Byline: Valerie Lane
When you think of athletes training for their sport, you may conjure images of football players leaping through tires, soccer players kicking a ball, or basketball players attempting a half court shot. Physical athleticism is required for almost all sports, even for obscure games like ax throwing and ostrich racing. Cardiovascular fitness and strength training often go hand in hand for professional athletes, keeping up the physique required to dominate your craft.听So,听what happens when a sport doesn鈥檛 require听traditional methods of training?
Esports听(electronic sports)听are听organized video听games听and tournaments, made up of players and leagues听that compete against one another. Sounds a lot like听the make-up of听physical sports, right?听听
Since听medieval times听(and likely before that),听watching听competitions, or games,听was a form of entertainment听for听people. Attend any Renaissance Faire and see jousting, an ancient game of man against man, horseback and with swords.听As humans evolved and we created different types of physical games, the thru line was the same:听a format with rules, multiple players or teams, spectators cheering them on, and a winner.听听
Esports follows this same formula. Players immerse themselves in a digital game, meaning they are mostly seated for tournaments. They move their fingers, hands, and eyeballs,听with听neurons likely firing just as fast, if not faster, than their counterparts running around soccer fields.听听
If听you鈥檝e听ever played a video game, you know quick decisions and hand-eye coordination are听a must, as听are听hand and finger dexterity. These skills听aren鈥檛听born out of听luck,听they can be trained just like an Olympic marathoner.听
A typical esports training facility is outfitted with couches, gaming chairs with headrests, and other ergonomically designed furniture听made听to support the esports athlete in their game. This is a far cry from the open fields听physical听athletes are accustomed to, with not a recliner in sight.听听
Sure, playing video games may not be the most听traditionally听鈥渁thletic鈥澨齟ndeavor. But that听doesn鈥檛听mean your heart rate听won鈥檛听elevate听and you听don鈥檛听have听to practice. Think of it like听chess: players听aren鈥檛听moving anything but their arm, but their minds are听sharp as a tack.听
If you choose to attend an esports tournament,听you听won鈥檛听have to stand and remove your hat for the national anthem, but you will get to cheer on your favorite players and teams. International tournaments and championships will feature famous players, just like any other sport. Teams walk onto a stage and sit at computers. Live feeds of the games are projected onto a听large screen, giving spectators the chance to see听what鈥檚听going on, just like you would at a sports bar.听听
Instead of headers, slam dunks, and spikes,听esports听athletes are maneuvering their fingers, wrists, hands, and arms.听To the average person, it might not look like much is happening. But mentally, these players are听reacting instantly, cognitively functioning on a higher level, and cashing in on hours of training.听
At GBC, we鈥檙e lucky to have听an extremely talented,听former professional听Rocket League player as our coach. David听Lawrie听understands the level of skill and training required to win, because he won quite a bit in his career. He鈥檚 put together championship level leagues听at GBC,听while still maintaining an open door policy听for people who have little to no experience. To put it simply, if you鈥檙e interested in esports but听feel self-conscious about your skills,听David would love to meet you.听听
As with many sports at GBC, it鈥檚 more about attitude than skill, because skills can be taught, practiced, and refined.听Attitude is something听only听you听can bring to the table, or听in this case, the computer.听听
Video games have always been a great point of connection for people across state lines,听and听even around the world. You can meet all sorts of people playing video games, but you may never see them in person. By joining an esports team, you get the best of both worlds. There鈥檚 a physical, real community of gamers you can train with, eat dinner with, and socialize with. But there鈥檚 also the allure of interacting with players from other schools through scrimmages and tournaments.听听
And听that鈥檚听the beauty of听esports.听Being an athlete听can听look like locker rooms,听running听five听miles as the sun is rising, or听long听weightlifting听sessions followed by a huge plate of scrambled eggs.听Or, it can look like听sitting in a chair, letting your mind run around the game, and your hand eye coordination听make听moves.听
If the number of hours logged by Twitch spectators are any听indication, interest in competitive gaming is only continuing to rise and the thrill of winning is universal. The GBC esports team knows this well, with this past season resulting听in听our Super Smash Brothers Ultimate team finishing as grand finalists for the fourth consecutive semester. In addition, our Valorant team made two听nationals听appearances in the NECC, the Marvel Rivals team are听back to back听CACC Champions for the past two听semesters, and听the Rocket League team won the CACC championship in Fall 2025.听听听
听A win is a win, and the GBC esports team听plans听to听do听a lot more of that.听听听
Valerie Lane is a higher education professional, marketer, and writer. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and women's studies from West Chester University ('14), and a master's in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware ('16). In 2026, she was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship as an Emerging Artist for Creative Nonfiction by the Delaware Division of the Arts. When she's not running around 兔子先生系列麻豆 capturing content for social media, she can be found writing personal essays on Substack, knitting a sweater, in the middle of a yoga class, or caring for her two cats.
兔子先生系列麻豆 is a Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
Text Telephone/Teletypewriter (TTY) Relay Service: 711 or 800-232-5460 for English or 877-335-7595 for Spanish
