by keeping the team on track. 

The Esports playoffs are right around the corner, starting on Monday November 6th. Make sure to give these gamers some good luck this week, as they prepare for playoffs!