Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Here's One Sport That COVID-19 Couldn't Stifle
gvw_nancy_price
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 4 years ago on
May 29, 2020

Share

Most high school sports came to a screeching halt in mid-March with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic — cutting short the state basketball playoffs and pre-empting spring sports — but some students kept on playing.

Nancy Price

School Zone

In eSports, social distancing is the rule, not the exception.

Monday marks the start of playoffs for the Fresno Unified eSports League, pitting 18 teams in the “League of Legends,” a multiplayer online battle arena video game.

The tournament will be held 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday and Wednesday. Spectators can watch via the platform Battlefy at https://bit.ly/2WO1iCU.

More than 100 students and coaches are competing on five-member teams representing Cambridge High School, Design Science Middle College High School, DeWolf High School, Duncan Polytechnical High School, Edison High School, Fresno  High School, Hoover High School, J.E. Young Academic Center, Patiño School of Entrepreneurship, Roosevelt High School, Sunnyside High School, and Center for Advanced Research and Technology.

Computer Monitors for Winning Team Members

And the winners get more than bragging rights — members of the first-place team will win computer monitors.

For those who are college-bound, Fresno Unified reports that more than 200 colleges and universities are recruiting and providing scholarships for eSports players.

Speaking of College Scholarships …

Sixty Fresno Unified seniors are sharing $118,000 in scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $3,500 that have been provided through the Fresno Unified Scholarship Fund.

The fund, established in 2009, is underwritten by donations from the community and district employees, with the biggest donation coming from the annual fall State of Education luncheon.

Students were selected based on their academic performance, involvement with their school and community, financial need, and career goals.

The traditional banquet had to be canceled this year because of the pandemic, but the district made sure they were honored. Students were surprised in mid-May with virtual meetings that included their high school principals and superintendent Bob Nelson.

Even More College Scholarships …

Forty Fresno Unified seniors who were promised scholarships as Tehipite Middle School students are collecting $1,000 each to help cover their college costs in their freshman year.

Three students earned special recognition for outstanding achievement: Karen Medina, highest GPA (4.32); Susie Quintero, most community service hours (210.5); and Evelyn Casillas, highest attendance (100%).

The Steve’s Scholars program, which was created by Francine and Murray Farber and their daughter-in-law Cordula in memory of the Farbers’ son Steven, has presented a total of 101 scholarships over the past three years.

Fifty of the first 61 Steve’s Scholars also received another $1,000 for their second year of college.

To qualify, the Tehipite grads needed to maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.0, an attendance rate of at least 95%, and complete required pre-college courses in grades seven through 12.

Three students earned special recognition for outstanding achievement: Karen Medina, highest GPA (4.32); Susie Quintero, most community service hours (210.5); and Evelyn Casillas, highest attendance (100%).

Buchanan Bears Claim State Title

Long before COVID-19 closed down schools, students were running, jumping, and splashing, and at one Valley school they were doing it better than anywhere else in the state.

Clovis Unified reported Friday that Cal-Hi Sports named Buchanan High School’s sports program as the State School of the Year.

How did the Bears rise to the top? Their accomplishments this year included a state title for wrestling for the fifth year in a row, a state team title for girls cross country, and a NorCal regional title in boys water polo.

“This award is by far the biggest award an athletic department and community can achieve in the world of California athletics,” Buchanan athletic director James Gambrell said. “For a public school with an enrollment radius of 5 miles to win in consecutive years says a lot about Buchanan’s student-athletes, coaches, and administration.”

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

DON'T MISS

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

DON'T MISS

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

DON'T MISS

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

DON'T MISS

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

DON'T MISS

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

UP NEXT

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

UP NEXT

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Breaks NCAA Wins Record With 1,217th Victory

UP NEXT

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

UP NEXT

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

UP NEXT

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

UP NEXT

Sale and Skubal Claim Cy Young Awards After Historic Pitching Triple Crown Seasons

UP NEXT

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

UP NEXT

Bulldogs Stack Double-Doubles Like Burgers on a Plate to Beat Prairie View

UP NEXT

Love Seeks Redemption as Packers Prepare for 49ers Rematch

UP NEXT

With or Without Lockridge, Can Bulldogs Get Out of Their Own Way to Become Bowl Eligible?

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

1 hour ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

2 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

2 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

2 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

2 hours ago

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

3 hours ago

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

3 hours ago

Fresno Council Lowers Speed Limits on Friant and Audubon

3 hours ago

How About an Honest Conversation About the Range of Light Monument Proposal?

4 hours ago

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Breaks NCAA Wins Record With 1,217th Victory

5 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

Gov. Gavin Newsom in a stop Thursday in Fresno defended the recent actions of his air board, saying he takes “pride” in new clim...

23 minutes ago

23 minutes ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
53 minutes ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

57 minutes ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

1 hour ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP/Alex Brandon)
2 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

2 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

2 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

2 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend