3rd Annual Summer Conference

Help! I’m Not a Gamer!
Elizabeth Hancock, Warrenton High School

I'm an NES Tetris snob (don't come at me with any other versions of the game), and my good games can make grown adults cry. Unfortunately, my gamer knowledge does not go much beyond that. You may be asking yourself: "How can this person be an esports coach when their game knowledge is metaphorically prehistoric?" The answer to that and other "those who don't game . . ." questions will be found in this session. Let's hope my presentation skills outshine my gaming skills.

Combating burnout in esports
Jeffrey Wofford, Plato Public Schools

Working in esports often times meaning wearing many hats.  Director, coach, educator, mentor etc.....  With little to no offseason how do you juggle all those responsibilities while also staying energized enough to give your students all that they need to compete and grow.   Join Jeff as he shares what he has learned to avoid burnout as well as an opportunity to share your thoughts and strategies with others.

Considerations for Esports Environments
Spectrum Industries

What is needed to create a comprehensive esports facility? While PC and console gaming capture people’s attention, scholastic esports programs are preparing students for much more than gameplay. Join Spectrum as we discuss elements that can help define spaces for new programs and offer insights for esports programs wondering what is next.

The Economical Esports Shopper: Evaluating Specs in the PC World
Josh Knutson, Gravity Gaming by Bytespeed

Not every esports coach comes from the technology background, so in this session Gravity Gaming by ByteSpeed’s Josh Knutson will offer helpful guidance for choosing powerful, yet budget-friendly hardware options whether your school is refreshing your esports PCs or starting a new program. We’ll review key components in gaming hardware, such as processors, graphics cards, memory, and more to explain what to look for in the benchmarks, and how to evaluate a component next to its competition in order to get the best bang for your buck! 

Existentialism in Esports
Adam Dickey, North County R1 High School

Existentialism in esports. Why are we here? What's it a about? Join me on an adventure that helps develop or upgrade the tools at your disposal to establish a student-centered esports program full of lols and competitive drive. (Mostly the lols)

Health and Wellness for Gamers
Amy Harris, Hart Career Center

This session will cover the importance of physical and mental well-being for gamers, and how to engage your students in best practices for their own health. We will go over activities and other resources for stretching, exercise, meditation, nutrition, sleep, and more.

Making Streaming Great with Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Dr. Tiffany Ford, Ozarks Technical Community College

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally. In this presentation I will share how you can use some of these services to improve your streaming presence with little to no cost. I will introduce these services for those who are unfamiliar as well as demo how we use them to present our streams in various formats.

Meeting the SEL needs of esports students
Dr. Curtis Graham, Maplewood-Richmond Heights

In this session we will explore the social emotional needs that have developed from the pandemic and how they manifest on our teams.  We will discuss ways to support these students through structures and resources.

We will also touch on addiction (specifically screen addiction), how it manifests in student behavior, and how we can provide support to students struggling with it.

MOSEF Smash 101
Amy Harris, Hart Career Center

Are you baffled by blindpicks and stage bans? Stumped by start.gg? Then this is the session for you! We will go over step-by-step procedures for Smash solo and crew seasons, in addition to covering blindpicks and stage banning. We will also have a small mock tournament to practice what we’ve learned in start.gg.

Overwatch 101
Adrienne McIntire, Midland University

Winning at the high school/ college level

Preparing for Esports at the College Level
Conon Gillis, William Jewell College
Dr. Tiffany Ford, Ozarks Technical Community College

This session will give information about students that are hoping to possibly play at the college level and how to set themselves up best to do that. 

Roster Building and Player Development
Blake Kronsbein, University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou Esports)

Learn how to build rosters that foster an environment of competitiveness, excitement, and camaraderie. See what resources and methods successful esports programs use to maximize constant improvement and long term competitive success, while reducing burnout. Learn from a former captain turned collegiate recruiter the difference between good players and great ones. 

Speaking Admin Language
Dr. Tony Gragnani, Webster Groves High School

Building a strong relationship with your building administrator or athletic director is crucial to the sustained success of your esports program. In this session, I will teach you how to think like your administrator, anticipate their thoughts, and build the support you need to start your program or ensure you get the resources you need to keep it going.  Even if you are an established program, knowing this information will help you navigate what to do when your administrator leaves.  My presentation will be grounded in nine years of administrative experience and my record for helping several other esports programs get started here in Missouri.

Streaming with OBS & Add-ons
Kevin Clevenger, Blue Springs High School

Attendees will learn how to setup and use OBS to stream games, and additional tools to help with the stream. We will also learn how to have students help with running the production and streaming of the game/event.