Elmhurst University eSports Super Smashes through the 2022 school year

The eSports team has been improving their opportunities for Elmhurst University students as they begin their sixth year at EU.

Last year, the eSports organization was able to begin offering their biggest opportunity yet. They are now able to provide 20 scholarships to first-year and transfer students, each scholarship offering $1,000 for competing students.

President and “Overwatch” head coach Alex Grossman had a huge role in giving out these scholarships, and this opportunity is his favorite aspect of his position.

“Personally, I like the ability to have such an impact on students’ lives,” Grossman said, “I’d never thought I’d be able to run a scholarship fund, help students attend college to do something that they love and enjoy.”

This year, 13 freshmen and transfer students received the eSports scholarships, leaving seven scholarships available for incoming students.

These scholarships fall under six competitive teams the organization has available: “League of Legends”, “Super Smash Bros.”, “Overwatch”, “Apex Legends”, “Rocket League”, and “Valorant.”

Photo by- Alyssa Kuehne

The eSports organization has branched out since their starting point about six years ago with these teams. Previously, they had only offered “League of Legends” and “Super Smash Bros.,” but with EU’s support they have been able to expand into a broader variety.

However, competitive teams are not all they offer. At the eSports Lab, there are 12 PCs, Nintendo Switches, and an Xbox available for casual use. Other than when the team holds competitive practice, the eSports Lab is open for all EU students from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Not only do they offer club versions of their competitive teams for casual players to come in and play, they also host monthly events for the casual side of gaming. These are open to the campus community and usually include pizza, according to Grossman.

The organization is described as laid back and supportive, not just from the president, but regular members as well.

Senior member Edgar Arias said, “I enjoy being a part of the team because everyone here is friendly and willing to work to push one another to become better and better.”

Elmhurst eSports is also changing attitudes for students about the community.

“Since I have joined the Apex Legends competitive team, my perspective on the community has changed positively and I have found a new appreciation for eSports,” said Junior Yahaira Gonzalez. 

Gonzalez continued, “The team is very supportive and helpful, so I am able to grow as a player, whether it’s style, technique, or communication.”

Junior Carrie Holakovsky is taking the open community the eSports team offers to the next level.

“I started project bluejay because I felt it was important for players that identify as female, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ to have a safe space for them and make people feel more welcome and comfortable,” Holakovsky said, “It’s hard to feel welcome in a male dominated environment, so providing this space will help recruit more players and make them feel welcome.”

Secretary and senior Hayden Szaltis loves the work everyone has done to improve and expand this organization.

“I would say [my favorite part is] just the experience of running an organization and seeing the growth of the organization from my freshman year to my senior year. And just like for membership, we’ve quadrupled in size and doubled in games that we offer.” 

“I just love seeing the growth of it and seeing how much we’ve been successful…it’s just been a really fun ride and something I have always enjoyed and loved and just seeing my impact that I can have on the team,” Szaltis said.

Holakovsky also expresses her favorite aspect of the organization. 

“I like being a part of the Overwatch team because everyone is very friendly and it’s a safe place to compete. Don is a great coach and leader.” she said.

As Holakovsky mentioned, coaches are an important part of the organization and the team’s improvement. Some coaches, such as Alex Grossman, are a part of the executive board, whereas others are regular club members. 

Junior Ryan Malia coaches the League of Legends team.

“I enjoy coaching because it allows me to put all the knowledge I’ve gained over the years about a game to use and I enjoy competing just because I’m a super competitive person.” said Malia.

The organization also has professional coaches that come in on a monthly basis, according to Grossman.

All this work and training is paying off for them at the tournaments they enter. Szaltis spoke more on the success of the team.

“Especially our Rocket League team. We ended up placing in a national tournament. Our Apex team, we ended up going to a national tournament and placing moderately well,” said Szaltis.

He continued, “We have our Smash members who have gone to tournaments and done exceptionally well within the Chicagoland region and our Overwatch team is doing a phenomenal job, especially in the Overwatch league.”

The organization also hosts smaller tournaments usually open to Elmhurst students. Their first one of the semester, called “Smash in Session!”, was on Sept. 24. It was a “Super Smash Bros.” tournament with both a competitive and casual side. 

Photo by- Alyssa Kuehne

Smash team captain Nik Ajroja explained a few of the details of this tournament.

“It’s sort of a reboot to our tournaments, as this semester we plan on expanding our schools name to much higher heights and having much higher cash prizes as more and more people enter the competition,” Ajroja said. “If you guys want to compete, make sure you stop by our monthly tournaments for a chance to win some money by playing video games!” 

“Smash in Session!” was streamed on the team’s Twitch account, elmhurst_esports. The tournament can be streamed through this service.