Okoboji School Bd. Approves Adding Esports As An Extra Curricular Activity

(Milford)– A new program is joining the offerings of extra curricular activities at Okoboji High School. The school board voted Monday evening to add Esports, or video gaming, as part of the line up. Erin Frerichs is serving as a facilitator for a group of students in the district’s No Boundaries program interested in starting up the program. She told the board students would be responsible for their own equipment and that there won’t be expenses to the district…OHS Esports 

“Our kids can play off of their own device or their own platform, whatever they would decide. Tournaments run, different leagues host different games in different tournaments, so it would be, students that are involved wouldn’t have to be in every tournament, every weekend, every, you know, that much commitment. It could be on a rotation basis, it could be, you know, if they want to pick and choose if they want to play in this tournament or if they want to play this game, and so it’s definitely flexible to work around a lot of other activities as well.”

In addition to tournaments, the Okoboji High School Esports team will also compete with those from neighboring districts that already have the program in place.

The board also gave the okay for the group to apply for a grant for the program to assist students in obtaining equipment. They hope to start the program later this month or in early February.

In other business, the board heard a request for a larger wrestling practice room. Coaches told the board the current facility is too small for the 78 students that are out for wrestling this year. The board took no action on a proposal that would involve the use of what is currently a storage facility near the high school. They want to meet with the district’s architect first and will discuss the matter further at a work session next week.