PAUL SMITHS — Paul Smiths College has announced a partnership with Saranac Lake Central School to host a major North Country Esports competition at the Stewart’s Shops Dake Family Esports Lab, located on the PSC campus.

The college will also host additional Esports-themed open houses where Section 7 and 10 programs will be invited to check out the Lab, talk with PSC Esports athletes, tour the campus, and play some friendly competitions.

Saranac Lake Athletic Director Forrest Morgan has announced an Esports team that will begin play this winter. The Red Storm has 15 students signed up; Esports at SLCHS is now a recognized varsity sport at the school.

“At our recent winter sports meeting with parents, we even gave the Esports team uniforms. Esports is here to stay,” Morgan said.

Furthermore, he said plans are already underway in other North Country school districts to make Esports teams a reality, and with that, the possibility of a challenge competition between participating schools from Sections 7 and 10, to be held at the college which has a state-of-the-art facility.

Plans are being made for an early March invitational competition that will include teams from across New York state.

Paul Smith’s College instituted Esports in 2019, and the Empire State Winter Games followed suit that same year, hosting 32 college teams over a three-week period. Now, gaming is moving into the scholastic ranks at a rapid pace across the nation.

To accentuate the remarkable rise of competitive gaming, the International Olympic Committee has recently announced the Olympic Esports Games and has reached out to Japanese officials to encourage the nation to host the event in 2026.

“We have over 25 students competing on our Esports team here at PSC,” stated Stephanie Tyski, Esports coach at PSC. “We look forward to working with area high schools in advancing their Esports initiative with the goal of hosting competitions on our campus.”

“As the College of the Adirondacks, Paul Smith’s is committed to providing access and exposure to college life for secondary school students — and athletics plays a significant role in that partnership,” said Zack Luzzi, director of athletics. “Capitalizing on Esports growing global adoption and an economic impact estimated at $1 billion, the college is grateful to the Dake Family Foundation for its support of our athletes, and we could not be more pleased to support the exponential growth of high school Esports teams here in our own backyard.”