Cade Barker / cade@thereflector.com
Prairie High School students are preparing to represent their school in a new league starting this month with a shared love of video games.
The Falcons esports team is recruiting more student gamers to join ahead of the upcoming spring league. Teams will compete on Nintendo Switch and PC.
Coach Simeon Redberg said the gamers will virtually compete against other Washington high school teams in a variety of games including Rocket League, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart and Valorant. The new league that Redberg will be joining includes Valorant and Super Smash Bros., and the playoffs will be held live at the Emerald Queen Casino near Tacoma.
“It's going to be a pretty big event. So we're hoping to get our team there and be able to compete for state,” Redberg said.
Although the team continues to grow, Redberg said there aren't enough people for the full varsity and junior varsity teams.
Redberg faced some challenges as a coach because the program is relatively new and not a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) sanctioned sport.
“It's kind of cool to hope that you can be a part of history, because I don't think this situation is getting any smaller. It's going to get even bigger,” Redberg said. “…We're carving out our own path right now, which is exciting, but also a challenge. I'm trying to navigate that.”
For these players, the opportunity to represent the Falcons while playing the video games they have been familiar with since childhood is very meaningful.
“Honestly, it’s so refreshing to feel like you’re in a circle with other people who share that interest…” sophomore Brashari White said about being on the esports team.
Unlike playing at home, White enjoys the higher stakes gaming experience of competing online against students from other schools. He added that just like other high school sports, the school's reputation is at stake when playing esports.
White encourages other students to join the Prairie esports team.
“If you're good at games, come join us. I was really disappointed. I didn't get involved until a month after esports started,” White said. “What I'm saying is that once you're successful, you should really go for it.”
At Redberg, non-players can test their skills in practice games before signing up for the team or just having fun after school.
