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Ohio High School Athletic Association to officially support esports tournament in May

Cliff Hickman, The Repository
·2 min read

The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced that it will partner with Esports Ohio to support and promote its annual state tournament in May. There are around 250 schools that have teams affiliated with the Esports Ohio organization.

The Esports Ohio state tournament is scheduled for May 20 and 21 at the University of Akron. The trophies presented at the event will be the same style that OHSAA uses for its other 28 sanctioned sports.

“Participation in esports is growing very rapidly and Esports Ohio has been a big part of making it an educational and competitive opportunity for students,” OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute said in a statement released by the organization. “The opportunity for these students to be a part of a team and represent their school is very exciting. We are excited to work with an Ohio-based organization that is made up of teachers and school people.”

More:'Great great place to make new friends and have a lot of fun': McKinley esports growing

The McKinley esports team practices for a Rocket League event.
The McKinley esports team practices for a Rocket League event.

The Esports Ohio season starts in the fall and then continues with a seven-week regular season that lasts from the end of January to the middle of March. A regional tournament is slated from May 6-7.

“We are excited to partner with OHSAA, which will allow us to continue to provide more opportunities to students,” Technology Director for Napoleon Area Schools and president of the Esports Ohio Board of Director Jacob Gebers said in a statement released by OHSAA. “Esports Ohio and the OHSAA both share a common goal to enrich interscholastic opportunities for students. At our core, similar to OHSAA, Esports Ohio believes that participation in extracurriculars helps enhance a student’s school experience and teaches lifelong lessons of accountability, hard work and teamwork.  With this partnership we will be able to open more doors for more students to compete free of charge in our growing league.”

This article originally appeared on The Repository: The OHSAA to support a high school esports tournament