The Sheboygan Area School District has entered the Esports field for competitive gaming with a new varsity and junior varsity team at North.

The teams, which comprise five members, recently started an eight-week division schedule as a part of the Wisconsin High School Esports Association and hopes to reach the state championship on March 21.

“We’re very excited to get onto this playing field,” said Mike Jaber, SASD’s coordinator of instructional technology. “With Esports, you reach a new demographic of students who might not be into traditional sports, band or other clubs. And it provides yet another avenue for scholarships.”

The teams are coached by North physics teacher Dan Dielentheis.

“I wanted to coach this team because it gives me the chance to share traditional ‘sports’ values to kids that might otherwise never join a traditional sport,” he said. “Skills like teamwork, staying calm and focused, time management, critical thinking, and a host of other skills can be very specific to Esports. I want us to be known as a team that takes it seriously, and is passionate.”

Esports is one of the fastest growing sports groups in the world and the competition for college scholarships is getting fierce.

According to Wired Magazine, only seven colleges had Esports teams in 2016 and now there are over 130.

Submitted by Michele Sewart