Bio: 

I found my way to Colorado in May 2020. Originally, I am from Kentwood, Louisiana. I graduated from Jewel M. Sumner High School in 2007. I received undergraduate degrees in Mathematics Education and Applied Mathematics in May 2012 from Louisiana College, and received my masters in Educational Leadership in May 2016 from Southeastern Louisiana University. 

My background is that of a traditional athlete and a casual gamer. In high school, I was a 4 sport athlete playing Football, Basketball, Track & Field, and Powerlifting. I was also fortunate enough to play college football. As a coach, I have coached high school and college football for 11 years, I have also coached track and golf. Throughout my childhood and into adulthood, I have played games on the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64, PS2, PS3, and PS4. Game titles such as Duck Hunter, Hogan's Heroes, Super Mario, Zelda, Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Star Wars Rogue Squadron,  Call of Duty, God of War and many others have all been very near and dear to my heart and I have logged serious time on those titles as well. 

     The joy I found in gaming combined with my traditional sports background pair nicely to help create a first rate Esports program here at GMHS. While we only started the program in the Fall of 2022, we immediately had success in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. One of our teams was ranked in the top 10  from the get go! 

     In the Fall of 2022, we only offered Super Smash Bros. Ultimate so that I had fewer variables to deal with while I learned the competitive landscape of high school Esports. In the Spring of 2023, we plan to offer many more titles such as: Rocket League, League of Legends, Minecraft, Chess, and Splatoon 3. 

My goal with this team is to provide a place for students to be part of team, have a place to be competitive, learn life skills, and potentially improve their futures by getting ahead in the Esports industry or even by gaining scholarships related to Esports. 

Bio:

I have been playing video games on various platforms since our family's Atari 2600 back in about 1984 when I could first use the Joystick with any level of competence and fell in love with Pitfall!, Defender, Combat, Frogger, Pole Position, and other classics from that system. I moved from consoles to almost entirely PC gaming after the PS3/Wii era and I currently do most of my gaming on my Steam Deck or one of my gaming PCs at home. I still enjoy revisiting the classics from the consoles via emulation or when I actually sit down to play on one of my old systems since I never got rid of any of them and they all still work. My favorite video game genres are co-op FPS and racing (simulation style with real production cars). My absolute favorite video game of all time is Mega Man 2 on the original Nintendo Entertainment System.
I graduated from Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins in 1998 where I was on the men's swim team all 4 years. My daughter, Amy is on the GMHS eSports team and is my only child. I helped Amy build her first PC when she was 7 years old. Amy's mom and I divorced in 2011. I married my wife, Sarah in 2014 and we now live in south Denver. Outside of video games, my various hobbies over the years have included oil painting, stained glass, growing carnivorous plants, hunting, fishing, martial arts, anime, movies (preferably scary), and lots of different music.  
My main contribution to the GMHS eSports team/area of expertise is PC hardware. I have been building custom PCs for over 15 years professionally (NinjanometryPC.com) and have been customizing and upgrading my own computers for nearly 30 years now. If we ever add racing titles for team competition, I would love to provide driving tips and related coaching, but admittedly, I'm all too often being carried by my co-op FPS friends, or don't play competitively in such titles, so for now I'm mainly a technical and equipment expert. I look forward to seeing our team grow in numbers and watching our students enjoy the benefits of being part of a team in this relatively new and increasingly popular high school activity. With the video game industry being a $100-Billion+ annual industry and growing, it's exciting to be a part of encouraging the young people who are showing genuine interest in participating in that now undeniably real career path, even if that doesn't mean they're the ones controlling the characters on-screen!

Bio: 

I grew up in Parker, Colorado and graduated from Chaparral High School in 2006. I received an undergraduate degree in Geography: Geographic Information Systems from the University of Northern Colorado in 2010. I served in the United States Air Force from 2011-2015. I primarily worked on weapons systems on F-16s and earned a degree in Aircraft Armament Technology. I then attended MSU Denver to be licensed in secondary education and earned my masters in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2020.

I grew up wrestling and playing football from a young age and began playing tennis when I was teenager. My parents had an Atari when I was young but the first gaming console I remember playing was the Nintendo Entertainment System. My older brother and I would play R.C. Pro-Am and then the Super Nintendo came out! We played Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox and others. As I got older I have played on PlayStation, PS2, Xbox, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. I still find joy in the classics but primarily play online chess now.

My love for chess began when I was young and would play with my grandmother and father. I rededicated myself to the game after the military and have been playing online since. Frequent openings of mine are the English, Italian, Dutch, French and Kalashnikov Sicilian. I have sponsored the chess club at Green Mountain for several years.

