MORRISTOWN, TN – Tyler McNeer proved himself with the Virginia Commonwealth University Esports program and now has the opportunity to leave his mark at Walters State.
On Tuesday, Walters State announced the addition of an Esports program with McNeer named the school's first ever Esports Coordinator.
"It's truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, especially being 23 years old, to come in and run a program from the start," McNeer said. "I believe I've proven myself at VCU by starting the Super Smash Bros. program there and now I'm excited to prove myself once again as the coordinator here at Walters State."
During his time at VCU, McNeer made the most of things. McNeer founded the Super Smash Bros. division of the Esports club in 2018. In 2019, he assisted the Rocket League team, alongside managing the Super Smash Bros. division. McNeer grew the community to over 300 people and grew the club's Twitch channel to become Twitch affiliated.
McNeer has been a competitor for over eight years. He got his start by watching YouTube videos. And the rest was history.
"I saw YouTube videos of Super Smash Bros. tournaments and I wanted to be able to play like the people I saw competing in the videos," McNeer said. "Shortly after, I entered my first tournament and have been competing ever since. Like other sports, I think the spectator side of Esports is a great way to get involved without ever needing to play the game yourself. My dream since I was a kid was to have a career dealing with video games, but I was never sure what specific area I would find myself in. With a career in Esports, I am able to work with my passion for video games and continue to be competitive at the same time."
Walters State is excited about the beginning of their Esports program and McNeer leading the charge and building up the program.
"We are very excited about the addition of Tyler and an Esports team to our Walters State athletics division," Vice President for Student Affairs Angi Smith said. "Our overriding mission is to provide students with engagement and growth opportunities during their time at Walters State. The addition of Esports fits within this goal in that it will allow us to offer opportunities for more students to be involved in team play. We look forward to the team continuing the Walters State legacy of competing at a high level both regionally and nationally."
In terms of Esports in general, McNeer said in its simplest definition Esports are organized competitions for video games.
"It is like a traditional sport in that there are different levels of competition ranging from high school to professional leagues," McNeer said. "A normal competition will be between two teams playing a specific game, often with the first team winning 2-3 games winning the match. Currently there are 19 games played in the NJCAA's Esports program. Of those games, I plan to have a team for Rocket League, Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Valorant and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. These 5 games are among the largest Esports games and will create a strong core for the program moving forward."
As for goals for the program, McNeer wants to see students enroll at the school for the Esports program.
"If we can get students where their goal is joining our program when they are still playing in high school, that will be really special and bring the program to the next level," McNeer said. "My other main goal for the program is to win a championship. There is going to be a lot of work that goes into being able to compete for a championship, but we have everything in place to put the work in and be competitive right away when the season starts in September."
If students are interested in learning more or want to join the Esports program, you can fill out a questionnaire here: https://wsccathletics.com/sports/esports/Esports_Questionnaire
"I would say if anyone were on the fence about joining, this is really the best time to join at the start of the program," McNeer said. "Since the program is brand new, there is going to be a lot of flexibility in how people are going to be able to participate even outside of being on one of the teams. I will also be looking toward the students to help shape the program the way they want it to go and give their feedback. I would encourage anyone with reservations about joining to contact me at my email tyler.mcneer@ws.edu so we can talk more about the program, and how they can participate."
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics