Esports event brings together high school gamers in showcase of teamwork, opportunity

More than 100 high school athletes from across Henrico County recently participated in Henrico's first high school esports event, Redline. Eight high school teams competed in a “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” tournament in the Victory Lane Club and track garages of Richmond Raceway.

Esports is organized, competitive video gaming where individuals or teams play against each other in multiplayer video games. Some would say it’s just kids playing video games, but Godwin High School esports coach, Paige Roemer, says it is also teaching students durable skills, like critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration. The team nature of the sport also builds social skills.

“It helps serve a community of kids who otherwise would not participate in athletic sports,” Roemer said.

The clear and cool fall weather was a perfect opportunity for students to walk the racetrack after the competition and sign their names on the finish line.

Each school, sporting colorful team jerseys, competed for the top honors. Hermitage High School took first place in the Smash Bros. tournament, walking away with the victory belt and medals, with senior Jamie Keith as the overall student winner.

“I want to try to do this professionally because this is something I really love doing,” Keith said, showing good sportsmanship to his competition. “All the other teams were amazing people. Shout out to them. They are absolutely amazing. Very friendly, just good competition.”

The Redline tournament was a collaboration between Henrico County Public Schools, Richmond Raceway and Shenandoah University. On the other side of the track, some of the top universities in Virginia were competing in an esports tournament. Representatives from the universities, the U.S. Army and professional esports were there to talk to Henrico students about the many opportunities high school graduates can play esports in college, the military and professionally.

“To the professional sports market, we found that people are willing and excited to practice and compete for video games. People are excited to watch their favorite teams and players. And so we're trying to capture that,” said Xander Merle-Smith, director of esports at Shenandoah University. “But if they decide that they're great enough and they want to go try and compete and continue to develop their skills into the professional world, they could easily see themselves making a career of it.”

Keith says he would love to take his game to the next level after graduation.

HCPS innovation specialist Jon Gregori, an organizer of the event, is encouraged by the interest in the program as it grows to scale and how it ties into HCPS’ Journey to 2030 strategic plan goals of enrollment, enlistment or employment.

“Now that we have teams in most schools, we are hoping to help students see the post-high school opportunities that esports offers through college academic programs and scholarships, recruitment pathways into military esports programs, or jobs and careers connected to the gaming and esports $300-billion-plus industry,” Gregori noted. “For Redline, we wanted to go ‘beyond the game’ and have our student athletes experience the 3 E’s of esports.”

At the end of the day, all students were standing in the winner’s circle with a thrilling experience that may, one day, open up opportunities to a fast and furious future.

HCPS’ next divisionwide esports tournament will be held Jan. 22 at the Advanced Career Education Center at Hermitage for middle and high school student athletes.