By Ben Rodgers
Editor
SUAMICO – It’s not a sanctioned sport at Bay Port High School, and they don’t pack the stands with cheering crowds, but a group of state champions were honored for their efforts at the Monday, Jan. 27, school board meeting.
The Bay Port High School Esports team won two championships at the Wisconsin High School Esports Association fall state tournament Dec. 14, in Madison.
“Esports has given me a major hobby, responsibility and opportunities I’ve never had, and friends who share my interests,” said Tanner Tilkens, Bay Port Esports club president and state champion in “Smash Bros. Ultimate.”
In the game, players pick a character from Nintendo’s storied past and face off in a fight against an opponent. Tilkens played as Captain Falcon from the “F-Zero” games.
Bay Port also won a championship in “Overwatch,” a mix of a first-person shooter and a multiplayer online battle arena. Each of the five varsity members picks a different character with different skill sets and then the group completes various objectives.
“What I realized is there’s no archetype for somebody who loves games, and as a matter of fact, gaming is almost a universal interest for our generation,” said Brycen Thielbar, a member of the champion “Overwatch” team.
Thielbar said he came from a traditional sports background, and soon immersed himself in the rigid schedule for competitive preparation.
Each day of the week has a specific objective for the team and his role is a scout.
That means Thielbar breaks down game film of the next team on the schedule and devises a strategy for victory.
When not watching game film for the club, he mentors freshmen, and suggests they all give Esports a try.
“I wouldn’t trade any of the experiences I’ve had in Esports for anything else,” Thielbar said.
As a founding member of the state association, Bay Port is no stranger to gaming success.
The team won championships in spring 2019 for the same games.
“We have seven titles (games) right now, and if you think about it, that’s seven varsity sports,” said Luc Richards, Bay Port club advisor. “Right now, I have two coaches for ‘League of Legends’ and that’s about it. I do put a lot of responsibility onto students to make sure they are prepared and they’ve really stepped up to win championships.”
When the club started in 2017-18, it had 50 members and eight competitors, Richards said.
Those numbers for last semester are 90 members and 75 competitors.
“It’s growing in this community, and the students know that it’s such a fledgling community,” Richards said. “Because it’s so new, they are the figureheads, they are responsible for the perception of you all, and they take that to heart, how they present themselves here, in school and online.”
The recognition at the meeting was also part of a bigger presentation on responsibility – one of the traits the district is looking to instill into all students as part of its Profile of Graduate.
In other news, the district approved the 2020-21 open enrollment spaces as part of its consent agenda.
For general education, there will be 20 spaces in 4K and 40 spaces at the high school. There are no open spaces for kindergarten through eighth grade.
There are 27 special education spaces from early childhood to eighth grade and no open spaces for high school.