In the Fall of 2019, Sir Winston Churchill added eSports to our list of clubs and teams for students to participate in. In Partnership with the Ontario League of Associated eSports (OLAE) team members compete against other high school teams around the province. Select students and teams will be invited to play for OLAE’s 8 Provincial Teams, representing cities across the province (Niagara Hydra, Hamilton Warhawks, Burlington Frostbite, Waterloo Wizards, Toronto Tempo, Mississauga Mischief, Cambridge Eclipse and Ottawa Honor).
What is esports?
Electronic Sports (esports) is the combination of video games and competition. League of Legends focuses on real time strategy and multiplayer aspects so players can compete head to head against one another. Esports is recognised by hundreds of businesses, organizations, universities, colleges, and schools from across the world and is part of a multi-million dollar industry that grows everyday. The viewership for competitive gaming reached 213 million people in 2016 alone. Professional League of Legends players are also recognised by the United States Government as international athletes and receive visas. In addition, Waterloo, McMaster and Brock all have varsity esports teams and compete in tournaments that offer thousands of dollars in scholarships. In early 2017, the University of Toronto announced their first esports-related scholarship.
Purpose of our club
-
Not to give students an excuse to play video games.
-
Introduce high school students to the professional esports scene with an academic approach.
-
Students will experience first hand what it is like to be a professional eSports athlete.
-
Working alongside the Ontario League of Associated Esports (OLAE) team in Kitchener-Waterloo, an esports tournament run for high school students from around Ontario, we will develop students’ communication, teamwork, and decision making skills.
-
Promote the idea of balancing academics with competitive video games
-
Video game playing will only occur once a week for less than 1 hour outside of club meetings and will be monitored by OLAE officials and your help
-
The club will be participating in the online OLAE esports tournament. Competing against other high school clubs from around Ontario.
-
To create a club for students interested in competitive gaming,
-
To create a club where everyone feels welcome and safe
-
To prepare students for future college and university esports programs.
In order to promote appropriate high school content, all games will have an ESRB rating of Teen (age 13+).