Activities Association Testing Esports in CO High Schools

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 10/02/19

The Colorado High School Activities Association is testing esports in schools this year to figure out whether to add it to the athletics fold. CHSAA is the organization that oversees high school sports and other kinds of activities, including band and choir. Esports will be classified as a "competitive activity" by the association and is expected to be piloted in 50 schools around the state.

In a media interview CHSAA Director of Digital Media, Ryan Casey, said the move was pushed by member schools. The state has an estimated 22,000 high school gamers, a count "second only to football," Casey said. "This is a group of people we're not currently servicing and we want to get them into our community."

Current games under consideration include League of Legends, Rocket League and Smite. The seasons will run from October through December and February through May.

The esports teams will be co-ed, and all matches except for a state championship will be played online.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • A teacher and students gather around a glowing crystal ball containing a miniature school building surrounded by clear AI symbols, including holographic interfaces, neural networks, circuits, and data streams

    2025 Predictions: AI's Impact on Education

    What should schools and districts expect from the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the coming year? Here's what the experts told us.

  • digital illustration of Estonia with glowing neural network-like connections spreading across the map

    Estonia to Roll Out ChatGPT Edu for all Secondary Schools

    In a nationwide artificial intelligence program dubbed "AI Leap 2025," the country of Estonia plans to provide free access to leading AI applications for all secondary school students and teachers. The initiative will launch with a rollout of ChatGPT Edu to 20,000 high school students in grades 10-11 and their 3,000 teachers, beginning Sept. 1.

  • A middle school student wearing safety goggles and a lab coat uses a microscope in a science lab, surrounded by beakers and test tubes filled with colorful liquids

    2025 Young Scientist Challenge Seeks Students Using Science to Solve Everyday Problems

    The entry period is now open for the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge, a science competition from 3M and Discovery Education for students in grades 5-8 recognizing individuals across the United States who have "demonstrated a passion for using science to solve everyday problems and improve the world around them."

  • young child sitting at a table, using a tablet with an AI-generated interface

    Research: 1 in 3 Kids Use AI for Learning

    In a survey of parents with children aged 8 or younger, nearly a third of respondents (29%) said their child has used AI for school-related learning, according to a new report from Common Sense Media.