CVU Hosts First-Annual Green Mountain Gauntlet

The CVU E-Hawks Esports team hosted the first annual Vermont High School Esports Coaches (VHSEC) Green Mountain Gauntlet on Saturday, Jan 25, 2025. Participating in this year’s event were 16 players from 3 area high schools: Champlain Valley Union HS, Milton HS, and Colchester HS. Players competed in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in both Duos and Singles double elimination competitions.

While the competition was important to the players, getting to know people from other schools and forming lasting friendships with people who share the same passions and interests was by far the most important takeaway from the event. Esports serves an underrepresented community of students that are not typically attracted by traditional sports and activities and provides them the same opportunities at teamwork and camaraderie as those more traditional students.

The VHSEC was formed by Nick Clark (Champlain Valley Union HS), Chris Hart (Mount Mansfield Union HS), and Ryan Bushey (Milton HS). Their goal is to provide a resource and voice to Vermont High School Esports coaches and Activities Directors around Esports as a Varsity level sport in Vermont. The VPA recognized esports for the Winter 2022 season and made it an official Varsity sport in the Fall of 2023 utilizing the PlayVS platform as the basis for the league. While PlayVS offers many titles, the VPA currently recognized games are Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. We look forward to playing in other titles as the sport continues to grow in the state. There will be another event towards the end of the school year.

Interested in what it takes to bring Esports to your school? Reach out to CVU Esports (cvuesports@cvsdvt.org)