internet access is not a prerequisite,
computer skills are a necessity for
esports.
“We started with Rocket League,”
said Tyler. “After Christmas, we added
Overwatch and Super Smash Brothers
Ultimate, which is a Nintendo game.
When we come back in the fall 2021,
we will add League of Legends. We will
also be adding Splatoon 2 this fall and
Mario Kart Deluxe 8 in Spring of 2022,
which will give us six games in which
to compete this fall and seven games
by the Spring of 2022.” This past
spring (2021), Tyler had forty-five
students try out for esports. Twenty
made it. Practices will continue
throughout the summer. The 2021 fall
season will begin with nineteen boys
and one girl.
“We scrimmage against ourselves
and have an online network of coaches
in Georgia that can set up practice
games. We’ve also partnered with a
web-based training program called
114 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE
GWOOP academy that helps players
work on hand-eye coordination and
visual memory skills,” said Tyler.
And just like with any sport, coaches
scout out the team’s opponents to
see what they’re up against before
competitions.
Although the time commitment
for Tyler and his assistant coaches,
Connor Stanley and Alex Boyett, is
the same as with any sports, coaching
esports differs from other sports
in that players are not all playing
the same game. “Coaching esports
involves coaching completely different
games at the same time. With other
sports, all the players are playing the
same game. For example, football
coaches all coach some aspects of
football. “The coaching is different
for each different game. Some games
involve more strategy than others,”
said Tyler. “Rocket League competes
with three players as a team,” said
Tyler. “Super Smash Brothers also
has three on a team, but they play
individual matches. Overwatch has six
players participating at the same time.
Overall, wins are tallied as a team.”
Esports is the only sports team
at TCHS that plays an international
schedule. “We played 127 different
teams last year. Players were from
thirty-one states and three teams
from Canada. We’re probably the only
sport that can do that since there
aren’t travel costs. Most games are
played virtually, although not all.
The state championship is played in
person and was hosted last year at
Kennesaw State University.”
In October, TCHS will host the
first Sweet Onion Open Rocket
League Tournament presented by Paul
Thigpen Automotive Group, which
they hope will become an annual
event. “The virtual event is open to
any team in the USA,” said Tyler. “We
participated in a similar event with
thirty-two teams from places like New