In the last weeks of the fall semester, Esports hit new heights in competition at Local Host in Denver. The team travelled back to campus with two trophies in hand: one from Overwatch and one from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Esports consists of multiple teams as players typically only compete in one game. CMU Overwatch Varsity beat out five other schools for the win, including CU Boulder. Senior team captain Owen Paull regards the win as a monumental moment for CMU’s competitive reputation.
“To return with 2 trophies really means a lot to us here. Out of all the games that were played, CMU is the only school to take home 2 Trophies,” Paull said, “and we think that it shows that CMU is an amazing esports contender within the Rocky Mountain Region.”
Paull has been playing Overwatch since its 2016 launch. He has been involved with Esports for over six years, beginning in his high school years.
In a previous season, Esports even won a D1 national championship. Graduate student and the team’s coach and manager Lindsey Chaskelis played on that team.
Chaskelis said that Local Host was a special moment on the technical and planning side as well.
The reclassification of Esports from a club sport to a Student Life organization created new hurdles for travel. This is the first time a Student Life organization has traveled in this manner.
“I worked to get approval through the school for traveling, I coordinated the event for all 25 people who traveled, and it really was my big project,” Chaskelis said, “so not only getting to see it through to the end, but having us bring home trophies was like the biggest possible reward I could have gotten.”
Both the coach and captain said that they felt like underdogs in competition. CU Boulder was a tough match and the team would joke about celebrating the small wins. However they soon realized that coming out on top was a real possibility.
One of the most memorable moments for Chaskelis was when they were on map six in Overwatch. It was match point and CMU was down by one.
“I remember looking at everyone, we had just lost 2 very winnable maps in a row, and I said ‘this is it, win or lose, you guys either give everything here and get to give it again, or you lose here, don’t lose here with anything left,’” Chaskelis said.
The team went on to win that map and the rest of the match. Paull stated that CU was getting sloppy with the last two maps and CMU took advantage.
Esports remembers this travel opportunity as a time for team bonding and making lifelong memories. The team made their mark as a tough competitor. CMU also battles in another tournament—National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC).
“I just wish we could gain more success as a program and gain the overall recognition we desire from not just our peers here at CMU, but also the administration and other colleges and universities within the Rocky Mountain Region,” Paull said.
The coach and manager agreed with this sentiment and wants to see Esports recognized as an inclusive environment that uplifts students.
“We have students from all walks of life, who of any age, background, whatever. Esports build a spirit of competition and friendship that can last lifetimes.” Chaskelis said.
