DANBURY – Electronic sports, better known as eSports, is exploding on high school and college campuses, and now this competitive varsity sport has taken over Immaculate High School in Danbury. Home of the reigning state champion team in Mario Kart, the private Catholic school recently unveiled a new eSports Lab to better serve its students.
“We pride ourselves in staying on the cutting edge of trends in sports and giving our Mustangs exciting new opportunities and that’s exactly what eSports is,” Nelson Mingachos, Immaculate’s athletic director, who oversees 27 varsity sports teams.” Our eSports is a part of the athletic program at Immaculate and also the State of Connecticut as its recognized by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC).”
In May, the school’s Mustang Yoshis squad won the state championship in Mario Kart for its second year at Quinnipiac University, defeating the Sheehan Titans from Wallingford. Gamers from high schools all over the state competed in such games as Rocket League, Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros.
Before designing a new space, the Immaculate team utilized a classroom that had been converted into a gaming room where gamers participated in video game competitions with other high school teams across Connecticut.
Seeing a growing interest in the sport, the school recognized the need for an enhanced space for students to practice and improve their gaming skills. So, it designed the eSports Lab with input from the students that includes soft LED lighting along the walls, new flooring, comfortable ergonomic chairs, and individual gaming stations featuring high-definition screens. “We dressed it up real nice and we wanted the kids to be involved in choosing the colors, the type of lighting, and getting what they wanted,” said Mingachos.
Through private donations along with chairs purchased by the Mustang All Sports Club, Immaculate’s parent-run athletics organization, the lab is a dynamic state-of-the-art space, similar to those seen on college campuses.
Senior and co-captain Ryan Beverly of Bethel was “beyond surprised” when he heard about the space. “The room was designed with professional eSports set-ups in mind, and it worked out perfectly to look just as good as the pros,” Beverly said. “My favorite part of the room is the LED lights strung from floor-to-ceiling around the room. They look so cool.”
Junior co-captain Eli Ribeiro of Danbury appreciates the new space to help increase the team’s visibility.
“I think having our own space will positively affect team morale,” Ribiero said. “Having actual (gaming) chairs and not using the classroom chairs makes the space more comfortable and inviting, and having a fully decorated room shows the team’s successes and can also incentivize others to join us.”
David Quesnell, Immaculate eSports coach, shared how the students appreciate the new space.
“The students say they love having their own room and the chairs make it feel like a real eSports set up that they see their favorite YouTubers using,” said Quesnell. “Now they have their own space, just like the Volleyball Team has their own court and the Football Team has its own field.”
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the Association started recognizing eSports as an official sport in 2018. Since then, PlayVS, North America’s leading scholastic and collegiate eSports and gaming platform, has reported high school eSports has become one of the fastest-growing extracurriculars in America with more than 8,600 schools having established such teams. All 50 states have eSports teams, and more than 170 colleges offer varsity programs and even award scholarships to these competitive players.
“School eSports started low key and it continues to grow each year. At Immaculate it was an idea that has grown and continues to grow,” said Mingachos, noting attendance varies seasonally, with around 15-20 students involved, including a mix of genders.
The team practices several times per week and participates in weekly matches.
“There are a lot of kids out there who aren’t sports athletes, but they’re gamers,” he said. “This gives them a place to come and play with others and be part of a recognized varsity sports team. Student-athletes stepping into the lab don’t just play; they train, strategize, and compete with infrastructure built for peak performance. In Mario Kart, these students are playing as a team, four kids at a time, working together. We apply the same high standards for these student-athletes that we do in any other sports and they work just as hard.”
After the Mustang Yoshis won first place last year, the team had the opportunity to play national teams across the country, and they’re branching out into different games beyond Mario Kart, including chess. “We’re the only school in the area offering eSports. I’m excited for them and I want to continue to build it,” said Mingachos.
