Greene County has rolled out the inaugural Esports team this fall. Several students of the high school are doing battle via the video games Rainbow Six Siege as well as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.  The coaching staff of Josef Miller and Brent Gerzema preach communication and teamwork.  BRANDON HURLEY | JEFFERSON HERALDThe dedication and passion required during an Esports competition rivals that of any other sport. A simple mistake can derail an entire plan, ending in loss. Greene County is a few weeks into their first-ever season as an Esports program.  BRANDON HURLEY | JEFFERSON HERALDEach of the desktop computers in Greene County's Esports arena is adorned with a crisp Ram logo, eliciting plenty of school pride among team members.  BRANDON HURLEY | JEFFERSON HERALD

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

Esports are more than just a game at Greene County
“You get kids that wouldn’t necessarily do the extra curricular but now have the opportunity to be involved and be a teammate and contribute very successfully. That’s a huge piece. It’s all groups. It’s not (only) physical sports anymore, it’s sports, electronic sports. They can be apart of a school organization that is recognized by their peers.” - GCHS assistant Esports coach Brent Gerzema

By BRANDON HURLEY

Managing Editor
news@beeherald.com

@BrandonJHurley

As students enter Greene County’s Esports arena, a few of them head directly for their battle stations, state-of-the-art PC computers adorned with vivid colors and an immaculate Ram logo. Others quietly filter in and ready themselves for an intense practice session, withdrawing computers, controllers and headsets, hell bent on bettering their skills.  

Well removed from the pressures of a packed gymnasium or the expansive openness of a football field lies Greene County’s latest athletic endeavor, tucked into the western wing of the new high school.
The first-year Esports program may be small in statute, but it certainly packs a punch, anchored by a core of students eager to leave a mark on their school.
Esports (electronic video games, i.e. Xbox, computers and Playstation) are no longer a hobby, sequestered in a basement or a dingy bedroom.
Popularity of video games have exploded over the last few decades, blossoming into a multi-billion dollar industry, peppered with celebrities and sky-rocketing ratings, in turn creating thousands of programs across the world.
Greene County High School and Esports head coach Josef Miller saw an opportunity and seized it, formulating a local Esports program this fall.

The moment was perfect, as youngsters flocked to video game systems and competitions during a pandemic that forced most of society to stay at home, opening up an opportunity for a new school-sponsored activity.

“I would’ve killed for this when I was in high school. It’s one of my main driving factors,” Miller said. “My best friends and I were always into video games - Halo, Counter Strike, all the popular ones back in those days.
I would’ve loved to have this. So being able to give the opportunity to the kids now, is really important to me.”

Like a variety of other sports, communication and teamwork are vital building blocks for an Esports team. The students work together as a team, tactically maneuvering their way across a virtual landscape, attacking their opponents and figuring out ways to earn victory. Typically singular in nature, with gamers across the globe likely confined to their homes alone, separated from their peers, the Esports community, particularly at Greene County, pushes students to grow relationships and interact with one another via headsets and general verbal communication.
Inclusiveness is another key component of the rising Esports community. Greene County’s squad has drawn widespread interest, providing a spot for a wheelchair bound student as well as a small segment of special needs athletes. The program is open to anyone, from well-conditioned athletes to students who may have never enjoyed physical activity.

Video games are melting pot for connection. It’s a simple concept, really. A basic understanding of the controls and game layout can take a student-athlete a long way.

“You get kids that wouldn’t necessarily do the extra curricular but now have the opportunity to be involved and be a teammate and contribute very successfully,” GCHS assistant coach Brent Gerzema said. “That’s a huge piece. It’s all groups. It’s not (only) physical sports anymore, it’s sports, electronic sports.
They can be apart of a school organization that is recognized by their peers.”

The relative newness of the Esports program has brought in students from all walks of life, which is a point of pride the coaching staff has driven home a few weeks into the season.
“We are reaching a new group of kids that wouldn’t tend to do these extracurricular activities,” Gerzema said. “We’ve already received some very positive feedback from the teachers and the parents who are just ecstatic that their kid is finally getting involved in something.”
Greene County plans to institute a promotional initiative as well, highlighting the team’s achievements with banners and trophies while sharing their school pride through team uniforms (which are coming soon) and other Esports-related apparel and accessories.
Esports fall competitions are held every Thursday (beginning the first week of September, through October. Playoffs are held during the month of November. Greene County’s varsity team is competing in Rainbow Six Siege while the junior varsity squad is battling foes in Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo Switch. Smash Brothers: Ultimate (Crew Battles) is played on a single Nintendo Switch which requires five team members. Likewise, Rainbow 6 Siege is played on PC computers and also requires five team members. Rainbow Six Siege is conducted on a number of gaming, desktop PCs at the high school via five member teams. The students are only allowed to use keyboards and hand-held mice for the Rainbow Six season. Microphones and headsets are encouraged, to promote communication and coordination.

