Clifton High School NJ eSports practice
Two coaches watch their students via Discord online during an eSports practice at Clifton High School on 05/04/21.
Mitsu Yasukawa/Northjersey.com
EXETER — The competition inside the sprawling Rinks at Exeter complex on a recent muggy Friday night was almost as steamy as it was outside as players of all ages were locked in on the task at hand, their eyes firmly on the prize.
There were no skates in sight, however, and the only sticks to be found pivoted on a base in all directions.
The bustling Helix eSports Academy, which is located in the entrance of the twin rinks in Exeter, is set to get even busier this fall as it will host a new high school eSports league for players from three local high schools. Emerging from a sea of technicolor monitors and state-of-the-art equipment, Helix eSports Academy coach Jesse Clardy, 26, says he is eager to bring some of the high school rivalries he enjoyed as a football player at Winnacunnet to the eSports arena.
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Exeter, Portsmouth and St. Thomas Aquinas high schools are in the league
“It’s a lot more fun to say ‘Winnacunnet vs. Exeter’ than it is to write ‘Exeter vs. X,Y, and Z School from South Dakota on the whiteboard,’” Clardy offered with a smile.
Exeter, Portsmouth and St. Thomas Aquinas High School of Dover are all in the league, which starts Oct. 15. Clardy expects another three or four schools, including Winnacunnet, to join in the near future. Just last week, Clardy saw 52 potential players attend an informational meeting at Exeter High.
The new high school league has two options for gamers: a club level and a varsity level. The club level will focus towards weekend play, while the varsity level will involve more of a time commitment and a higher skill level.
“I played football myself, and I understand that you’re not going to quit football to join Rocket League if you have been in football since fifth grade,” Clardy, a 2013 WHS graduate, pointed out. “Our idea of doing this locally is to give players a chance to play on Saturday and Sunday when it doesn’t interfere with fall sports.”
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In contrast, the varsity level caters to high-level players who are interested in pursuing eSports in college and possibly earning a scholarship. Yes, you heard that right – it is indeed possible to turn those Rocket League or Fortnite chops into cold hard cash for college.
“I want to say it’s easier to get an eSport scholarship than most other sports, but a lot of people are not aware that they exist,” said Clardy, who also coaches an eSports team at Great Bay Community College and estimates that there are currently 400 collegiate eSports programs in the U.S., 200 of which offer scholarships.
The varsity level will feature a tournament against another school once a week at the Exeter Helix facility as well as two practices a week at the players’ respective schools. Clardy expects the league to swell as schools, like Winnacunnet which is waiting for the necessary gaming computers to arrive, join.
“It’s really like any other sport,” says Clardy, who also coaches a multitude of youth leagues at Helix. “I’ll record games and I can put those games in at half speed and we can watch them back just like a football team watches (game) tape. We really break down everything.”
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Clardy, who grew up in Hampton, got his first PlayStation gaming system at age 5 and says the addition of multi-player and online gaming has drastically changed the entire gaming landscape since those early days. Sadly, he admits that at the ripe old age of 26 his best competitive gaming days are behind him.
“The big thing is your reaction time and that starts declining around age 25,” he says. “Also, when you’re 24 and 25 and you’re out of college, it’s harder to dedicate 40 hours a week to getting better at this game.”
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For those entering their gaming prime, however, eSports can be a way to not only get into college, but possibly pay for part of it as well. Exeter High senior Ian Surprenant will be the first to admit that he didn’t even know eSports scholarships were a thing until he took part in a high school event at the Helix eSports arena at Patriot Place in Foxborough last summer that drew nearly 30 college recruiters. Not too long after that event, he had three college offers.
“It took even a while for my parents to get on board because at first they were like, ‘There is no way this is a real thing,’” the senior said with a smile. “But after the numbers started rolling in, it was hard for them to deny that this is now a thing.”
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Surprenant, who also plays soccer and tennis for the Blue Hawks, says that his gaming console is not as far removed from the soccer field or tennis court as you might think.
“A lot of people think that eSports does not share the same values as sports, but it basically does because you can take a leadership role and there is teamwork and communication,” he said. “It has all the values of sports without the physical activity and it’s very beneficial academically because you are exercising your brain in a similar sense to how you would exercise (your body) in athletics.”
Noah Donovan, a senior at Portsmouth High, has taken a leadership role on the new Clippers squad and is researching branching out to other programs in hopes of gaining a college sponsorship. Donovan is quick to note that the conception of gaming as a lonely, solitary pursuit is not accurate.
“There are specific roles you can give to teammates,” says Donovan who plans to play collegiate eSports next year while also helping out with the Portsmouth squad. “It’s not like you sit there and you do what you want. It’s very complicated and intensive.”
And as Clardy points out eSports standouts come in all shapes and sizes.
“Genetics said I wasn’t going to be on the Patriots,” Clardy said. “It didn’t matter if I put three times the time in the weight room, I don’t have the size to be an offensive guard in the NFL. eSports is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter your race, your sexual orientation, or your gender. It’s about whether you are willing to put in the time and grind to be good.”
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