Lake Anna Connections

Locally owned and family operated company serving the Lake Anna area for over 18 years. CertifiedMasterWaterWellSystemsProvideronsiteatall jobs. Licensed& fully insured.MembersofBBB,VWWA,&NGWA. (540) 872-0304 www.clearwaterdrillingvac.com EmergencyWell SystemServices Well PumpSystem Installation & Repair Water Testing& FiltrationServices CattleWatering Systems• Trenching & Grouting Services Well System Inspections for Real Estate Closings Well Abandonments petition, with teams re-seeded every three weeks to better match skill level and avoid “blowout events” that can happen in field sports. At the end of the regular season, teams that have placed in various competi- tions move into a playoff bracket similar to March Madness. One of the three-person Rocket League teams made it as far as the state quarter- finals in the fall and was ranked second in the state when the school year was prema- turely ended due to COVID-19. The Smite teams were ranked first and second in the state and played in the East Coast playoff bracket. Sarmiento sees great benefit to the ad- dition of an Esports program at the high school level. “It allows students who may not be interested in traditional sports a way to get involved and find their niche,” he said. Patterson agrees. “I would tell other stu- dents who asked about Esports that if you love to play video games, then you will love the program,” Patterson said. “But, you have to work well with others and not act like you are playing alone. Being part of a team is crucial.” Modeled after traditional sports teams, Esports members at LCHS have their own team jerseys and are mentioned during pep rallies and with school-wide announce- ments about upcoming matches and the outcomes of those competitions. It helps connect this set of students to the rest of the student body and allows them their own ac- tivity to take pride in and be recognized for, just like the football team winning a game or a golfer who hits a hole in one. According to Sarmiento, Esports has been around for about 30 years. It started with the introduction of fighting games in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the LAKE ANNA CONNECTIONS | FALL |WINTER 2020 65