Talking Esports With Rocky Mountain’s State Championship Teams
One of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s fastest-growing activities is esports, which is currently in the midst of its second CHSAA-sanctioned spring season, featuring championships in Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros.
To learn more about this exciting new activity, and how to find succes in it, we reached out to members of Rocky Mountain’s tremendous esports program, which won both the Mario Kart and the Super Smash Bros. state championships a year ago, and is now getting set to defend their titles.
Chance Mazzia, the head coach of Rocky Mountain’s esports teams; Maya McCaughan, Colorado’s first female esports state champion; Cooper White, a top esports competitor in both Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros.; Alyson Cathcart, a quickly ascending member of Rocky Mountain’s varsity Mario Kart team; and Sydney De La Cruz, a Super Smash Bros. PlayVs champion who has been with the team since before the activity was sanctioned by CHSAA, all provided incredible insight into the burgeoning Colorado esports scene.
What do you consider to be the key to your school’s remarkable success in spring esports?
Chance Mazzia, Rocky Mountain esports head coach: “The No. 1 reason for our success is the students. I have been fortunate to work with many incredible students during my time at Rocky Mountain High School. We began with a lot of success in Rocket League, where we had three really strong players in our first season. This team went onto win four-straight [PlayVS] championships and put esports into the mainstream at our school. We would be featured in the school website and video announcements. The administration was very supportive. It also helped that these students were involved in other activities at the school, such as Student Council and DECA (which stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America). This helped reduce the stigma around esports. Rocky is also a very welcoming community. By the time the Nintendo titles were added, esports were already well established at Rocky and we had a good showing on our first practice day.”
Maya McCaughan, CHSAA State Champion in Super Smash Bros.: “Our devotion to the game is the biggest drive to our success. We persevere through any challenges by depending on each other and adapting to our opponents. Our coach is another great factor in our success, always maintaining a calm environment around us as we compete, and being supportive through all our matches.”
Fernando De La Cruz, PlayVs Champion in Super Smash Bros.: “As a team we mesh pretty well together and we each have our own strengths that can help cover each others’ weaknesses.”
How do you train to compete in spring esports?
Chance Mazzia, head coach: “We do a lot of work in the preseason, mostly practicing against and with each other. We have many good players in each game so it helps them see different matchups and practice new things. It doesn’t matter what you are doing, the basic ideas of a proper competitive mindset and teamwork apply in any environment.
“As I am not an expert in the games we play, I focus on the mental and teamwork aspects. I try to take as much as I can off their plate — like selecting maps, bans, and communicating with the other team on the PlayVS platform — so they can focus solely on playing. In between each game, I am always encouraging players that they can do it if they play their best and just overall being positive to get them in the best frame of mind. If they lose a set or game, I talk with them on what they can do differently on the next go around. They always know that the team believes in them and will have their back no matter what happens.
“I played defense in lacrosse, which is very reliant on communication. My coach would harp on us to be communicating all the time even if we didn’t necessarily need to in that moment. I am always stressing this with my teams. Communicate to reduce mistakes and work together to always be on the same page. Additionally, on my lacrosse team, it was always the best players that played regardless of age or time spent at the school. This led to an understanding that you are always competing with your peers in a healthy way, pushing each other to be better. If a new student comes to esports and beats out our current starters, they earn the spot on the top team. Navigating these healthy competitive dynamics can be difficult for players at times but I think we have a good balance. Everyone earns their role on the team.”
Cooper White, CHSAA State Champion in Mario Kart and semifinalist in Super Smash Bros.: “On game days, I’ll usually practice during lunch with my teammates but occasionally, we’ll also play with one another when we have free time. Frequently playing keeps us consistent, prepared, and lets us think of and improve upon strategies.”
Alyson Cathcart, varsity Mario Kart competitor: “You really just play the game that you want to get better at, a lot, and it will come more naturally. [As you play], you will start to understand the mechanics of the game.”
What skills are you looking to develop through practice and training, and how do you focus on that development?
Chance Mazzia, head coach: “I am looking to develop teamwork, a positive mindset, and a good culture. One way I do that is to encourage our newer players to go against the top players and learn from losing. There is a lot you can learn from playing and watching someone who has more experience than you. The advanced players then give tips on how the other players can improve in a constructive way. I think this helps build resilience.”
Alyson Cathcart, varsity Mario Kart competitor: “You want to focus on your game sense, seeing things in the game before they happen, and predicting what the other person will do. The only way to get better at this is to keep playing the game and by looking into the core mechanics of the game.”
Maya McCaughan, CHSAA State Champion in Super Smash Bros.: “I look to develop my hand-eye coordination, along with my ability to focus the more I play. I develop these skills best by being consistent with the same character and learning how to adapt to difficult matchups by changing my strategy rather than my character.”
When constructing a practice, do you plan out drills, or is it more about just playing the game?
Chance Mazzia, head coach: “It depends on the game, but we do specific drills in Rocket League and Mario Kart to improve skills we need to work on. For Mario Kart, it may be picking a specific track and running it over and over trying out all of the different short cuts in a safe environment. In Rocket League, it may be practicing air dribbles or rotations. I have my best players lead these specific practice sessions, as they know more than me. The majority of practice is just getting the team to play together and practice communicating. To get comfortable with playing as a team rather than just as individuals. After doing the tough stuff, I let students free play and have fun — sometimes playing other games entirely — to build a good community.”
