SPIRE’s Director of Esports recently discussed his role here and gave us some insight into his life outside of work.

What is your role at SPIRE?

My role at SPIRE is to build out the brand new esports Academy and supporting programs. I am here to make sure that both our students and the local community, have access to the best possible information, training, and guidance when it comes to pursuing their enthusiasm for esports.

What are some of your earliest memories in your sport?

I started off playing Counter Strike 1.6 and Battlefield: Vietnam in high school. League of Legends came out the year I started college, and I’ve been playing ever since.

What’s the most interesting thing we can give to our student athletes to prepare them for their college sport?

Gaming is unique from traditional sports for a lot of players in that they learn to play their game competitively in a solo queue environment, and not in a structured team environment like you would hockey or football. In addition to all the heath and wellness aspects of SPIRE’s program to protect these athletes in their formative years, we also help the player change their mindset to one more in line with a competitive team environment. Rather than queuing up alone, they are put in an environment that identifies their strengths, help correct their weaknesses, teaches them how to work with their teammates, take coaching, focus on self-improvement and become a well rounded player.

What does it take to succeed in Esports?

Spending 12 hours a day in an aim trainer does not prepare your mentality for setbacks, your body for travel, tough schedules, or injury prevention. A lot of genuinely great players burn out very quickly because all they focus on is in the in-game skills. You need to be healthy; you need to be happy; you need to have a grounded sense of why you are investing all this time and energy to be great at something. As an industry, we are slowly coming around to this, and at SPIRE students will have access to these important tools that set them up for success either at college or in their careers.

Any refections on the college experience of today’s Esports athletes?

A lot of players expect their college program to turn them professional, or offer advancement directly into the industry. I look at collegiate esports more as a gateway to get that personalized attention and recruiting experience you might not otherwise receive. If you have your heart set on a specific school, or a specific academic program, it can be of tremendous benefit to have an institutional advocate during the admissions process. Once you are on campus, in many programs, you will get access to extra support like athletics training, tutoring, academic check ins, and a ready-to-go support structure in your coaching staff and team. These are all ways to improve the student’s college experience. Gaming is a great way to drive your academic passion, engage in career opportunities around your interests, and have a quality college experience, even if you will not be going pro in your game of choice. We need to recognize most players will not go pro, and instead treat college esports as a holistic approach to bettering the college recruitment experience, channeling a student’s passion into a career, and building a strong community that will improve the student’s time on campus.

What’s your favorite thing about coaching?

When a student “gets it” and starts to take that turn towards consistent improvement. We throw a lot of information at them, data points that they are expected to analyze and apply in real time, in some cases instinctively. You can tell as those instinctive decisions get better and better that a player is really starting to understand the game and take control of their play.

As Director of Esports, what are you most proud of?

When a player feels empowered to be a leader for their team. When you set players up to succeed, build their confidence, and don’t smother their leadership capabilities, they will step up and do great things.

What’s an excellent piece of advice you’ve been given?

Never get complacent. There are always ways to be better, more efficient, more effective, and once we stop looking at our own work critically, we begin to lose our edge. That doesn’t mean dwell on only the negatives, but it does mean learn from both failure and success and do a little better next time.

What’s your favorite part about your job?

Getting to be creative and build new things in the space. Esports are still very new, and it’s exciting to get to start programs and lay the groundwork for these opportunities that hopefully will endure long after I retire!

Aside from Esports, what is your favorite sport?

Hockey. Played when I was younger and love watching it now. Hockey has such an energy and a pace to it, it’s always a great time.

What is your favorite home cooked meal?

Chicken Kebabs!

What is always stocked in your refrigerator?

Core Power Protein Shakes and Cold Brewed Coffee.

What movie have you watched again and again?

Reservoir Dogs

Where is your favorite place to travel and why?

Besides SPIRE? I really enjoy going up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire and unplugging for a bit. Working in this industry my whole life is online, it is nice to unplug and reset.

What is a fun fact we may not know about you?

I make an excellent seared ribeye with red wine demi-glace.

What is a cause you support and why?

I support the Merrimack Valley Feline Rescue Society, which helps owners better take care of their animals, and takes in the animals people can no longer support. They do a lot of great work for the community, and make sure these animals get great care and homes!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to build something that would impact people in a positive way. This wasn’t the industry I had planned for or expected, but I wouldn’t change anything, this is a really exciting time to be a gamer!