Esports competitors descend on Calgary for Alberta Championship
Children aged between 10 and 18 years pile into two rooms on the second floor of Bow Valley College's south campus building, darkened lighting with rows of tables piled with computers. The screens flash, displaying unique colourful worlds with characters bouncing back and forth, attempting to land a kick or punch on the opponents.
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The real opponents, the children, sit in front of the screens, headphones on, fully engaged in battle and to survive for the top spots at Super Smash Bros.
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Elsewhere, in the official esports arena, kids compete at Rocket League, an arcade-style vehicular soccer game. Later in the day, teams will come together to compete in Valorant, a tactical hero-shooter video game.
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The Alberta Esports Championship has begun its second year at Calgary's new esports arena in the south campus of Bow Valley College and the mood is infectious.
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Starting Saturday, the championship will continue through the weekend and has drawn more than 200 competitors, a mix of junior high and high school students from 25 schools across the province to battle it out for the top prizes, but also to get a chance to play their favourite video game on a provincial stage.
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'It's lively,' said Shadi Hanna, academic development lead with the Alberta Esports Association. 'The kids are are cheering when they're winning. They're giving each other fist-bumps when they score a goal, or whatever it is. It's that community camaraderie feel that sport brings. For us to be able to do that with video games is just such an awesome thing.'
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The tournament marks the final event for the association's calendar year, as well as the biggest. 'We ran a total of 10 events throughout the year, the idea being, is that we wanted to give kids several opportunities to compete, to practise, to train,' he said.
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The concept for a provincial tournament came to fruition last year when the tournament was held for the first time in Lethbridge. 'Gaming is not a new or foreign thing,' Hanna said, and yet for years it had been thought of as a hobby played in the basement at home.
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Tournaments like these offer kids the opportunity to 'express themselves freely,' with the support of parents and administration, 'to excel in something they care deeply about, to be able to make friends, gain skills from competition and be exposed to career opportunities,' Hanna said.
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Globe and Mail
13-05-2025
- Globe and Mail
Edmonton school's e-sports athletes go mouse-to-mouse with province's best
There were no balls, pucks, sticks or high-performance shoes for the athletes. Instead, there were desktops, laptops, ergonomic keyboards and very large mouse pads. Inside the computer lab at Vimy Ridge Academy in Edmonton, athletes prepared for the tournament of the year. They had spent months getting ready for the Alberta Esports Championship, a provincewide video-game competition for high-school and junior-high students. With more than 200 competitors representing 27 schools playing three different games, the tournament bills itself as the largest of its kind in Canada. And where many similar tournaments are held online, this one, held in Calgary May 10-11, was an in-person affair, with teams duking it out face-to-face in front of a crowd. 'This would be the big one,' said Travis Bouchard, the director of Vimy's e-sports academy ahead of the competition. The high school was hoping for a strong performance this year – especially since standing out in big tournaments can help open doors to postsecondary schools. Across the country at high schools, universities and colleges, competitive video gaming is becoming commonplace. The University of Waterloo and Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, among others, all boast e-sports programs and offer scholarships – sometimes even full rides – for e-sports athletes. A multibillion-dollar industry, e-sports are expected to continue to grow in popularity. Valorant, a first-person shooter game at the Calgary tournament, boasts more than 35 million players, with championship matches garnering millions of views online and offering lucrative prizes. That growth has prompted the creation of several leagues in Canada. In Ontario, Lakehead Public Schools launched its own e-sports league. In B.C., Grand Forks Secondary School sent a team of students to compete in Hawaii last July. At Vimy Ridge, Mr. Bouchard hopes he can create an environment where some of his students can one day go pro – or at least pay for school through e-sports. But like any sport, getting to that point requires hard work. With programs in hockey, lacrosse, baseball and other sports, Vimy Ridge Academy is no stranger to producing top talent. Stuart Skinner, the starting goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers, walked the halls. As did 2025 Stanley Cup hopeful Sam Steel of the Dallas