The Calumet College of St. Joseph athletic department announces the addition of eSports to its Crimson Wave varsity sports line-up beginning this coming fall for 2015-16. The new program will be a scholarship sponsored sport competing in League of Legends, DOTA 2 and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.
“We are going to take an aggressive approach to integrating the gaming world into our athletic programs at CCSJ,” states Athletic Director Peter Haze Haring. He continues, “We have been successful in adding and sustaining new co-curricular activities though our Athletic Department such as bowling and competitive dance and I see the same unique opportunities with eSports at CCSJ.”
CCSJ plan on competing as a co-ed sport in the Collegiate Star League (CSL) with the goal of earning its way to the North American Collegiate Championship (NACC). The new Crimson Wave teams will compete against a variety of colleges and universities throughout the United States.
“As sports in general continue to be a heavily interwoven component of American culture and pastime, eSports are making strong strides as a competitive environment, and we hope to embody gaming into the co-curricular culture of CCSJ while providing a quality student experience through education and sport,” claims Haring.
The Crimson Wave athletic department has identified a significant space to house a quality “gaming arena” for the new eSport program. Students will have to meet specific eligibility standards to compete and also maintain a full-time academic class schedule during the fall and spring semesters.
According to Haring, “The growth of eSports at the College level will continue to accelerate and we want to be ahead of the game and support this new program with scholarships and proper resources. Creating a positive and competitive environment for the student is very important and the College feels it can provide a great opportunity for those who want to pursue a college education with a great co-curricular experience.”
Calumet College of St. Joseph is currently in the process of recruiting new students for the 2015-16 eSport program and interested individuals can contact esports@ccsj.edu for more information or refer to www.ccsj.edu on information regarding the application process, financial aid and academic programs.