Esports Wraps Up The Season

The FCHS Esports team just finished up a competitive season thanks to Coach Ryan White, who got into Esports in 2008 while playing the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

What exactly is Esports? “Esports is solo, duo, or team-based, organized gaming in a competitive format,” said White. “Esports isn’t just one game, it’s multiple games that are played competitively. Esports is what separates the casual player from the professional player,” he added. The Fluco team competes against other schools across Virginia and the east coast.

How do practices work? “We practice each game differently,” said White. Rocket League practices involve engaging in game rotations and doing training packs that work on striking, defending and aerial skills. “We watch Video on Demand reviews on past game play and other teams. For Smash Bros, we play against one another, or in multiplayer online games, then watch pros play, practice True Combos, or watch Youtube videos on advanced movements,” he said.

The team’s season, which runs from April to October, had some highlights, including when the Splatoon 2 team won their game. “That was a big moment for them,” said White. “Another highlight was both Super Smash Bros teams starting out 2-0 in the season,” he said.

One thing that makes Esports unique from other sports is that there are different teams within the same team. The Esports team consisted of six players for Rocket League, while for Splatoon 2 they had five players, and six for Super Smash Bros.

White’s road to coaching Esports started several years ago. “[Gary] Greenwood gave me a mentorship job back in 2015 to work under him. I worked as a childcare mentor at the Fluvanna County program Extended Education from 2014-2018. That gave me a lot of experience working with kids of all ages. It built up my tolerance and allowed me to better understand that each person is different in their own way,” White said. He said his job as a coach involves building teams with different players, going over strats, callouts, playing and winning tournaments, creating content, and gaining more experience.

If you are interested in joining the team next season, you can reach White at [email protected].