eSports

The YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina's newest program focuses on providing a safe, entertaining, and competitive gaming atmosphere for young gamers. This program will be offered quarterly with both live and virtual options to perform our weekly curriculum. The activities are based on North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) guidelines and approved by our hand-selected team of gaming experts.
 

Gamers will meet on a weekly basis for 8 weeks on Wednesdays and Fridays. Meetings will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. In-Person classes will take place at the Nir Family and Midtown YMCAs. Players will be able to use the consoles provided by the participating Branches, log in from their home consoles, or bring their consoles into the participating Branch to perform their weekly assignments. Our curriculum not only consists of gaming, but also fitness activities to ensure participants have a healthy balance between gaming and exercise.

Leagues

Older Elementary School
Ages: 7 - 10 (Grades 3 - 5)
Game: Mario Cart & Rocket League

Middle School
Ages: 11 - 14 (Grades 6 - 8)
Games: Super Smash Brothers & Rocket League 

Gaming consoles are not required and will be provided at the branch.  Microphones, with or without a gaming headset, are strongly encouraged.

Tech Requirements

Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Tech Requirements
• Nintendo Switch
• Copy of Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
• Nintendo Switch Online Membership

Rocket League Tech Requirements
• Computer: Copy of Rocket League
• Console: Console of choice, copy of Rocket League and online subscription for console

Mario Kart
• Computer: Copy of Mario Kart
• Console: Nintendo Switch Online Membership

Season

Winter Season Dates: January - March  
Program Days: Wednesdays will be practice nights. Games and Tournaments will take place on Friday nights
 
 
Summer Season Dates: June - August
Program Days: Mondays will be practice nights. Games and Tournaments will take place on Wednesday nights
Registration: TBD
 
 

Teams

  • Teams will be coached by eSports staff.
  • Teams will be composed of players from the Cape Fear Region and are formed based on age, grade and ability. 
  • Players will form teams and have one practice and one competition each week. There is also an opportunity to play against teams from other YMCAs in North Carolina and across the United States.
  • Each team will meet twice a week, and every player will receive a jersey.
  • All games and practices are held virtually and live. Each player must have access to his/her own gaming system and the game that he/she will be playing.
  • Players will interact with their coaches and teammates via Live or Zoom and discord.
  • As with all YMCA programs, eSports will encourage and promote healthy teens, families and communities by emphasizing involvement, healthy competition, team-building, individual development, positive self-images and mutual respect for others.

 

Register Now

New to eSports?

If your child is new to eSports or has never participated in online gaming, the games and technology can feel a bit overwhelming.

To start, YMCA eSports is simply a sports league. Like soccer or basketball, teams are made up of teens based on age, grade and skill level, meaning your 11-year-old won’t be playing RocketLeague against an 18-year-old.

And like all YMCA sports leagues, we emphasize fair play, teamwork and good conduct throughout all the games and team/player interactions.

We’re offering two different games:

Super Smash Bros.
A fighting game where players can “smash” opponents out of the arena. The game is crossover style so players can choose characters from a variety of Nintendo games.

Rocket League
A soccer-style game played with vehicles instead of people.

Mario Kart
A racing style game where players compete against each other thru a variety of race tracks and worlds.  

All teams are managed by the YMCA. Like other YMCA programs, the teams are staffed and coached by YMCA employees and volunteer coaches. In eSports, volunteer coaches are likely to be college students who play eSports themselves.

Each week, teams will hold a practice night and a game night.

Safety

We have partnered with other YMCAs across North Carolina and the United States to provide safe spaces and environments for kids. All the teams and players your teen may play against are through other YMCAs who have all agreed to the same code of conduct and sportsmanship rules.

Players may opt to participate in an online gaming communication channel called Discord. Through Discord, teams can communicate with each other and with other teams. YMCA staff and coaches can monitor Discord and specific games and channels during play. Participation in Discord is not required to play.

Practices and Games

Practices and games take place via live at the YMCA Branch. During the first practice, your teen’s coach will ensure all teammates are set up in Discord (if they choose).

Contact

Please contact Josh Gravette at [email protected] if you have additional questions or if you're interested in volunteering.