By Molly Langhorst
CSC College Relations
CHADRON – Chadron State College Esports team has a new coach, a new space for practice and competitions, and rosters and schedules have been announced.
Adam Stone, owner of Game Changer in Chadron, shares his excitement for Esports at CSC along with the growth of the program. He has been involved with CSC in the past, attending courses, helping teach a course about graphic novels several years ago, and working at the planetarium.
“It is an honor to be a part of CSC through coaching Esports,” Stone said. “It has been a great opportunity to get to know some of the students, and I want to help Esports continue to grow and offer more opportunities to the students of CSC.”
Along with a new coach, the Esports team has a new space for competing. High-end PCs, accessories, and specially designed chairs used last year have been moved to the Esports Arena in the former Landing, west of Kent Hall. Competitions are not open to spectators but can be viewed on Twitch.
The schedule for competitions is as follows. Rocket League tournaments will be Monday nights at 5 p.m., Overwatch competitions will be at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will compete on Wednesdays at 5 p.m., Super Smash Bros will compete on Thursdays at 5 p.m., Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege will compete on Thursdays at 6:30, and Fortnite tournaments will take place on Saturdays at 1 p.m. All schedules subject to change.
Stone said he became aware of the coaching position when Vice President for Academic Affairs James Powell asked if he would be interested in it. Stone said he pondered the decision for a short time before deciding he was all in. Three weeks later, he was in his new role as the Esports Coach.
Stone wants to see Esports succeed and believes it is an asset to CSC and the Chadron community.
“With the resources I’m provided, my ultimate goal is to help grow this program,” Stone said. “I want to see this program succeed whether I’m involved in it or not; I think it provides more opportunities to our community and our college.”
While coaching video games wasn’t a career that existed when Stone was growing up, he describes this as his dream job.
Rosters for respective games
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Captain: Jacob Miles of Chadron
Jeremy Ortega of Riverton, Utah
Izaak Rohde of Sidney, Neb.
Ryan Sparrow of Brighton, Colo.
Ciel Stanley of Grand Island, Neb.
Chess
Captain: Ryan Sparrow of Brighton, Colo.
Porter Anderson of Russellville, Ark.
Jacob Zelm of Chadron
Bryan Zutavern of Dunning, Neb.
Overwatch
Captain: Bryan Zutavern of Dunning, Neb.
Eleazar Garza of Minatare, Neb.
Kaleb Hawk of Plankinton, S.D.
Richard Norris of Gordon, Neb.
Jeremy Ortega of Riverton, Utah
Jerad Phillips of Wallace, Neb.
Markus Ramsey of Minden, Neb.
Izaak Rohde of Sidney, Neb.
Christoph Rolfsmeier of Chadron, Neb.
Ciel Stanley of Grand Island, Neb.
Eric Vahrenkamp of Chadron
Rocket League
Captain: Cooper Reichman of Chappell, Neb.
Trey Hedges of Aberdeen, S.D.
Evan Kirk of Grand Island, Neb.
Jacob Miles of Chadron
Markus Ramsey of Minden, Neb.
Ryan Sparrow of Brighton, Colo.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Captain: Ryan Sparrow of Brighton, Colo.
Aiden McClintock of Elsie, Neb.
Jacob Miles of Chadron
Ian Slama of Valentine, Neb.
Jaidyn Warrior of Bloomfield, Neb.
Fortnite
Captain: Izaak Rohde of Sidney, Neb.
Richard Norris of Gordon, Neb.
Jerad Phillips of Wallace, Neb.
Eric Vahrenkamp of Chadron
Hannah Wohl of Hay Springs, Neb.
Super Smash Bros.
Captain: Markus Ramsey of Minden, Neb.
Wyatt Fiscus of Bayard, Neb.
Austin Glanz of Sidney, Neb.
Evan Kirk of Grand Island, Neb.
Jerad Phillips of Wallace, Neb.
Christoph Rolfsmeier of Chadron
Hannah Wohl of Hay Springs, Neb.
Jacob Zelm of Chadron