Stars. Mr. Bouchard launched the e-sports academy two years ago. The first class had just 14 students; now, in its third year, it's 30 strong. Unlike schools that may have an e-sports club or team, Vimy's program is built into the daily routine. As a sports-focused school, most students spend half their days in academics and the other half training in their sport. In addition to gaming skills, e-sports teams also work on their physical fitness, with everything from weight training to spin classes and yoga. In the week before the big tournament, fitness training took up half the students' time. On the day before this year's competition, the Valorant team was drilled by support coach Jackson 'Jax' Reid on 'sayings to live by.' One such phrase: 'Play safe when you're ahead,' a common refrain in many sports. 'Discipline is important,' Mr. Reid advised, adding that even his university-level team struggles with it. Like hockey, Valorant involves teams of five. Players score a point either by planting a bomb, if they're the attackers, preventing a plant if they're defenders or eliminating all enemy combatants. In such shooting games, which simulate highly sophisticated gunplay, learning how to aim and 'peek' corners takes countless hours of tedious drills to master. While scrimmaging – basically a practice session – Joaquin Lafuente, 17, jerked his computer mouse quickly one way, then slowly brought it back, before repeating the motion, trying to achieve an economy of movement. Above him on a wall, a sign warned about common e-sports injuries that can affect the neck, eyes and wrists. The big mouse pad suddenly made sense. 'I had to take a two-week break' after last year's tournament, Mr. Lafuente said. Not because of physical injuries, though. As a member of the Valorant team, he's well aware of the burnout that can come with playing a game five days a week, nine months a year. He said he was looking forward to this year's tournament. His teammate Cam Cairns said it's always fun to play against good teams. Outside the game, Mr. Cairns is a quiet, shy kid, but his friends don't hesitate to boast about his skill. In Valorant's ranking system, the 16-year-old is Platinum 3, which places him in the top 21 per cent of all players. He also plays a position called initiator, which is known for bombastic, high-stakes plays. 'A lot of our success happens to root from him,' Mr. Lafuente said. Mr. Cairns has already had a few postsecondary schools approach him about his future. But in the meantime, he's just focused on the fun of it. 'There's a solid chunk of my day that's devoted to playing video games every day, which is pretty neat.' Before joining the Vimy program, Mr. Lafuente said, he had little in common with his peers. Joining the team introduced him to like-minded people with an interest in gaming. For Mr. Cairns, it's a similar story. E-sports has improved his communication skills and helped him build friendships. In the end, the team from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute won the Valorant tournament, and Vimy tied for fifth place after getting knocked out in the quarter-finals. Mr. Bouchard said he was happy with the results.
Edmonton Journal
12-05-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Esports competitors descend on Calgary for Alberta Championship
Starting Saturday, the championship will continue through the weekend and has drawn more than 200 competitors, a mix of junior high and high school students from 25 schools across the province to battle it out for the top prizes, but also to get a chance to play their favourite video game on a provincial stage. It was game on at the Alberta Esports Championship at Bow Valley College as 200 competitors, a mix of junior high and high school students from 25 schools across the province, battle it out for the top prizes in Calgary on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia Children aged between 10 and 18 years pile into two rooms on the second floor of Bow Valley College's south campus building, darkened lighting with rows of tables piled with computers. The screens flash, displaying unique colourful worlds with characters bouncing back and forth, attempting to land a kick or punch on the opponents. The real opponents, the children, sit in front of the screens, headphones on, fully engaged in battle and to survive for the top spots at Super Smash Bros. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Elsewhere, in the official esports arena, kids compete at Rocket League , an arcade-style vehicular soccer game. Later in the day, teams will come together to compete in Valorant , a tactical hero-shooter video game. The Alberta Esports Championship has begun its second year at Calgary's new esports arena in the south campus of Bow Valley College and the mood is infectious. Starting Saturday, the championship will continue through the weekend and has drawn more than 200 competitors, a mix of junior high and high school students from 25 schools across the province to battle it out for the top prizes, but also to get a chance to play their favourite video game on a provincial stage. 'It's lively,' said Shadi Hanna, academic development lead with the Alberta Esports Association. 