The winter season begins the first week of December and runs through February. The students will play Overwatch as well as Rocket League. The spring season wraps up the academic year, which runs from March through the last week of April, featuring Mario Kart 8: Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch and Smite, a cross-play game which can be played on either the Switch, Xbox, Playstation or PC.
Getting the Greene County community’s support as well as the school board to back a new activities program was actually much easier than they had initially imagined, Miller said. They mulled possibly starting an Esports club which would eventually blossom into a varsity sport, but the school’s support kick-started the efforts.

“The board was surprisingly receptive to the idea and we are very thankful for that,” Miller said. “We came in with a bunch of research (on things like) how video games don’t cause violence. But we didn’t get a whole lot of pushback.”

Miller did mention how some parents were weary of celebrating video games as an accepted activity, afraid their students would likely suffer more than thrive. Simply stated, painting the right picture and pushing key, positive elements of Esports has helped smooth over any concerns.

“We are treating this like a sport,” Miller said. “They are learning the same core values as you would out on the football field.
I’m always stressing communication and positivity and working with your teammates toward the same goal. They aren’t getting as much physical activity but they are held to the same standards.”

Caleb Pedersen is one of the inaugural members of the Greene County Esports team. He’s enjoyed quite the positive experience a few weeks into the season.

“I play video games for fun. It’s something I do to relax after school,” Pedersen said. “I like to play with people and get to know them. I also try to help with what I can. I do my best to make sure we’re all working as a team and working together.”

Roughly 12-14 players are members of Greene County’s Esports program, with some students still feeling out the newness of the activity.
Miller is a stickler for discipline, continually encouraging his athletes to be supportive of each other while also keeping a close eye on attendance and distractions. Grades have to be up to par while homework needs to be completed as well.

“If you don’t get those grades up, you’re not playing,” Miller said. “I’m very strict with that. I don’t bend on that rule at all.”

Esports have been growing at a remarkable pace. The League of Legends World Championship Series was broadcast to millions of viewers last year, holding steady with - if not surpassing - some of today’s most popular sporting events. Millions of dollars of scholarships have been given out at colleges while Grand View University in Des Moines now offers full scholarships for Esports. It’s a rising sport that has begun to catch on locally.

“Some of those kids maybe wouldn’t go to college and now they’ve got this incentive and tuition reimbursement for playing video games,” Gerzema said. “They’re good at it. It gets them into a new place they wouldn’t otherwise.”

Streaming video gamers have become a popular avenue as of late, with some of the world’s most popular personalities diving deep into video games. As odd as it may seem, streaming has become a viable source of income for many, and it’s something Greene County won’t try and temper.

“It’s no different than wanting to be a million dollar franchise quarterback in the NFL, how negative would that be?” Gerzema said. “Some people might think they’re just wasting their time, but if they get really good at it and succeed, I don’t really see the problem.”
In fact, Greene County is home to a streamer who plays the game called Pub G and makes money each month.

The Rams meet for an hour and a half of practice everyday, working on communication and general navigation of the game. GCHS has even named a team captain, who has essentially become an extension of the coaching staff. An Esports captain is someone who can organize an attack plan while also providing an outlet for other students to lean on for advice. A captain sometimes even coordinates the entire match, from set up through the finish, with a bit of help from the coaches.
Competitions are laid out in a best of three game series, with each game consisting of a minimum of seven matches. Greene County opened their inaugural season with a 2-0 loss to Council Bluffs before hosting Belmond-Klemme last Thursday. The Rams have not picked up a win so far, but the growth is apparent, their coach said.

“They did very well,” Miller said. “They have made a lot of improvements.”

Greene County’s newest outlet has a bright future, with the growing popularity of team video games, anything is possible. Perhaps the Rams can someday soon add an Esports state tournament banner to their repertoire.
It’s certainly locked in their sights.

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