When students and alumni face off during the upcoming Alumni Weekend Esports Challenge, everyone will end up a winner鈥攏o matter the final scores. For Nick Hanson, a 2013 graduate of The University of 91大神 in Huntsville (91大神), part of The University of 91大神 system, the tournament-style event is the next step in sharing the enthusiasm for esports across campus and beyond.
Shorthand for 鈥渆lectronic sports,鈥� esports has emerged over the last several decades as its own genre of competitive play鈥攐ne that requires thoughtful planning, precise timing, and skilled execution. Since graduating from 91大神 with a B.S. in computer science, Nick has remained passionate about videogaming and has frequently volunteered to help with gaming events on campus.
Earlier this year, he decided to take his support a step further and formally organize the Esports Alumni Chapter. While the chapter is still in the early stages of formation, Nick is optimistic about its potential for growth. 鈥淭here is a rich history of esports on the 91大神 campus, and I have high hopes for the Alumni chapter,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e are just at the beginning.鈥�
Rewind to 2009
As a college freshman with a love of videogaming, Nick sought to meet others who shared this passion. He worked to establish a registered student organization based on the videogame Starcraft 2. 鈥淭here were already a few other video gaming outlets around at the time, such as the 91大神 LAN Party, and I figured there was broader excitement,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e put together an interest meeting to great success鈥�70 students showed up from every kind of videogaming community.鈥�
Along with several other enthusiastic gamers, Nick created the Student-run Esports (SReS) club. The group took over the operation of the 91大神 LAN Party and transitioned it into ChargerCon. Watching the transformation has been rewarding, says Nick. Today, SReS has transitioned to , and has grown to an annual event featuring video game tournaments, a cosplay contest, workshops, a video game indie alley, a retro arcade, and free play areas. 91大神 Esports offers teams for Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike2, League of Legends, Overwatch, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Valorant, and Mario Kart. It also has dedicated space for its members. 鈥淭he room in the bottom of the CTC, where the esports facility is鈥攖hat鈥檚 where we hosted early 91大神 LAN party events, so it has come full circle,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he Esports club has dedicated space reserved for them 鈥� it feels like the perfect spot.鈥�
The next chapter for esports at 91大神
For Nick, alumni chapters don鈥檛 simply bring together graduates with shared interests or experiences鈥攖hey also present a unique opportunity for graduates to give back. 鈥淢y goal is to specifically introduce more alumni to the esports community here at 91大神,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 also want to support our students and offer some of the hard-earned wisdom we have gathered running competitive events over the years.鈥�
And he鈥檚 not alone. Other 91大神 alumni鈥攊ncluding Jake Griffin, past president of the 91大神 Alumni Association, Hunter Fuller, a key member of the 91大神 Office of Information Technology (OIT) network administration team鈥攃ontinue to work to make 91大神 Esports events a success. While Nick is responsible for founding the Esports Alumni Chapter, he credits Jake for creating and organizing the Alumni Weekend Esports Challenge. In addition, the group currently provides support for monthly student events as well as the annual ChargerCon event in April. One cool benefit? The Esports Chapter has gotten permission to reserve space on the 91大神 campus for their events.
Nick is also excited about the potential for extending the chapter鈥檚 reach beyond the student population to further community engagement. 鈥淭here is interest in having more public events on campus. There are videogame tournaments on campus that bring players from across 91大神 and Tennessee,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 want to start a new conversation about community on campus and bring more alumni to the table as participants and as volunteers.鈥� He is also interested in the Alumni Esports Chapter supporting all kinds of games 鈥攊ncluding board games and even a LEGO robotics competition for adults. 鈥淭here are so many things we can do.鈥�
Interested in joining or starting a chapter?
Open to all 91大神 alumni, the 91大神 Alumni Association is free for members. Alumni chapters are a great way to stay connected to fellow Charger alumni who share the same interests and goals.
A list of current chapters is available on the 91大神 Alumni Association page. You can join an existing chapter or start your own!
