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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Veronica Crum has dreamed of making esports her future and on Sunday at the TEC Con college combine she got the chance to show off her skills for local college and university scouts.
“I’m honestly blessed to have the opportunity to experience a dream and passion of mine coming to life,” she said.
The Windber Area senior was one of several working their way through skill drills in the video games Rocket League and Valorant while the recruiters looked on at the 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial.
This was just one of several events during the weekend-long TEC Con, organized by The Esport Company.
Other activities included discussion panels, costume contests, vendors and more at the arena and Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center.
Josh Ernest, Esport Company production manager, said any high school student could sign up for the combine and the event offered them the chance to “showcase their skills.”
Each drill tested the players mechanical abilities in the games, such as eliminating enemies in a set amount of time or adeptness in navigating a filed of play. All of it was scored and data sheets provided to the scouts.
Ernest said this will help the school representatives see how proficient local players are.
“There’s some people here that are really talented,” St. Francis University Esports coordinator Ethan Wingard said.
He and assistant director of student engagement Meghan DeFrancesco represented the school for the combine.
DeFrancesco said when St. Francis recruits Esports players they do so from all ranks because they want to create a mentor and apprentice environment for the team of about 60.
When the pair identify a good fit for the group based on skill, maturity and leadership capabilities, they ask them to fill out a form about the type of games they like to play and majors they are interested in as well as what year they might attend SFU.
Wingard said as the student’s senior year approaches the scouts keep in touch and invite them to campus for visits.
There’s also the offer of scholarships for future Esports athletes.
SFU provides financial assistance for this field and so does Mount Aloysius College.
Sean Steffy, MAC Esports team head coach, said by this fall his school will provide multiple scholarships for competitive video game playing.
He was also at the combine to scout out new talent for the Mount club of about 60 and handful of varsity players.
“I’m really happy to be here and to be involved,” Steffy said.
Throughout the weekend, the players that stood out to him most were The Esport Company high school league All-Stars.
He described those individuals as excellent gamers with successful careers in their futures.
Those players got to disply their talents on Saturday for the chance to win part of $10,000 during the All-Star Esports Showcase.
Donnavan Sanchez, a member of the Forest Hills Esports team, was one of 45 contestants from the league that qualified for the TEC Con tournament.
“I never really thought it would have gotten this big,” he said.
Looking around the arena where people of all ages played PC games and tested virtual reality gear, he said it was “really awesome” that The Esport Company organized a three-day technology and video game convention in Johnstown.
“It’s pretty neat,” Andrew Flowers said.
The 18-year-old and his friends attended the event to check out what was being offered.
They frequently play video games together but not competitively.
Flowers described the convention as a cool environment and added that he was looking forward to watching the tournament.
“Being here is kind of exciting because there’s not much that goes on in Johnstown,” Linsey Ball said.
She attended with Flowers and was impressed by the convention.
Wingard said an event like TEC Con is what the university’s investment into Esports has been building toward for the past four years.
“Bringing the event here, putting the computers out, and allowing people to compete for money, it shows you that this can be a legit future,” he said.
Professional Esports team the Pittsburgh Knights attended the convention to introduce attendants to the possible futures awaiting them in the digital world.
Roget Mitchell, Knights social media coordinator said there’s need for more than just players.
There’s jobs in marketing, videography, coding or any number of other related pursuits.
Mitchell also noted that events like TEC Con show parents that there’s “a path and a career for their kids doing this stuff.”
Crum’s father, David Bowen, said the entire experience was all new to him.
However, he was still happy to be there and support his daughter.
“When she said she was selected for this I was very proud,” Bowen said.
TEC Con is what The Esport Company Founder Seth Mason has been building towards since he arrived in Johnstown a few years ago.
“It’s a whole vision that I had,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of people buying into it.”
Thus far the event has gone well and Mason has been pleased with the turnout.
He said he doesn’t want to constrict TEC Con to once a year but rather have spring, summer and fall events.
“This is bringing a whole new crowd to downtown Johnstown,” Mason said.
The entrepreneur also has big plans for The Esport Company headquarters at 217 Franklin St. and how his business can help be a part of the city’s comeback.
He hinted at future internships and exposing more people to the positive impact of esports.
For more information, visit www.tecconvention.com.
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