When GMHS started an Esports program I was excited to see rapid chess being a title that students can compete in. I was very happy when asked to help with chess and other titles! My goal is to help the team be competitive and work hard in the classroom and in gaming.

Grade & Graduation Year: Freshman; 2026

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Food: Ramen Noodles

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Drawing and Music

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: Hoppyhues on Instagram 

Why do you like eSports? 

"Because I love playing games and I wanted to meet other people who like it too."

Why do you like the games you play?

"Because they are open world or I’ve been playing them for years."

What games do you like to play?

"Hollowknight, Minecraft, Apex, Halo, Genshin Impact, Rhythm Games, Grounded, BOTW, and Pokémon."

Grade & Graduation Year: Junior; 2024

Favorite Color: Black or Red

Favorite Food: Tamales

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Basketball

Why do you like eSports? 

"I just enjoy gaming and having fun with others."

What games do you like to play?

"Smash, Mario Kart, Assassins Creed, and Barman Arkham Knight."

Why do you like the games you play?

"I like fighting, action, and strategy. "

Grade & Graduation Year: Freshman; 2026

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Food: Steak

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Soccer

Why do you like eSports? 

"It interests me."

What games do you like to play?

"Rocket League"

Why do you like the games you play?

"Because I play soccer. "

Grade & Graduation Year: Sophomore; 2025

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Protein Bars

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Soccer and Track

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: 

Youtube: VG VIG

INSTA: vigonyt 

Why do you like eSports? 

"I like to challenge myself and compete competitively. "

What games do you like to play?

"Rocket League"

Why do you like the games you play?

"I personally like to play soccer so I translate my soccer game knowledge to rocket league."

Grade & Graduation Year: Sophomore; 2025

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Fettuccine Alfredo or Mac and Cheese

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Cars are my main hobby

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: MurphisGames on YouTube and NaiGamingP1 on Twitch. 

Why do you like eSports? 

"It gives me a chance to play video games and also do things for school."

What games do you like to play?

"Forza, Need for Speed, The Crew, Assetto Corsa, Dirt 2.0, Beamng.Drive, Sea of Thieves, Mariokart, Minecraft, Grid Legends, NFS the Run, and Test Drive Unlimited 2."

Why do you like the games you play?

"A lot of those games are Racing games and as I like cars and driving, I like those games. I also play Sea Of Thieves because it is a very unique game that gives a very entertaining pvp and online experience considering the type of game it is."

Grade & Graduation Year: Sophomore; 2025

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Food: Raspberries

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Running and Rock Climbing

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: Girraffe37 on YouTube and twitch, Carsona_5 on Instagram.  

Why do you like eSports? 

"I think commentating seems fun and I have some friends that are doing it."

What games do you like to play?

" Minecraft, Pokémon, and D&D."

Why do you like the games you play?

"I think they are fun to play with friends."

Grade & Graduation Year: Junior; 2024

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Pizza

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Watching Youtube

Why do you like eSports? 

"It’s fun to play and watch."

What games do you like to play?

"Rocket League, Call of Duty (favorite being BO3), Overwatch 2, and Rainbow Six Siege."

Why do you like the games you play?

"I used to play soccer and Rocket League is similar to soccer."

Grade & Graduation Year: Junior; 2024

Favorite Color: Teal

Favorite Food: Cheese Pizza

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Bike Riding and Doodling

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: Twitch: Therek0_0 

Why do you like eSports? 

"I’ve been playing video games all my life so it just feels right to participate in esports."

What games do you like to play?

"Minecraft, Roblox, Totaly Accurate Battle Simulator, Sea of Thieves, and Battlefield 1."

Why do you like the games you play?

"Minecraft allows you a lot of freedom in how you play, Roblox has a huge variety in what can be played, TABSs also allows you a lot of customization in how you play, it is quite fun to manage a pirate ship with you friends in Sea of Thieves, Battlefield 1 was the first Battlefield game I played and the WW1 setting is unique for an FPS."

Grade & Graduation Year: Sophomore; 2025

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Food: Pizza

Hobbies Beside Gaming: DND and Board Games

Why do you like eSports? 

"I like eSports because it is a fun way for me to compete in challenging and complex games with my friends."

What games do you like to play?

"I like to play League of Legends, Hades, Chess, Terraria, Minecraft, and Deep Rock Galactic."

Why do you like the games you play?

"I like to play these games because they are a fun way for me to spend time with my friends and challenge myself to reach new goals."

Grade & Graduation Year: Freshman; 2026

Favorite Color: Navy Blue

Favorite Food: Oven baked tacos

Hobbies Beside Gaming: DND

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: Instagram: budieboi6 

Why do you like eSports? 

"I have always loved video games, and esports is a way to express that in a school based way."

What games do you like to play?

