Cleary University is hosting an Esports camp for kids 7-13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 3; Saturday, Aug. 6; Wednesday, Aug. 10; and Saturday, Aug. 13.
Parents can register their kids for one, two, three or all four days. Cost is $25 a day and pizza lunch is included. Simply drop off kids at The Cleary Commons, located just inside Cleary’s campus, at 3750 Cleary Drive in Howell (off Grand River near Latson).
Plenty of staff will be on hand to supervise and help kids enjoy playing their favorite video games available on PC (or across platform games). Make sure kids bring their own controller if they traditionally play on console.
Space is limited to the first 12 students, so parents are encouraged to sign up their kids quickly by visiting cleary.edu/esportscamp or calling (517) 586-3018.
Cleary is one of only a few universities in eastern Michigan that offers Esports, a new, rapidly growing competitive sport among students across the country. Jarod Ericksen, Cleary’s Esports Varsity coach, was hired in early 2021 to launch the program at the university. He will be at the Esports camp to share his knowledge and expertise with young Esports enthusiasts.
“The level of excitement around Esports is inspiring,” Ericksen said. “This new sport is growing rapidly in interest, especially in grade school and middle school students,” he finds. “It offers an opportunity for kids who previously were not involved in athletics to find a sport specific to their talents,” Coach Ericksen points out.
Esports are video games played in an organized, competitive environment. Some schools, like Cleary University, designed an Esports facility exclusively for the games, which range from team-oriented multi-player competitions to single player shooters and virtual reconstructions of physical sports.
Cleary’s Esports arena is outfitted with 18 state-of-the-art gaming stations and plans to add six more this fall. The arena also is equipped with custom signage, chairs, mouse pads and broadcast equipment.
“Our arena truly shines as a home field for athletes,” Ericksen said.
The Esports team at Cleary is comprised of 23 student athletes from across the country and Canada.
“The impact of this program is huge and is only going to grow even bigger,” Ericksen said. “I’m proud to be part of such a groundbreaking sport that finally is receiving the acknowledgement it deserves. Literally thousands of students now have an avenue to exhibit their skills, knowledge and talent competitively.”
