Esports team members practice their skills days before the first competition of the year, against students from New Mexico.
Photo by Allison Perrine
FAIR HAVEN – Knollwood students on the FH Knights Esports team are part of what organizers say is the first academic middle school esports team in the country.
Esports, a competitive multiplayer video gaming sport, allows children to indulge in the video gaming world while honing key life skills as they compete against students throughout the country – and soon, throughout the world. The team’s goal is to play its first international match this year with children from the Netherlands.
The sport oftentimes attracts children who might not want to play traditional sports, said Chris Aviles, a Knollwood teacher and esports leader at the school and across the nation. Any student interested can join the team, even if he or she has little to no experience with video games.
Photo by Allison Perrine
“That’s why the jersey is so important to me, so they can feel like a family,” Aviles said of the team’s blue jerseys with blue camouflage pattern sleeves. “I always say that the best thing that happened last year is they all went out to get a slice of pizza together after the game. Maybe a lot of them were just gaming in their room by themselves, but a lot of these guys now hang out together,” he said.
But it’s not all fun and games. Aviles runs the team like a varsity sport. “It’s not a club. We’re not here to have fun. We’re here to win,” he said. He played rugby in college and coached varsity sports for about 12 years before coming to the Fair Haven school.
Aviles also looks at the children’s classroom behavior, attendance and grades outside of the team. If they are doing poorly, he will pull them and help them find ways to improve in those outside areas. “I try to make it as much of a varsity sport as I can,” he said. “(I) use the video game to get the best out of them in the classroom.”
Recently named a scholastic fellow by the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF), Aviles will be able to introduce curriculum and strategies to U.S. schools that combine esports and education. “I will help them amplify their message about the value of esports.”
FH Knights Esports is currently comprised of 18 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at Knollwood School. They meet twice a week during their recess/lunch periods to practice. Formal competitions are hosted in the school’s “arena” (the library). Their first match of the year was held Nov. 13 against students from New Mexico.
Aviles created the team last year, but because they were the first middle school esports team, there were no children available at their age to compete against. So, they challenged college students from Rutgers and Stockton universities.
“We got destroyed, but it was fun,” said seventh-grader Devon Strand.
Photo by Allison Perrine
Aviles has since created the first middle school league which now includes 19 middle schools from around the country. The team will still compete against college students this year, but after games, the college students will talk to the Knollwood children about college life and career paths. They can even go on tours of the campus, like at Rutgers University or Stockton College.
“Esports is the fastest growing industry in the world. So, when we talk about STEM jobs, this is a huge area,” he said. “Kids can follow their love of video games through middle school, high school, all the way into college.”
Many universities now offer scholarships for esports. That’s why Aviles wants the children to see how they can take their love of video games and follow it through college and into a career. That could mean doing accounting for an esports team, video editing, marketing or much more.
Each year the team plays the popular game “Rocket League” because it is non-violent. It also teaches children how to be reliable and accountable. “If you’re not in your position, we could lose the game,” said Aviles. The game is very similar to soccer. That was one of the draws for the team’s sole female student, sixth-grader Emily Strand.
“I really like playing video games, especially like having a team and making it something big and fun that we all can do,” she said. Emily added that she likes playing soccer and often plays with her brothers at home. One of her brothers, who has special needs, is a member of the esports team, and Emily plays the game by his side.
Sixth-grader Kolin Cannon said he also likes participating because everyone works as a team and cooperates with one another. His favorite video game to play outside of school is Super Mario. Similarly, eighth-graders Finn Ryan, Ry Beausoleil and Odinn Bindas all agreed that they like the team-building aspect of esports.
Graduates of Knollwood have continued playing esports, Aviles said. Three of last year’s eighth-graders started an esports team at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. “They had such a good experience, so it’s nice.”
