Centralia College to Hold Tryouts for Competitive Gaming Team

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Starting this winter quarter, Centralia College will offer gaming as a competitive collegiate sport and has scheduled tryouts for this Wednesday.

The team will participate in the eSports subsidiary of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Association of College eSports, according to a press release from the college.

The team will compete with other collegiate teams across the nation.

There will be two online game competitions for Overwatch and League of Legends. Competitions will start in the spring.

Centralia College will hold League of Legends tryouts at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, in room 209 in Washington Hall. It will be a tournament-style competition. Organizers plan to choose the 12 best players for the college’s team.

Overwatch tryouts will be held at a later date.



To be eligible, students must take at least 12 credits and have a 2.0 grade point average, according to the release.

“The goal of all athletics is to promote the education and development of students through participation in sports, and this is a new avenue of sporting competition we are offering our students,” Shelley Bannish, director of Student Life and Involvement, said. “Ultimately, we will have scholarships available and opportunities for students to build connections with other gamers across the country.”

eSports is a growing area of interest for students. A robust competition circuit has developed. Centralia College is the first two-year college in the state to offer a sanctioned eSports team, stated the release.

If there is enough interest in the team, it may expand competition to other games in future seasons, Coach Sam Small said.

“We’re starting with very popular games that many students have access to and enjoy playing,” he said. “We will definitely be looking at other games as we move forward and grow. This is our pilot team and it’s certainly my hope we will draw competitive gamers to our college from across the country.”

For more information, contact Sam Small at 360-623-8614 or email samuel.small@centralia.edu.