Esports Challenges COVID-19

By Tyler Lindsay

Every sport has faced many challenges with cancellations of games and seasons, but Esports has a promising season.

With this being Waldorf’s first year as a varsity level Esports team, no barrier seems to be stopping them from having their season, even with the pandemic.

Many sports, even collegiate ones, have had to forfeit their season or suspend a couple games. This is different with Waldorf Esports, as their practices and games can be either from the comfort of their own home or from the arena on campus.

If the athlete chooses to go into the arena, they have to wear a mask and spread apart. The arena also requires each person to sit at the same desktop every time they go in and wipe it down after they are done using the computer.

Despite the pandemic, it has helped players on the Esports team in different ways.

“It helps me be able to dedicate more time to Esports and be able to build a bigger bond with the team, also helping me get my mind right,” said Matheus Furlaneto.

“It gave me something to look forward to every week knowing that I was going to be able to practice and play no matter the circumstance is, and along with getting quarantined, it just gave me something to do and also gave me time to get better with the game,” Joseph Essen said.   

With the starting of sports and Esports seasons, there have been some changes made by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to ensure the athletes take care of themselves and do not get sick, making changes for the Esports team.

“The team has been taking the CDC guidelines and social distancing very well, with everyone wearing masks at all times and also with managing social distancing while in the arena or in general,” Furlaneto said.

“It helps that it’s a small team and that no one really goes anywhere outside of practice other than going to school, but it also helps that we have the arena and that is confined only to Esports,” Essen said.

Still, while the pandemic rages on, Waldorf’s Esports team pushes to improve and prevent anything from getting in their way.