By Jalen Maki

Tomahawk Leader Editor

TOMAHAWK – Following a successful inaugural season this spring, the Tomahawk Hatchet eSports club is set to kick off its second year of action this week.

The club was founded last year with the help of grants and donations.

Wisconsin has seen the number of students participating in eSports skyrocket in recent years. According to the Hatchets’ website, there are 1,063 students playing eSports in the Badger state this fall, a substantial increase from the 45 students who played in the fall of 2017.

Seventy-seven Wisconsin schools are taking part in eSports this fall, a 70-team surge over the last four years.

Coach Paula Norman, who is also the School District of Tomahawk’s Instructional Technology Coordinator, said Tomahawk’s club has grown from 10 members during 2021 Spring League play to 25 this fall.

“Last year our membership was primarily juniors and sophomores,” she stated. “This year, we have a nice blend of freshmen through seniors.”

The Hatchets have three teams this year, one more than last season. The two varsity squads will play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Overwatch, and a JV Overwatch team will also compete.

Nintendo says Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, unlike more traditional fighting games, “is all about launching your opponent (or opponents) off the stage and off the screen.”

“Use all sorts of attacks to build up your rivals’ damage, then send them flying off the stage – the more damage a fighter has, the further they’ll fly,” the company’s website states.

According to ESPN, “Overwatch is a first-person multiplayer shooter, set in a future where a conflict between robots and humanity necessitated the creation of a task force, conveniently called ‘Overwatch.’ In the game’s primary competitive mode, players are arranged into two teams of six and compete on a variety of maps and game types.”

The Super Smash Bros. team will play on Tuesdays, and the varsity Overwatch squad will compete on Wednesdays. The JV Overwatch team is slated to play each Thursday.

The club’s officers are Jacob Anderson, President; Jack McGovern, Vice President; Wyatt Leasure, Secretary; and Drew Albert, Treasurer.

“Some seniors have really stepped up and taken on roles of coaches for the games and moderators on our Discord server, our main communication tool,” Norman noted.

Norman said the Hatchets have four goals this season: Have fun, get better, end the season with a .500 win percentage, and have the opportunity to visit Northcentral Technical College in Wausau to game in their million-dollar facility.

The club will be selling Seroogy’s candy bars during November and December to raise funds for equipment and other needs.

For more information on the club or its fundraiser, contact Norman at 715-453-2126, ext. 147, or visit the club’s website at www.tinyurl.com/5xejzywn.