Lethbridge College is opening its doors for a high school esports tournament this weekend.
40 students, in grades 9-12, can register to participate in “Kodiaks Spring Smash”, a tournament centered around Super Smash Bros.
“This tournament is an opportunity for local youth to get together and share their enthusiasm for gaming in a fun and challenging environment,” says Tyler Heaton, Virtual and Augmented Reality instructor and event organizer. “It’s also a chance for prospective students to learn about our esports program and find their place in the campus community. Whether it’s basketball, volleyball, soccer or Super Smash Bros, we are all Kodiaks.”
Interested players can self-register before 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 12. Students do not need to be part of an esports league to participate.
Kodiaks Athletics sponsored their first esports student-athletes in the 2020-21 academic year, and the growing popularity of competitive gaming jumpstarted the college’s first team initiative in the fall of 2021.
“The motivation to begin esports was with the thought that it would be a college-wide initiative and so many different program areas and college departments are involved with its sponsorship and promotion,” says Todd Caughlin, manager of Athletics and Recreation Services. “We were striving to build the foundation this year, and now we work hard to move forward.”
The event will be done double-elimination style and will be taking place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 14th in the Lethbridge College Warehouse. A live stream of the tournament will be broadcast on the college’s Twitch channel.