Digital high school, digital sports, real-world scholarships

By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com

On Saturday, April 25, students from across the state gathered at the Riverview Health Arena at Innovation Mile, 14157 CJ Way, Noblesville, to compete in the Indiana Esports Network State Finals.

For some students, this in-person event meant more than just competition.

Students from Indiana Gateway Digital Academy (INGDA) and Indiana Digital Learning School (INDLS), two fully online public schools, met in-person for the first time at the competition.

Following the state finals, students also had the opportunity to explore a college fair, discover internship opportunities, and take part in cybersecurity presentations.

After the final round of Rocket League competition, The Reporter spoke with INGDA Clubs and Esports Coordinator Danny Patton and INGDA senior Landon Kerkes about Esports and the digital high school experience.

Kerkes, who has been playing Rocket League for six years, often for four hours per day, was on the state runner-up team on April 25. He told The Reporter there are many college scholarship opportunities for the best high school players.

“If a college sees your skill and thinks you’re good for their team, they make an offer,” Kerkes said. “There’s been offers for me, too. My entire team’s also been offered a couple college scholarships to be able to participate in college Esports teams.”

Some of those are full-ride scholarships.

“So, kind of like regular sports, if you’re part of a D1 team, and you’re very good, and you’re the top player in the league, then they would want to offer you as much as they could,” Kerkes said.

Kerkes will attend college at virtually no cost, but that is because of his academic performance, rather than Esports.

“I’m going to Purdue Northwest up in Hammond,” Kerkes said. “I’m part of the honors college and they offered me a full ride there, just from academics.”

Kerkes plans to drive back and forth to college classes because the Purdue campus in Hammond is only 30 minutes from his home.

Patton told The Reporter INGDA fields teams in multiple Esports games.

“We actually compete in six different teams: Chess, Tetris, Fortnite, Marvel Rivals, Rocket League, and Mario Kart,” Patton said.

Much like physical sports, some Esports build cooperation and teamwork. Rocket League is one of those. It is a game of virtual soccer where the players are all cars and trucks. The INGDA teams play three-on-three matches.

“Specifically for Rocket League, you have what’s called rotations,” Patton said. “If one person is up near the ball, the two people are behind him. If he goes past the ball, the second person goes up. It’s like a revolving gear, essentially.”

Because he has attended INGDA through high school, for Kerkes, this was the first time he had been in the same physical space as his teammates, one of whom he’s been playing Rocket League with for three years.

“It was pretty fun that I got to meet up with him finally because of how far away he usually is and how far I am,” Kerkes said. “It’s really nice and a good opportunity that I was able to finally meet up with him and talk to him.”

Kerkes told The Reporter he appreciated his time with INGDA, which has contributed to the level of academic success that earned him a full scholarship to Purdue.

“It’s been pretty good that I’ve been able to work at my own pace,” Kerkes said. “I’m not rushed by teachers telling me I have to do it before the end of class. I don’t have to then go home and do the work, and then make sure I keep the work ready and secure before I go back to school the next day, then turn in all my homework. This way it’s easier because I can go to class when I wake up, and then after class I can do what I need to do. Then I’m free the rest of the day.”

If you’d like to learn more about INGDA, you can do so at ingda.k12.com.