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Bemidji High ΝαΝαΒώ»­'s budding esports team preaches inclusivity, competitiveness

Esports is a growing activity, and Bemidji is keeping up with the times. Led by BHS teacher Sarah Stewart, a new legion of Lumberjacks is taking a competitive approach to a longtime hobby.

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The Bemidji High ΝαΝαΒώ»­ Rocket League team of (from left) Brooks Johnson, Cam Oakgrove, Steven Nicoson and coach Sarah Stewart competed at the Minnesota Varsity League on May 12, 2023 at Wisdom Gaming Studios at the Mall of America.
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A playing ground can take the shape of many forms in high school sports.

Football players compete on a long pitch. Swimmers and divers require a massive vat of water. Baseball and softball players swiftly move on the dirt-covered diamond. Some athletes put blades on their feet to navigate a sheet of ice.

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Then there’s the Bemidji High ΝαΝαΒώ»­ esports team, which competes on landscapes from a chess board to a virtual dome made for soccer-playing cars.

Esports is a growing activity among high school students, and Bemidji is keeping up with the times. Led by BHS teacher Sarah Stewart, a new legion of Lumberjacks is taking a competitive approach to a longtime hobby.

Bemidji is one of many schools registered to compete in the Minnesota Varsity League (MNVL), an organization aimed to provide a competitive avenue for middle and high school gamers.

The MNVL offers a fall and a spring season for students to play various games competitively. After an eight-week regular season, teams enter district tournaments for the opportunity to claim a spot at the MNVL State Tournament at the Mall of America’s Wisdom Gaming Studios. Three Lumberjacks earned the chance to play against other state-qualified gamers May 12-14.

β€œIt was really awesome to watch this team compete throughout the season,” Stewart said. β€œThey had this opportunity to go to state, which was great. But without us being funded, I was a little worried about how it was going to come together.”

Brooks Johnson, Cam Oakgrove and Steven Nicoson qualified for state in Rocket League, a game where user-controlled cars play soccer. After going 7-1 in regular-season matches, the three Lumberjacks took first place in their Division Tournament against 15 other teams. At state, the BHS trio defeated St. John’s Prep in the opening round, then fell to Burnsville in the second round.

β€œPaul Bunyan Communications donated $500, then we got another $500 from another anonymous donor,” Stewart continued. β€œThey made that trip possible and more enjoyable for these kids. We spent the weekend in the Mall of America. It was so cool to see this gaming studio and all of these different high schools get together and compete. It was great to talk with other coaches. I can’t wait to go again.”

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Getting into gaming

Stewart noted that in-person gaming events have been limited for the Jacks since the program’s inception in the spring of 2022. Without school funding, BHS gamers practice and compete from home.

β€œWe don’t have devices capable of doing things at BHS right now,” she added. β€œThe graphics cards are outdated. There are some broadband issues where playing online can have some lags in the system. It’s just not possible for us right now.”

Without the in-person structure of a typical high-school activity, Stewart has to get creative with her coaching, which includes monitoring online matches.

β€œThere are some issues with this being an online competitive thing,” Stewart said. β€œI’ve had to learn that I need to keep my eye on things online because people think that being online with an anonymous name lets you get away with anything. But this last season was just a great group of kids that I didn’t have to worry about whatsoever.”

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Brooks Johnson, left, Steven Nicoson, middle, and coach Sarah Stewart were part of Bemidji High ΝαΝαΒώ»­'s esports team during the 2022-23 season.
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BHS had 16 kids compete in at least one of the two MNVL seasons during the 2022-23 school year. The MNVL offers a handful of different games, including Super Smash Bros., Valorant, Fortnite, Chess, Smite, Minecraft Bed Wars and Rocket League. Students can compete in more than one game during a season, but Stewart noted that limiting themselves to one or two games allows them to dedicate more time toward rising the ranks.

β€œ(The MNVL) has some really popular games among kids, and there are tons of scholarship opportunities for them,” Stewart said. β€œIt’s astounding the opportunities that esports has. In my first season of coaching, we had a senior that had a full-ride scholarship for his gaming abilities. That was before he even started with MNVL.

β€œWe have a player that’s a sophomore, and there were some scouts watching him at the state competition and asking him questions. I could see him getting a decent scholarship somewhere, too.”

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Team building

Stewart considers herself a gamer, which made it easy to take on the challenge of coaching Bemidji’s esports team. She took a required class through the MNVL, which allowed her to register BHS as a League school.

β€œWe were one of the first rural schools to join (the MNVL),” Stewart said. β€œThere are about a dozen rural schools that are part of it now. The best part about it is the accessibility. It’s free to join, and it’s an awesome experience for these kids to be a part of some team building.”

Some sports have physical and social barriers that make it challenging for aspiring student-athletes to join while they’re in high school. Esports is bridging that gap, capitalizing on prior gaming experiences for like-minded players.

β€œYou really get these off-beat kids that don’t typically compete in anything or aren’t part of an activity,” Stewart said. β€œMaybe they’re really introverted or not as outgoing. This is an opportunity for them to do something they can enjoy comfortably without the pressure of a crowd watching them. It’s been interesting to see the different kids shine through this that typically keep to themselves at school.”

Players also gain a sense of security knowing they have peers on the other end of an online game, as opposed to the random opponents in public matches designed for casual gamers.

β€œA lot of the kids are already playing online against people in a competitive nature,” Stewart continued. β€œI think knowing that they’re playing against other kids in their age group instead of more anonymous people online, this team is grouping kids together with a common interest.”

Jared Rubado took over as sports editor at the Bemidji Pioneer in February 2023 after working as a sports reporter at the Alexandria Echo Press and sports editor of the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Perham Focus and Wadena Pioneer Journal newspaper group.

He graduated from Augustana University in 2018 with journalism and sports management degrees.

You can reach Jared at jrubado@bemidjipioneer.com or (218) 316-2613. Follow him on Twitter at
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