There are no uniforms required to play esports, and in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing isn’t a problem either.
Santa Ynez High School has become one of the 100 CIF-Southern Section schools registered to compete in the 2021 esports season.
The CIF and the National Federation of High School Sports both sanction esports competition.
At Santa Ynez, 23 students have registered to play for the Pirates, according to Athletic Director Ashley Coelho.
The team is scheduled to start competition in March.
Jason Finley is the head coach of the Santa Ynez esports team. He also coaches girls basketball and is an assistant on the varsity football team. He’ll be assisted by Coelho, Greg Gandolfo and Sara Ovadia. Gandolfo also serves as an assistant football and baseball coach; Ovadia coaches boys and girls golf, and JV girls basketball.
The Santa Ynez team will compete in the video games “Rocket League,” “Madden 21” and “League of Legends.” The other multiplayer esports games they could choose to play were “Smite” and “FIFA 21.”
Santa Ynez team members Jackson Ollenburger, Stone Wright and Aidan O’Neill said they are happy about the choice of games. The sophomores play at least one of them.
“I’ve been playing ‘Madden 21’ since 2016, 2017,” Ollenburger said.
O’Neill also is an aficionado of the popular video football game: “I’ve played for about five years. I play ‘Rocket League’ a little bit as well.”
“Rocket League” is describef as a “hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem.”
Wright said he is a regular “Rocket League” player.
The three gamers were active in the Santa Ynez sports program before the pandemic hit. Wright plays basketball, baseball and volleyball, O’Neill plays basketball and baseball, and Ollenburger plays basketball. All three said they will continue to play those sports when they resume.
“I wanted to get involved with esports because real life sports were up in the air,” O’Neill said. “Ms. Coelho has done a really good job setting this up for us.”
“My classroom is all set up with the equipment, but students can also play at home,” Coelho said. “They can use their laptop or any console to play. The only thing they can’t use is their cellphone.”
San Marcos High School also is competing in the CIF’s esports competition.
The CIF State Office said esports promote team-building, inclusion, STEM and job skills, and can lead to college opportunities.
There are several college esports leagues. Many of the schools are members of the National Association of Collegiate Esports, which means they offer officially recognized varsity esports programs.
“There are many CIF member schools currently engaged in esports, and we are excited to provide this additional education-based opportunity for all our students and member schools,” CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti said in a press release.
Wright said he sees high school esports as an opportunity to get recruited and play for prize money in the future.
“I hope to be discovered by some adult leagues,” he said.