WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Organizers of the first Ursa Minor esports program at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) called the five-week event “a success.”
Sponsored by the Grizzly eSports program at MSU-WP, Ursa Minor gave middle school-aged youths in the area the opportunity to compete against other college teams in the NJCAAE, the organization in which the Grizzly eSports program competes. The camp ended with a tournament sponsored by MSU-WP. Winners received a trophy and various gaming gift cards, organizers said.
“This pilot program was a major success,” Grizzly eSports Coach Alex Pinnon said. “Registrations filled up within the first week of advertisement. In total, we had 19 participants competing in Fortnite No-Build Elimination races and Mario Kart 8 DX 1v1 races.”
In the final Fortnite tournament Julian Earl, West Plains, and Rylan Weddle, Mountain Grove, took home the championship, and Remington Leonard, Myrtle, and Chance Mills, Thayer, came in second.
In the final Mario Kart 8 DX tournament, Richard Legler won the championship, and Max Russell placed second. Both are from West Plains
“It was great to see blossoming talent in the younger generation,” Pinnon said. “A couple of teams even beat rival college teams. We hope to expand this program to more age groups and offer more competitive titles in the years to come.
“We’d like to thank the parents who registered their kids and supported them every week, and we want to thank the NJCAAE who encouraged the Ursa Minor program and made it possible for many of the kids to play in the official summer season,” he added.
For more information about the Grizzly eSports program or future community gaming programs like Ursa Minor, please email GrizzlyeSports@MissouriState.edu.
Caption for Photo:
NINETEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL-AGED students recently participated in the Ursa Minor esports program hosted by Missouri State University-West Plains’ (MSU-WP) Grizzly eSports team. During the five-week program, the students competed against members of college teams affiliated with the NJCAAE and competed in an end-of-season tournament hosted by MSU-WP. Participants included, front row from left, Jasper Long, Jackson Casebeer, Wyatt Bird, Knox Weisbrod, Karson Frazier and Kristian Bates, all of West Plains; Creed Collins and Stetson Wilkerson, both of Ava; and Richard Legler, West Plains. Back row: Remington Leonard, Myrtle; Chance Mills, Thayer; Layne Hayes and William Graham, both of West Plains; Brooke Holt, Wentzville; Rylan Weddle, Mountain Grove; and Julian Earl and Jack Gibson, both of West Plains. Also participating in the camp were Joseph Crone and Max Russell, both of West Plains. (MSU-WP Photo)
Missouri State University-West Plains empowers students to achieve personal success and to enrich their local and global communities by providing accessible, affordable and quality educational opportunities. Missouri State-West Plains offers associate degrees and credit and non-credit courses and serves as a delivery site for bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered by Missouri State University in Springfield.
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