A new era of club athletics has begun on campus, as UW-Superior’s all new gaming lab opened its doors to the public for the first time.
The grand opening of the lab, which is located in room 1019 inside Swenson Hall on the UWS campus, took place on Thursday, March 28, with a large congregation of students and press members who were all curious to view the new space ahead of the full launch of the esports program in the coming fall semester.
The computer lab in Swenson has been undergoing renovations since the Fall 2023 semester. This renovated space will be another space for students to relax inbetween classes. | Phot by Drew Kerner
“It makes you speechless, honestly,” said UWS Esports Co-Head Coach Brady Stocker on the completion of the lab, which had been under construction for the full Spring semester to this point. “The graphics turned out awesome, everything in the lab is awesome, and it honestly was a pretty quick turn around from when we started it. It’s really spectacular.”
While the full launch of the esports program will take place in the upcoming Fall with games such as League of Legends, Valorant, and Super Smash Bros, the team has already begun testing the competitive esports waters with its first title: Rocket League.
The UWS Esports Rocket League team is currently 6-1 in the Wisconsin Collegiate Rocket League, and according to Club Vice President and Rocket League team member Jasen Bruzek, representing the Yellowjackets on the state and national levels is as cool as it gets.
“It’s so surreal, seeing it all come to fruition and how big it is too,” said Bruzek. “We have really good computers and it’s so extensive, and it’s like a gamer’s fever dream to do it.”
The program has primarily focused on establishing itself as a welcoming space for all UWS students in its infancy, which makes the team’s 6-1 record and 4-0 start to the year that much more astounding.
“It’s absolutely incredible,” says Club President Martin Jezierski. “To hear the Rocket League team going 6-1 in our first season is just astounding to me. The colleges that UW-Superior was going up against have had an esports organization for some time, and for us to just kind of go in there and dominate the playing field has been really, really great to see.”
The gaming lab will be open to all UW-Superior students in the upcoming weeks, with dates and times to be determined. The Rocket League team will round out their WCRL regular season on April 8, with a match against UW-Green Bay Varsity.
