Teacher Nick Baglia provided an update to members of the Southwestern Central School Board regarding the online gaming sports group. Esports is a computer-based online gaming sport that has grown in popularity over the years. Baglia said it gives students an alternative to participate in sports and be involved in the school.

“I say as long as you’ve got a pair of hands or you don’t even need hands — they’re making some wildly inclusive things to get kids involved in esports,” Baglia said. “It’s just an electronic sport with a team setting where they play together on a computer, a PlayStation or Xbox. There are so many different avenues that you can do this and it really just brings together kids from all backgrounds.”

Baglia said the group has more than 50 students. The school has recently received funding to build custom computers for the gaming team and has created “The Trojan Center,” a room dedicated to the gaming club complete with a TV with streaming capabilities and special gaming chairs. He said the computers the group uses could rival those used on college campuses. Baglia said the Trojan Center is a “work in progress.”

“It’s really kind of set up to be not only a spot where the kids can come in and use those awesome machines that we’ve put together but also a spot for the kids to come and participate in other ways like streaming and watching the stream,” he said. “So, just as you would have fans go to a football game or a basketball game, we are going to be able to put out a stream to where people in the school and outside of the school can watch these competitions.”

Teacher Nick Baglia is pictured last week discussing the success of Southwestern’s esports team. P-J photo by Katrina Fuller

Baglia pointed out that the gaming chairs are extremely comfortable and suggested Superintendent Maureen Donahue should try one. Donahue agreed, saying she would have to try one out.

“You would think that you might just want to use a regular office chair,” he said. “If you’ve experienced a gaming chair you will not go back to a regular office chair.”

Baglia said students have always been interested in esports, but the interest has increased this past year.

“It really started as a club and the interest has always been there, but this year we’ve just blossomed so much to now,” he said. “We’ve competed in regional tournaments, and we’ve also competed in national tournaments.”

He said the group has joined a national Rocket League competition. Rocket League is a popular soccer-like game played with cars. Baglia said 700 teams played across the United States and Southwestern’s team placed 130th out of all the teams.

“That’s an accomplishment in itself having never done it,” he said.

The group is also a member of a BOCES organization that allows the team to compete against 17 other schools. The BOCES group put on its own Rocket League competition, in which the Southwestern team won first place. The team was presented with a plaque and custom water bottles which Baglia said they will give out to the students. The students will also compete in another competition in the spring.

“It’s a really awesome program and an awesome opportunity for students to get involved,” Baglia said. “If they want to get engaged in school but not go the traditional sports route, they have an opportunity to do that now. If you ask a student, easily three out of four students will play some sort of video game.”