OC alumna coaches local eSports team to state championship in first year
Kate Swearingen led her team to first place at the first Oklahoma eSports State Competition while winning coach of the year.
April 24, 2021
For Oklahoma Christian University education alumana Kate Swearingen, 2021 was a year of firsts for her esports team at Edmond Memorial High School, located just down the road from OC. EMHS recently added an eSports program, and Swearingen serves as the head coach.
On April 3, the club played in the Oklahoma eSports State Competition with teams playing the games “League of Legends,” “Rocket League” and “Super Smash Bros.” The first two teams won first place in their games, and the “Super Smash Bros” team took third place. One EMHS student, out of the hundreds who competed, took home a $10,000 scholarship to a local university. The incredible day ended with another big accomplishment: Swearingen was named Coach of the Year for Oklahoma.
Students must be disciplined to participate in the eSports club as they practice after school for hours. At night, they meet on the University of Central Oklahoma’s campus to use a facility that allows them to cultivate unity in the face of the fierce competition that larger schools bring.
Schools are beginning to place greater value on the various skill sets that go into eSports. It is not merely children playing video games for entertainment. Several colleges within Oklahoma sponsored the inaugural Oklahoma eSport State Competition. Swearingen’s student who was offered a $10,000 scholarship to a local university earned it with focus and determination.
“He's very adaptable in his fighting play-style, and that really is what helped him win,” Swearingen said.
Swearingen's hard work as a coach, and as a chemistry teacher, has paid off, but she credits the club’s achievements to her students. Communication and teamwork overcame technical difficulties at the tournament.
“I did win coach of the year, but my kids are what make the program what it is,” Swearingen said. “I wouldn't look this good if I didn't have the best kids in the state, and they really are that. This program runs incredibly smoothly, and it’s because the kids take ownership of it and run with it.”
Swearingen's commitment to the students’ overall success is shown in the extra hours she spends tutoring the students so that they can remain eligible to play. That commitment is no surprise to those who know Swearingen; her roots at OC are deep as both her parents, Pat and Virginia, are beloved former employees of the university. Virginia mentioned how her daughter had helped the team overcome adversity, too, including one student who recently lost his father.
“When the senior on the “League of Legends” team was being interviewed, he said that he had participated in four sports in high school and had many coaches,” Virginia said. “He said Kate (they call her Swearingen) was the best he had ever had.”
OC celebrates the growth of the eSports program at EMHS under Swearingen. Read more about the tournament and Swearingen’s success from Edmond Public Schools here. Oklahoma City’s KFOR also featured the team in this TV segment.
Swearingen hopes her team’s wins will continue this year. In May, they will compete in PlayVS, the central midwest competition of teams from multiple nearby states.