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is actively seeking athletes to compete across more titles, including Fortnite, Overwatch, Rainbow Six, Rocket League, Call of Duty and NBA2K. As soon as MCC began their eS ports program, it was a hit with students and the students continue to guide the program going forward. “We are going to expand into what the student body wants to compete in,” says Perry. “The

beauty is that it’s available to everyone and brings a degree of diversity to our athletics depart ment. I’ve found that it takes a different caliber of player for sure. I couldn’t do it!” he laughs. Perry has been learning a lot about what it means to be competitive in video games and

TEAM SUPER SMASH BROS.

one of our players ranked third in the country last year in Smash Bros.” MCC quickly began actively recruiting inside and outside students and offering scholarships to poten tials, like any other varsity sport they offer. In fact, the eSports team must follow all of the qualification rules athletes in traditional sports must observe according to NJCAA guide lines, with the exception of full-time student status. “Our eSports athletes can be part-time students – that is the only difference between NJCAA

and NJCAAE guidelines,” adds Perry. The team is coached by MCC staffer Zachary Stone, and MCC recently had to hire an assistant coach to keep up with demand as eSports contin ues to grow at a breakneck pace. “No doubt, the growth will continue,” says Perry. “I get calls from junior colleges across the country asking about our program and how to set up their own. We are moving toward building a des ignated space for the team to practice and compete together, and a video scoreboard for our gymnasium.” MCC

treats it as any other varsity sport of fered at MCC.When a match is sched uled, he can’t wait to sit back and watch it unfold. “It has been an interesting two years seeing the program evolve,” he states. “When we have a match, I head over to our big screen at school, grab my popcorn and settle in. Honestly, it’s a good thing that we have announc ers for our Twitch stream, because I would be lost without them. It’s just as exciting to watch as anything else.” You can view the Mott eSports team in action at twitch.tv/mottplays Š

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