The regular season for GAC's Varisty E-Sports team is underway. Head coach Russell Lawless has created an opportunity for high school students that are avid gamers to channel their passion into an extracurricular activity. The Georgia High School Association implemented E-Sports as an officially sanctioned sport in 2018. Over the last two years, Coach Lawless has worked to build an E-Sports team at GAC. 

 

"In terms of the growth of esports, just 5 years ago GHSA partnered with PlayVs to start an esports program. They started with Rocket League and League of Legends and have now expanded to titles including Super Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, Madden, and NBA 2K. For my first year coaching we had 6 students with 2 Super Smash brothers teams. Just two years later we now have over 20 athletes," said Coach Lawless.

 

 

Currently, our varsity E-Sport players compete against other high schools in a "Super Smash Brothers" tournament. The Spartans have four teams: GAC Smash Team Red, Black, Gold, and White. The growing success of E-Sports across the globe and the rising opportunity at GAC drew Fox 5 News to our campus.

 

The feature (listed at the top of the article) aired on Fox 5 News on Thursday, October 13th. 

"Having the opportunity for Fox to come video our students was incredible. It was great to see the joy in our students faces that they are receiving recognition for a sport that is exponentially growing. As a coach, I love the opportunity that Esports gives for a diverse group of students to come together and compete just like any other sport."