"Rimworld, Town of Salem, Call of Duty, People Playground, Stardew Valley, TF2, Terraria, Minecraft, and Borderlands."

Why do you like the games you play?

"Because they all have different aspects to them, a lot of them are about survival."

Grade & Graduation Year: Freshman; 2026

Favorite Color: Navy Blue

Favorite Food: My step-mom's mac & cheese. 

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Hanging out with my little brother, doodling, and listening to music. 

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: Instagram: Tokiii16 

Why do you like eSports? 

"I like eSports because it gives me a chance to meet new people and play my favorite games competitively."

What games do you like to play?

"I like to play Animal Crossing New Horizons, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Minecraft, VRChat, Blush Blush, Crush Crush, and lots of others. "

Why do you like the games you play?

"I like to play those games because they interest me and I like their simple concepts."

Grade & Graduation Year: Junior; 2024

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Food: Chicken stew and dumplings with ployes 

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Drawing, singing, and cosplay

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: 

YouTube: DiamondMangle 

Twitch: DiamondMangle_

Instagram: _diamondmangle_ 

Why do you like eSports? 

"I’ve always loved gaming so getting to do tournaments is fun! I come from a family of gamers so getting the opportunity to do something like this is fun!"

What games do you like to play?

"Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Five Nights at Freddy's, Raft, and The Forest."

Why do you like the games you play?

"For most it’s the free roam and some the horror."

Grade & Graduation Year: Junior; 2024

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Food: Burgers

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Pokemon TGC

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: basic_evangelion_fan on insta

Why do you like eSports? 

"It's amazing realizing that so many people like the same stuff I do, and I get to see incredible smash plays."

What games do you like to play?

"Pokemon, Cult of the Lamb, and BTD6."

Why do you like the games you play?

"Just fun zone out games, I'm not super competitive when I'm doing solo gaming but I am when it comes to multiplayer."

Grade & Graduation Year: Junior; 2024

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Food: My mom's mac & cheese

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Watching movies and music

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: Twitter (@pear_square) and Twitch (@pear_squared)

Why do you like eSports? 

"I enjoy video games and I enjoy the competitive nature of esports."

What games do you like to play?

"Super Smash Bros."

Why do you like the games you play?

"The creativity of movement and attacking separates Smash Bros. from other, more traditional fighting games."

Grade & Graduation Year: Junior; 2024

Favorite Color: Tar Heel Blue

Favorite Food: Sushi

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Football and golf

Why do you like eSports? 

"I like it because I won’t just be playing for fun but to win now."

What games do you like to play?

"I like it because I won’t just be playing for fun but to win now."

Why do you like the games you play?

"I like to play them because they are fun and action based basically the whole time and competitive."

Grade & Graduation Year: Senior; 2023

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Food: Sushi

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Reading and baking

Why do you like eSports? 

"Gaming but competitive"

What games do you like to play?

"Action or fantasy games"

Why do you like the games you play?

"They are fun"

Grade & Graduation Year: Freshman; 2026

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Food: Cheeseburgers

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Model making and camping

Twitch Tag/Youtube/Social Media: twitch: flamefury26

Why do you like eSports? 

"Because it allows me to do something other than school."

What games do you like to play?

"Ryse Son of Rome, War Thunder, Insurgency Sandstorm, and Battlefield 1"

Why do you like the games you play?

"They have always seemed fun."

Grade & Graduation Year: Freshman; 2026

Favorite Color: Orange

Favorite Food: Spaghetti

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Marching band, art, and drums

Why do you like eSports? 

"It seems fun."

What games do you like to play?

"Minecraft, Fortnite, Gun Raiders, Rocket League, War Zone, Apex, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros."

Why do you like the games you play?

"They are fun"

Grade & Graduation Year: Junior; 2024

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Dumplings and kraut

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Biking, skiing, and racquetball

Why do you like eSports? 

"Fun"

What games do you like to play?

"Chess and Super Smash Bros."

Why do you like the games you play?

"Competitive mistakes are on you."

Grade & Graduation Year: Senior; 2023

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Buffalo Wings

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Sleep and sports

Why do you like eSports? 

"Its a fun opportunity to play games and meet new people."

What games do you like to play?

"Madden, Call Of Duty, and God of War."

Why do you like the games you play?

"They are fun games with all different styles of gameplay."

Grade & Graduation Year: Freshman; 2026

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Pulled pork sandwiches

Hobbies Beside Gaming: Golfing and hanging out with friends

Why do you like eSports? 

"I figured it would be a good club since me and my friend are always looking to play with people who share the same interest in games."

What games do you like to play?

"I like to play Madden, usually not competitive but for fun since I always have a fun time playing against my dad"

Why do you like the games you play?

"Because playing them is fun, I enjoy playing it with people and is overall a good game to play."