'The kids are are cheering when they're winning. They're giving each other fist-bumps when they score a goal, or whatever it is. It's that community camaraderie feel that sport brings. For us to be able to do that with video games is just such an awesome thing.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The tournament marks the final event for the association's calendar year, as well as the biggest. 'We ran a total of 10 events throughout the year, the idea being, is that we wanted to give kids several opportunities to compete, to practise, to train,' he said. The concept for a provincial tournament came to fruition last year when the tournament was held for the first time in Lethbridge. 'Gaming is not a new or foreign thing,' Hanna said, and yet for years it had been thought of as a hobby played in the basement at home. Tournaments like these offer kids the opportunity to 'express themselves freely,' with the support of parents and administration, 'to excel in something they care deeply about, to be able to make friends, gain skills from competition and be exposed to career opportunities,' Hanna said. Last year's tournament was 'overwhelmingly' successful, with over 300 kids signing up, 1,000 spectators watching the games and generating over $150,000 in economic impact for the Lethbridge region. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This year's event participation is smaller, but that's intentional, Hanna said, to ensure the games could be more effectively run and make room for any technical error. It was game on at the Alberta Esports Championship at Bow Valley College as 200 competitors, a mix of junior high and high school students from 25 schools across the province, battle it out for the top prizes in Calgary on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia And it's not just the players who benefit. Several students from the college's esports business management course are volunteering this weekend, to get a sneak peek of what it's like to organize an event of this size, measure the business impact and even volunteer as coaches for some of the teams, according to Bart Chudleigh, the college's dean. 'From a business standpoint, there's a lot of dollar value here,' he said. 'So we're trying to teach students, how do we action that? How do you work with sponsorships? 'How do I grow the ecosystem here in Calgary or wherever I may have originally come from, to understand that esports is not going away … and it's growing, in the double digits.' Lilly Nateralisis, 18, has been playing video games since she was a child, with a preference for strategy games — 'psychological stuff,' she said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In her sophomore year, she pushed to create an esports team in her school, to play recreationally and then gradually competitively. 'I only started it because I was passionate about gaming,' she said. 'I really wanted to make it something because I feel like there are kids who have potential, that couldn't play physical sports and also spend their time gaming … they have the potential to grow and be great players.' It was game on at the Alberta Esports Championship at Bow Valley College as 200 competitors, a mix of junior high and high school students from 25 schools across the province, battle it out for the top prizes in Calgary on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia Today, she and five players plan to compete in Valorant , a team-based, multiplayer first-person action game. But Nateralisis won't be competing today; instead she'll act as the team's manager and coach. 'Making sure their heath and well-being is fine, they're mentally prepared for the games,' she said. 'I gotta make sure they're fed, just making sure they're ready to go and nothing's happening.' It has been a struggle to find coaches for the team, she said, and teachers who have the time to support the team. 'Coaching is sitting down with them, working with them strategy-wise,' she said. It's not what she would ideally like to do, but she says she helps out where she can. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The team were yet to go on to compete, and Nateralisis said she had faith in their abilities. 'They're stressed because they're worried,' she said. 'But they are confident enough to win this game and I believe that because they are really good and they put so much effort and time into this, I think they'll do fine even if they are overwhelmed.' Jeremy Hiscock, 38, teaches at Fort McMurray Composite high school, and four years ago, started an esports curriculum, which led to an after-school extracurricular club where his students would show up, wanting to play the games. Most competitions he said, tend to be online, with few opportunities for players to meet each other. 'This is what I've been looking forward to, an in-person tournament,' he said, adding that he hadn't expected one of this magnitude. 'I was expecting to find a Smash Brothers tournament or a Rocket League tournament.' 'It's mostly community that really keeps the competitiveness going with some of the games, where people actually own and run the game,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It was game on at the Alberta Esports Championship at Bow Valley College as 200 competitors, a mix of junior high and high school students from 25 schools across the province, battle it out for the top prizes in Calgary on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia His students, he said, 'are pretty nervous. It's a big event with a lot of people and double-elimination happens pretty fast. They're all nervous about trying to survive long enough into the day.' Although, he added, his team for the Valorant competition felt confident. 