High school students can build their Esports skills this summer in a series of camps at Cleary University’s Howell campus.
Members of the Cleary Esports team will serve as mentors and Coach Nathan Benton will oversee the camp. Esports enthusiasts will learn from WHAC conference leaders.
Here are camp details:
League of Legends skill building camp
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, June 19-23
Valorant skill building camp
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, June 26-30
Overwatch 2 skill building camp
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, July 10-14
Students will sharpen their gaming skills, connect with other players, and enjoy the experience of playing in Cleary University’s new, state-of-the-art Esports arena (located in Cleary Commons, at 3750 Cleary Drive off Grand River Avenue in Howell; Cleary Commons is the first building on the right upon entering the campus).
The Esports camps are open to students in grades 9 through 12. Cleary will provide a morning snack and lunch. Early drop off and late pick up is available. Cost for each weeklong camp is $799 + $199 technology fee.
To learn more about Cleary’s Esports summer camp, send an email to Coach Nathan Benton at nbenton@cleary.edu. To register, click here.
Benton, who will oversee the camp, served as assistant head coach of Esports at Oakland University in Auburn Hills for two years before joining Cleary. He also was an Esports coach at AOE Esports Event Center in Troy, where he managed day-to-day operations at the LAN Center and coached various rosters for AOE Esports and the XP league. Coach Benton is a member of the National Association of Esports Coaches and Directors, and a Positive Coaching Alliance member.
Cleary is one of only a few universities in eastern Michigan that offers Esports, a new, rapidly growing competitive sport among high school and college students across the country.
Esports draws a completely new population of students who previously weren’t involved in athletics. Now they have a sport specific to their talents.
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.
In its first season, the program at Cleary was an overwhelming success. The team captured third place overall during the WHAC Rocket league regular season. Student athletes also competed in Valorant, Call of Duty Cold War, Hearthstone, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Overwatch and League of Legends.
Cleary’s Esports arena is outfitted with 18 state-of-the-art gaming stations and plans to add six more. The arena also is equipped with custom signage, chairs, mouse pads and broadcast equipment.
Research shows that students who choose Esports are highly driven individuals who have high GPAs, high test scores and high graduation rates. Through Esports, they learn teamwork, camaraderie, school pride, time management and leadership.
