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When Joker knocked Inkling off the stage for the final victory, a massive cheer went up in the center of the UC. The crowd of about 75 people put their hands up and made some noise for the culmination of the eight-hour tournament.
The Warhawk Esports Club hosted their first ever Tespa-sponsored event on Saturday, Feb. 15 in UC 275, and the Joker v Inkling battle in Smash Ultimate was the last event of the Grand Final, the pinnacle of the action for the evening. While not all 150 members of the crowd stayed that late, the event was still a huge success because of turnout. The final knockout also meant that Cole “Matador” Nemec defeated his rival “Miles” after a bracket reset, and won the grand prize, which included a $180 gaming headset.
After running through the field of over 40 smash players, Matador, who is a student here at UWW, had to face Miles in the final event.
“I usually am a really good player,” said Matador, who plays a wide variety of characters. “I was nervous, but I knew I still had chances to turn it around.”
Since Miles came over from the loser’s side, it meant he would have to win two matches to be crowned champion. He reached half that goal, putting down Matador’s Capt. Falcon and Banjo Kazooie characters in the first match, forcing a bracket reset.
Matador stayed cool, calm and collected during the bracket rested. He held his spot in the chair in front of the audience, and seemed eager to get back to the game at hand.
“I was nervous, but I knew I still had chances to turn it around,” said Matador.
After the reset, Matador went with Falcon again, and finished off the match getting a KO as Joker which would eventually win him the match. He finished at an astonishing 201% which left him just on the brink of elimination.
The event was significant because of all the sponsorships that the Whitewater Esports club received. They promoted the event well, and got sponsorships from Red Bull, Omen, Tespa, and other companies in the gaming world.
“The turnout today was really really great. You can see how passionate everyone is just being here.”
– Brandi Moy
“Tespa is a Blizzard subsidiary,” said Jacob Halfman, who was in charge of running the event. “They provide these services in return for pictures. It’s basically an advertising deal.”
In fact, Tespa even sent a brand representative up from Irvine, Calif. To help administer the event.
“As far as I know, this is the first Elite event or big LAN tournament for UW-Whitewater,” said Brandi Moy, Tespa’s representative. She talked about how Whitewater’s Esports club is a member of their Chapter program, which means that Tespa can provide support and help facilitate these sort of events.
“When (a team) qualifies to be a Chapter for our program, they can furthermore apply for campaigns. These campaigns are a way for us to supply them with event goodies. The banners, a lot of the Prizing, even social media shoutouts we help them with,” said Moy.
The event was well executed, and featured branding from top gaming companies, including Omen, HP’s gaming division. This event saw the club clearly outside their comfort zone, reeling in huge sponsorships and reaping the rewards. Many people came in the beginning of the day, a sign to the faculty and staff that gaming is a serious avenue for students to express their creativity and internal personality. While they never have received SUFAC funding in the past, the Esports team has applied and believe they will be cut in on SUFAC next semester.
There were plenty of other games being played at WEX 2020, including Rocket League, and Overwatch. The latter game saw competitors team up for a 2v2 tournament, which ran even longer than the Smash Ultimate tourney.
In addition to the handful of games that were being played competitively, there were also screens set up for people to play casually while the action was going on around them. Some were playing Mario Double Dash, and even Halo!
Even Chancellor Watson got in on the fun. He arrived as the event was winding down, but still got a chance to go through a VR gaming demonstration, and to see the Grand Finals. He looked proud to cheer on Matador and all the other UWW competitors as they faced off against the best competition the local area has to offer. He stayed until the final knockout, which saw Miles blasted off the left edge and into oblivion.
The event was received as a general success, especially considering the amount of people who came to support the Esports Club.
“The turnout today was really really great. You can see how passionate everyone is just being here,” said Moy, who flew up from Irvine, California just to attend.
As the event wound down Nemec was in the mood to distribute his championship knowledge. “If you keep practicing, you’re bound to get really good,” said the champion.
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