'They think they're going to do really well and I think they are too. So we'll see how well their nerves are when we actually get beyond the computers.' But it's not just about competition, he said. Earlier in the morning, he played Smash Brothers with some of the students who had been eliminated from the competition. 'We came all this way not just to play two or three games and lose but to come down here, have some fun and be part of an environment that they're just excited to be part of.' Sixteen-year-old triplets Jonathan, Nathan and Ethan Edem, who in recent years have climbed the esports ladder, are confident they'll do well at Rocket League . The three have been playing together since they got their first PS-4 and began playing competitively after their school, Calgary Christian Secondary, hosted its first tournament. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Triplets Jonathan, Nathan and Ethan Edem are competing for the Calgary Christian Secondary school at the Alberta Esports Championship. Photo by DEVIKA DESAI / Postmedia Calgary 'We thought, this game is actually fun,' Jonathan said. 'We can take it seriously. We found it was a three-three mode,' which worked well for the triplets. 'We can play well with each other and communicate well, it helps build up our skills between all three of us,' he added. The brothers placed second at the event last year and this competition, Jonathan says, will be their fourth in-person competition. The boys also won at provincials the week before and placed second at a national competition. 'So we think we have the possibility to win today's event,' Jonathan said. While gaming has long been a favourite pastime, esports started coming to the forefront during the pandemic, when it became a source of social and mental stimulation for kids who couldn't go outside or socialize in-person with friends. Chudleigh, a parent to two teenagers, says he understands it better. 'What I started to understand in COVID is that this is how kids at those ages communicated with each other and how they get along. My son seemed largely unimpacted from COVID because he was online with his friends, talking, doing teamwork, even though he was stuck in our basement. 'That's the part I've now realized happens through gaming and its overall importance to that generation.' ddesai@ Cult of Hockey News Cult of Hockey Cult of Hockey Columnists
Calgary Herald
10-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Esports competitors descend on Calgary for Alberta Championship
Children aged between 10 and 18 years pile into two rooms on the second floor of Bow Valley College's south campus building, darkened lighting with rows of tables piled with computers. The screens flash, displaying unique colourful worlds with characters bouncing back and forth, attempting to land a kick or punch on the opponents. Article content Article content The real opponents, the children, sit in front of the screens, headphones on, fully engaged in battle and to survive for the top spots at Super Smash Bros. Article content Article content Elsewhere, in the official esports arena, kids compete at Rocket League, an arcade-style vehicular soccer game. Later in the day, teams will come together to compete in Valorant, a tactical hero-shooter video game. Article content Article content The Alberta Esports Championship has begun its second year at Calgary's new esports arena in the south campus of Bow Valley College and the mood is infectious. Article content Starting Saturday, the championship will continue through the weekend and has drawn more than 200 competitors, a mix of junior high and high school students from 25 schools across the province to battle it out for the top prizes, but also to get a chance to play their favourite video game on a provincial stage. Article content 'It's lively,' said Shadi Hanna, academic development lead with the Alberta Esports Association. 'The kids are are cheering when they're winning. They're giving each other fist-bumps when they score a goal, or whatever it is. It's that community camaraderie feel that sport brings. For us to be able to do that with video games is just such an awesome thing.' Article content Article content The tournament marks the final event for the association's calendar year, as well as the biggest. 'We ran a total of 10 events throughout the year, the idea being, is that we wanted to give kids several opportunities to compete, to practise, to train,' he said. Article content The concept for a provincial tournament came to fruition last year when the tournament was held for the first time in Lethbridge. 'Gaming is not a new or foreign thing,' Hanna said, and yet for years it had been thought of as a hobby played in the basement at home. Article content Tournaments like these offer kids the opportunity to 'express themselves freely,' with the support of parents and administration, 'to excel in something they care deeply about, to be able to make friends, gain skills from competition and be exposed to career opportunities,' Hanna said.
