With the holiday season coming up, The Independence High school  Esports team would like to remind everyone that tryouts reopen after winter break. Many students are not aware of the Esports team representing Independence High School. However, the team works hard to represent the Patriots properly. 

The IHS Esports team is a gaming team that currently plays League of Legends and Rocket League competitively. The coaches are looking to start the Esports club as well, so anyone can join and enjoy games with their peers. As well as starting the club, the coaches plan to bring different games to the club to appeal to different gamers. 

The Esports team is trying to build a group and create an environment where students can connect through video games. League of Legends coach Jesus Espinosa explains, ”For a lot of these kids, sports like football or soccer may not seem appealing to them, and this is an amazing opportunity for students to make relationships doing something that they enjoy.” 

There are no qualifications to join the team. Coach of the Rocket league Team Terrance Mendez explained, “just wanting to be in an environment that others love to be in is just enough.” The coaches plan to gather teams for other games in the future as well for more casual club play.

The Team Practices from home almost everyday after school at around 6 p.m. When the team gathers for meetings they do so in room G12. If you’re interested in the team, you can go there after school to gather more information and possibly meet the coaches. When they have practice meetings, they meet in room G6. 

The tryout process is wide open, meaning there is no guarantee that the players on the team now will have a spot in the future. One must earn their place on the team through their skills and talents during tryouts. The team’s tryout process coincides with the breaks on the school calendar. Fall tryouts start just after school comes back in session from summer break, and Spring tryouts start after the winter break.  

Coach Mendez explained that the tryout process in League of Legends consists of using a different champion than one is accustomed to in the first game, “because adaptability in a game where your options could be limited is always important!”During the next game played, the player is allowed to use their favorite champion to show their skills in their comfortable state. 

Since Esports is considered a sport, there are two teams to fill, Varsity and J.V. teams, with three players each and one or two bench players for each team as well. If you are looking to join the team, or are interested in playing these games with others, you can ask one of the coaches to join the IHS Esports Discord server. 

This team has been assembled for about 3 years now and was coached by math teacher Mr. Barton previously. Since then Coaches Mendez and Espinosa have taken over the team and have been coaches for the team for about 4 months now.