LCHS Esports teams are a great way for students to get involved in an extracurricular activity. Esports, or competitive video gaming, is one of these activities that has grown in popularity since the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. Students can be a part of more than just one Esports game teams each school year.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 
Mario Kart is a racing game that, in competitive play, has players race in teams of four. The Mario Kart team for Limestone has always been one of the best in the region, with the team going undefeated multiple seasons and placing 1st at state multiple times.
Varsity captain junior Jackson Still has been a part of the varsity team since his freshman year. Still has been playing the Mario Kart series since he was little and has fallen in love with the game franchise, playing almost every single Mario Kart game. Still joined the team because of his love for Mario Kart and thought it would be a great way to meet new people and chat with others. According to Still, Mario Kart isn’t that challenging of a game to play overall, but it can be in certain situations. “It just depends on where they are at. If you put them straight into high-level Mario Kart, it can be difficult, but it can be taught and explained fairly easily,” said Still. As captain, he has been helping others on the team grow their game knowledge so they are not surprised by a challenge when playing Mario Kart.
The Mario Kart team is set to go to the state tournament this month on November 22nd.
Rocket League
Rocket League is a game similar to soccer. Players score goals to earn points while also defending their goal so the other team can’t score any points. The one difference is that the players control a vehicle instead of a person.
Sophomore Isabella Woosley is a member of Limestone’s Rocket League Esports team this year. Woosley’s love and passion for video games made her want to join Esports, but she couldn’t decide what team to join. Eventually, she eventually settled on Rocket League. Though Woosley has only played for a few months, she has shown herself to be a great player for the team, quickly learning through the guidance of her team members and Coach Frederick. Woosley shared, “I think Rocket League is a welcoming game for everyone.” Woosley states that Rocket League isn’t that hard of a game, but can be challenging in some ways more than others. Though the Rocket League team isn’t as well-known as the Mario Kart team, they still do a great job at beating the competition.
Fortnite
Fortnite is a game within the Battle Royale genre. Players are put into an online match with 99 other players, and everyone competes to be the last one standing. Fortnite was one of the “founding fathers” of the Battle Royale genre and was popular from the start. Ever since late 2018 and early 2019, Fortnite has had a large competitive scene and even had a tournament called The World Cup back in 2019. Now, Fortnite hosts a tournament once per season.
Sophomore Kesean Sanders is a member of the Limestone Fortnite team this year and wanted to be a part of Esports because he never had a chance to play games for a school, and wanted to try it out. Sanders has been playing Fortnite for close to 4 years now. Sanders says that Fortnite is a great and welcoming game for new players with it being easy to play, but it is way harder trying to play competitively. Sanders shares that he is really fond of Esports and thinks it is a great way to meet new people, make new friends, and test your skill against others competing in the same game as you. Sanders encourages students to join and be a part of one of the Limestone Esports teams. Sanders explained, “There are multiple games on different days. If you want to join a competition and play against other schools or teammates, I’d say it’s a good opportunity.”
Esports is loved by everyone who is part of it and has shown to have great teamwork and strategizing. There are more games that are part of Esports that start up in the second semester of the school year, so if you are interested in Esports, then you should try getting involved! Contact Mr. Frederick at jfrederick@limestone310.org for more information.
