The Michigan High School Esports League's community e-newsletter; providing coaches & educators with important insight on all things esports, highlighting education & student connections.

Edition #3 October 2023

NOTE: you may be prompted to click to "view entire message" (full e-newsletter) as this edition is long and packed with lots of information, resources, stories and more! Be sure to click!

Featured Events You Don't Want to Miss!

Online & In-Person | Nov. 1 - Nov. 18
In Partnership w/ Ferris State University

LAST CALL! Entries due this week!

Do you know a student who enjoys streaming and shoutcasting Rocket League or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate matches? Put their passion and expertise to the test in the first-ever Shoutcaster Showdown: An MHSEL Student Statewide Competition where individuals or teams of two can compete in front of an expert panel of judges that will crown the best high school shoutcasters in the state! The competition will kick off with online submissions followed by the top shoutcasters being invited to compete in-person at Ferris State University at their brand new, state-of-the-art esports facility. Trophies and scholarships will be awarded to the winners.

Learn More & Share with Students

In-Person | Dec. 8 & 9
In Partnership w/ Oakland University

The Explore Esports conference in conjunction with the Fall 2023 Season Semi-Finals and Championships is back! Come learn from esports professionals, college coaches & players, and other industry leaders about the benefits of providing esports to student athletes, how to get a program started and much more! The conference will be featuring a College Showcase match. Whether your school has a competitive esports team, an after-school club, or you just want to learn more about the esports industry, then this is a must-attend event. The day after the conference, MHSEL's Fall Season comes to a close with the top four teams competing in the most popular game titles to be crowned State Champions!

Learn More & Register

Muskegon High School

This article highlights how the district took student interest and problem behavior educators were witnessing and turned it into student voice and empowerment.

Chauncy Williams, the K-12 college and career facilitator at Muskegon Public Schools, shares a story of how he saw a Muskegon alternative high school student not engaged in school until he was connected to the esports club. Check out the full story and how one program can make a big impact.

Read Full Article

Article written by Melissa Frick, MLive.com Education Reporter

Saline High School

Article written by Lonnie Huhman, The Sun Times News Reporter

Beginning with student interest and expanded because of so much more ...

Saline Area Schools teacher and esports coach Steve Vasiloff stated ...

"The motivation for doing so is that we wanted to create a place for underrepresented students to become involved in extracurriculars and form strong bonds with peers that have similar interests. Almost half of all esports players are not involved in other extracurricular activities, and we wanted to create a barrier-breaking, all-inclusive environment with a strong sense of community for these students."

Read Full Article

Congratulations to Our Michigan Teams & Students!

We had multiple teams representing Michigan in the National and Regional Competition to close out the 2022-23 school year. A special congratulations to the below teams/individuals that advanced to the finals!

New Coach's Webinar

Highlighting "10 Things I wish I Knew Before Starting My Life As An Esports Coach"

Hosted by Eric Heinz, Divine Child High School Esports Coach & MHSEL Advisory Board Member

Michigan's First PlayVS Super Coach

"I wanted to be a super coach to be able to give back and help others the way people helped me."

View Sherri's Profile

Learn About Super Coaches & How to Become One

"I have enjoyed coaching esports because of the great students I get to work with and the opportunity to see them as team players and leaders outside of the classroom as well. The students have been great sports in communicating and working with other coaches and teams. Their passion for the games is infectious and I enjoy seeing how well they work together to accomplish their goal."

Additional Resources

Raise Money for Your Esports Program: Learn more about Fundraising Solutions Group (FSG) to help local scholastic esports programs quickly raise all the funds they need.

How to Twitch Guide: Why should you stream esports & how to do it?

Get Your Gear Customized: EsportsGear is a leader in the esports apparel industry and works with many high school, collegiate, amateur and professional organizations all across the country, including MHSEL!

Sample 3-Year Implementation Plan

How to Discord Guide: Stay connected with what is happening and communicate with your esports community

Benefits of Esports

Esports requires a tremendous amount of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity from players to achieve and sustain success. It reaches beyond traditional sports to create an all-inclusive environment that breaks barriers.

Students build character and develop discipline, self-esteem and sportsmanship through practice and competition.

Esports is the only co-ed, all-inclusive high school sport and engages students who might not otherwise participate in school activities or athletics.

Esports competition is rooted in technology and provides a natural pathway for students pursuing college majors in the STEM category.

Many students are already passionate about gaming and esports provides an environment where they can come together and bond over a shared interest.

Esports is a relatively new field offering a wide variety of careers, from on-screen sports analysts to back-end engineers who build the games.

Both teachers and parents have reported a renewed interest in schoolwork and an improvement in grades as a result of participation.

Articles

Esports & Education: Why Esports?

Why should esports be a part of a school's extracurricular slate? In short, a bunch of really good reasons. Focusing on four main categories: community, coaching, curriculum and career.

Powering STEM Skills Through Esports

Esports provides an environment where students learn by doing.

Growing Life Skills Through Esports

It's no secret that competitive gaming produces an environment conducive to learning and growing. While the pathways toward scholarship and career opportunities provide an added bonus to esports participation – it's the life skills and sense of community that provide the biggest opportunity for students seeking an extracurricular activity.

5 Ways High School Esports Mirrors Traditional Varsity Athletics

It's no secret that student-athletes are more engaged in academics overall than your average student. Working with their teammates and coaches day after day also helps form a plethora of social skills, and esports has shown itself to provide the same benefits. In these ways and many more, the benefits of esports mirror those of traditional varsity sports like football and softball.

Middle School Esports 101

The Michigan High School Esports League - Prep Program offers a turn-key solution for starting an after-school club that includes a curriculum, handouts and resources to connect with other middle-level esports advisers from across the state! Check out the MHSEL Prep's Esports 101webinar recording below.

Questions?
Contact Nina Davis, nina@massp.com

Ferris State University Opens State of the Art Esports Facility

On August 31, Ferris State University held their official ceremonial ribbon cutting and opened the doors to their new Center for Virtual Learning; a $32 million facility intended to prepare students for rapidly evolving careers while making education more accessible.

The building houses programs aimed at tapping state-of-the-art technology, and teaching others how to adapt rapidly evolving tech skills to their current work. The center includes an Esports Arena!

Collegiate Partnerships Continue to Grow

Detroit Pistons Gaming Team Season Update

Pistons Gaming Team closed out another successful NBA 2K League campaign, earning individual and team accolades throughout the 3v3 and 5v5 seasons.

Pistons GT started the season competing in 3v3 play, earning The SLAM OPEN 3v3 tournament title with Anthony "Ant" Costanzo taking home MVP honors. As defending 3v3 Champions, Pistons GT returned to the 3v3 Finals this season, forcing a double-elimination, seven-game series, but fell to the Dux Infinitos.

Written by Mike Horan, Detroit Pistons Communications Director

Meet the MHSEL Staff

Ryan Cayce
Director of MHSEL

Maggie Helmer
Assistant Director of MHSEL

Nina Davis
Director of Middle Level

Learn more about each staffer on mhsel.org.

Logan Lockett
College Intern

Hey, I'm Logan, and I'm pumped to participate in the MHSEL internship. Gaming is my jam and esports is where my heart's at. When I'm not grinding in-game, you'll find me exploring new places, whipping up tasty treats in the kitchen, or jamming out to my extensive music collection, and I'm proud of my ever-growing collection. Can't wait to bring my love for gaming and esports to MHSEL and make some great memories along the way.

Fun fact: I used to be a Halo Collegiate Player and now I'm a Counter Strike 2 Collegiate Player for the St Clair Saints.