Esports (short for electronic sports) are a type of competition using video games and usually take the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions between professional players, usually individuals or teams.

Esports have recently began taking the gaming industry by storm with many developers tailoring their games to and funding tournaments and other large-scale events.  Esports have developed traction in some multinational events and more recently gained the attention of the International Olympic Committee for consideration in future Olympic events.

You can read more about esports and their impact here.

OHVA currently offers two opportunities to participate in an esports related group: our Varsity OHVA Eports team and our OHVA Esports Club.

OHVA Esports Varsity Team...

OHVA’s Varsity Esports Team is affiliated with Stride (K12) and competes with other Stride (K12) schools nationwide. Since the Esports Team competes nationally, tryouts are required to become a member.  If your student is interested in the varsity team, you will need to contact them via email: ohva-esports@ohva.org.  

We asked coaches Mr. Hanks and Mr. Frantz to come speak with our club members about the varsity team and available opportunities - you can find that recording here.

The OHVA Esports Club does not assist in managing the professional varsity teams.

OHVA Esports Club...

The OHVA Esports Club is a much more relaxed environment.  We do not hold tryouts, meaning any student currently in Middle School or High School is welcome to join and attend meetings as they wish.  OHVA's Esports Club is internal, meaning we do not interact or compete with other K12/Stride schools.  The OHVA Esports Club is a place for students to enjoy game time with their fellow peers and make some new friends at the school.

Students are allowed to be a member of both the professional varsity team and the club.

Esports Club meetings occur every other Friday at 3 PM.  After completing the sign-up survey linked at the bottom of this page, the sessions will begin to appear on your Class Connect schedule located within your OLS (the online school platform).  This process can take a couple of days, as we are unable to add you to sessions until your name populates in the system.  You can also track when our next meeting will be using the Meeting Dates page of the website (please follow the schedule that aligns with your grade level).

Meetings for the OHVA Esports Club only occur online.  We will not be meeting in-person for any of the club sessions.

We will be using Newrow for our sessions (the same platform used for your regular OHVA classes).  You will communicate with your peers using the chat and microphone tools in Newrow breakout rooms.

• Apex Legends

• Chess (Virtual)

• Fortnite

• League of Legends

• Marvel Rivals

• Overwatch

• Rocket League

• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• Valorant

As the club continues, this list is subject to change.  If you have suggestions for esports related games not currently listed above, please send them our way using the email listed on the Contact Us page of the website for possible consideration.

*** Please note we will not be offering any games above a T (Teen) rating

Yes, some of the games available during our sessions will cost money to purchase (game developers need to make money, too!).  

However, the majority of our current roster is free-to-play games.  Please be aware that games played on consoles (PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch) may require a subscription to access online features.

The OHVA Esports Club is only open to Middle School and High School students.  If your student is currently in Middle or High School, they are able to participate in the club.

Note that students will be separated by grade level.  Middle school and high school students will not be playing games together during meetings.

Students will be able to play on any platform of their choosing (computer, console or mobile device) as long as the game they are interested in is available on that platform; however, this means the student must already have access to the device and may potentially be able to only play with peers that own the same device.  Some games are able to be played across multiple platforms while others are platform specific, but this depends on the individual games.

No, OHVA will not supply you with a gaming computer and/or console.  You must already have access to one or more of these devices to participate in club activities.

OHVA does supply you with a computer upon enrollment; however, this computer is for completing school work ONLY.  This means you should not install any games, gaming-related software or other personal programs/files on this computer unless instructed to do so by a teacher or staff member.

We completely understand your concern!  Our goal is to create a safe environment for our students to enjoy playing their favorite games with their classmates.

During our meetings, we enforce a rule that students must keep their sessions private, meaning only OHVA students should be invited to games.

If a student feels concerned or unsafe in a situation, we strongly recommend they exit the game session and start their own (this way, they will have control over the session's settings).

Of course, if there are any serious concerns, we ask that you please bring them to the attention of Mr. Lyman and/or Mr. Zelnik either during the meeting or using our official email address: esportsclub@ohva.org.

You will need to complete a Club Sign-Up Survey.  This can be found in the Course Announcements section of your OLS homepage.