Page 6 - MidWeek Windward - May 24, 2023

6 MAY 24, 2023
Castle High’s Esports Team Captures First State Title
BY CAITLIN THOMAS
Yahata. “The team had to come up with different strate- gies for different maps and to practice their accuracy when eliminating other players.”
and jump away from knock- ing someone down from the first team.”
other full year of competition to look forward to.
Castle High School reigns in the esports world as it re- cently won its first-ever state title after starting its program just this year.
Throughout the season, the esports team used a ranking method of placing its top five players on the first team and back-filling the second team.
Castle High’s esports team was put together with two weeks’ notice. This included turning in paperwork, getting them to commit to each game and communicating with league representatives.
“As an educator and coach myself, it’s always great to see kids put their heart and soul into something they have interest in and succeed at the highest level,” says Yahata.
The team’s coach and team manager, Jordyn Yahata, worked to organize a group to compete against schools across the state. Castle High School participated in the Vanta Leagues, which in- cludes games such as Smash Bros Ultimate, Valorant, Apex Legends, Overwatch 2 and more.
(From left) Coach Jordyn Yahata and students Zachary Fujinaka, Duke Decosta, Logan Gibbons Jackson Darnell and Roderick Graf accept the first place trophy in the Spring 2023 Championships Valorant category at the esports state championships. PHOTO COURTESY CASTLE HIGH SCHOOL
“Within the game Valorant, players can compete against others to earn a rank and rank up over time based off win- ning,” says Yahata.
“Like with any new organi- zation, students were skepti- cal about the program initial- ly,” says Yahata.
“I look forward to next year and all the opportunities the world has to offer us. Since our team was formed, we’ve had multiple colleges reach out to us asking to scrimmage our team, as well as invites from them to tour their gam- ing facilities and talk about potential scholarships for gaming,” he adds.
“Of these different com- petitive gaming categories, our Valorant team was the one to beat out all other schools in competition,” ex- plains Yahata, who is also Castle High School’s Acade- my of Innovations counselor.
which players need to strate- gically work their way around to beating the other team.
to win the round. The first team to win 13 rounds wins the game and the semi-finals/ finals games were best of three games.”
The two teams of 13 stu- dents were ranked and orga- nized into the team’s top five players.
Adds Decosta, “My advi- sory teacher told me about an esports program that had been newly formed. For its first year, I think the experience has been a blast. My team- mates and I look forward to playing more competition and schools next year.”
Valorant is a five-versus- five tactical shooter game in
“The other team has to eliminate all players in order
“There were countless hours played outside of com- petition on their own,” says
“In a game of cat and mouse, one team strategi- cally plants a spike that — if left alone for 45 seconds after planting — balloons up, thus making the opposing team lose the round,” explains Ya- hata.
Every Tuesday, Castle High’s team would play against other schools. This led them to compete in the state championship.
“No one’s spot was ever given, everything was earned on a weekly basis,” says team captain Duke Decosta. “The top players on the second team were always a hop, skip
All the first-team players are juniors, so they have an-
“It’s amazing to think that a spark of inspiration, cou- pled with hard work and ded- ication, can lead to a roaring flame of accomplishment and opportunity.”
Find Your Piece of Paradise.
Browse thousands of Hawai‘i Homes.
Looking for your dream home in Hawaii?
Our website offers a comprehensive platform for finding your perfect property, whether you’re looking for a cozy beach cottage or a luxurious oceanfront villa. With easy-to-use search filters, you’ll be able
to find the home of your dreams in no time.
Start your search today.
www.addresshawaii.com
Time to Upgrade?
• Kitchens, Baths
• Full Service Design & Build • Custom Cabinets
• Custom Woodwork
• Media Centers
For Courteous, Reliable Service
Serving the best clients . . . Since 1979
808-262-5941
LIC #C-25855
@gavinwoodllc www.gavinwood.biz
CNC Routing, 5x10 Table. 52” Wide planing, sanding
Mark Gavin
HAWAII FENCE SUPPLY
HAWAIIFENCESUPPLY.COM