Do you study your opponents at all before an upcoming match?
Chance Mazzia, head coach: “We always scout the opponent and practice the matchups we may face. I ask the students which matchups they would prefer, looking back at the other teams win rates and history of who/what they have played. Especially in Super Smash Bros. and League of Legends, we do a lot of planning to try and get the correct matchups for each player. In some cases we have found videos of opponents playing at online tournaments and studied those. If we have played the team before, we discuss what did and didn’t go well and how we can improve.”
Sydney De La Cruz, PlayVs Champion in Super Smash Bros.: “If possible, yes. Unfortunately, Colorado has a fairly small competitive scene so not many people go to tournaments, so I am unable to study their VODs. But what I usually do is I watch top players and how they deal with that specific match up.”
Cooper White, CHSAA State Champion in Mario Kart CHSAA and semifinalist in Super Smash Bros.: “Usually for Smash, the most I can do is look at what character my opponent plays and prepare to fight against them. There’s not much to do for Mario Kart when it comes to studying the other team unless we’ve played against them before, in which case we can analyze a VOD or livestream.”
Maya McCaughan, CHSAA State Champion in Super Smash Bros.: “If I have the chance, I will, but most of the time I trust I can adapt to my opponent quickly.”
How have you seen esports grow these past two years?
Alyson Cathcart, varsity Mario Kart competitor: “I’ve seen it grow a lot. So many more people have joined in general. It has also become a lot more inclusive. When I started, I was the only girl in my title. Now there are so many more different types of people [involved] than I could have imagined in my first year.”
Cooper White, CHSAA State Champion in Mario Kart and semifinalist in Super Smash Bros.: “I haven’t been part of the esports scene for long, but I’ve noticed that, now, it’s starting to be taken a lot more seriously than it would have been a decade ago. Colleges will contact you regarding scholarships and such just for being really good at a game and again — if you told someone from 10 years ago about that, they would think that’s insane. Even as someone in the scene, I think it’s crazy how big esports can be.”
Sydney De La Cruz, PlayVs Champion in Super Smash Bros.: “Esports has really grown over the years. People are getting paid way more. People are picking up sponsorships as young as 18 and many colleges are giving people scholarships for playing video games, which I think is very cool.
Who is your go-to Super Smash Bros. character and why?
Maya McCaughan, CHSAA State Champion in Super Smash Bros.: “I main Simon Belmont because it piqued my interest that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate included a Castlevania character in their roster, so I began playing him. I love his style — focusing on walling other people out with projectiles and interesting setups.”
Sydney De La Cruz, PlayVs Champion in Super Smash Bros.: “My two Smash Bros characters of choice are Donkey Kong and Byleth. I play Donkey Kong because — even though he’s considered mid or low tier — he is very fun and, if he can get the ball rolling, he really dominates the opponent. The reason I play Byleth is to deal with the super tough matchups that I can’t win with Donkey Kong.”
Cooper White, CHSAA State Champion in Mario Kart and semifinalist in Super Smash Bros.: “Often, I’ll play Bowser Jr., who is, overall, a decent character compared to the rest of the cast. I picked him up in freshman year, because I thought he was funny, but I learned that the character is actually viable and genuinely began to use him in my games. I saw success and still do, due to the character, so I think I’ll continue using him.”
What do you think makes a great Super Smash Bros. character, and what makes a bad one?
Fernando De La Cruz, PlayVs Champion in Super Smash Bros.: “Speed is what makes a good Smash Bros character. If you look at the tier lists you’ll notice that a lot of the top tiers are very fast and have some incredible movement options. Sonic, Pyra/Mythra and Steve are what I consider to be the top three characters in the game, and if you look at something they all have in common, it’s their speed.
Cooper White, CHSAA State Champion in Mario Kart and semifinalist in Super Smash Bros.: “From what I’ve observed, I think the defining trait that separates a good character from a bad character is speed, whether that’s how fast the character moves around or how fast their attacks are. On any tier list, you can find the quicker characters closer to the top with the slower characters at the bottom.
“Another aspect of a good character is versatility and adaptability. Steve is a good example of this — he has many different options, strategies, and abilities and it’s no wonder why he’s the best character in the game. A bad character, on the other hand, is generally slow with bad options, very linear gameplay, and not many strategies. With a character like Little Mac — who, despite being very fast, has poor recovery options and is overall terrible in the air — you have to rely on reading your opponent and predicting what they’re going to do in order to win, because you definitely can’t rely on your character alone.”
Who is your Mario Kart racer and what do your karts look like?
Alyson Cathcart, varsity Mario Kart competitor: “I use the meta kart and character, which basically means I use the fastest kart and character combo at a given time.”
Cooper White, CHSAA State Champion in Mario Kart and semifinalist in Super Smash Bros.: “I’ll generally use a top-tier kart combo such as Teddy Buggy with Roller Wheels, since you can use it with pretty much any character and do well. But if I want the best combo, I’ll use that kart combo and Yoshi, a top tier with medium weight, good acceleration and good speed.
Which stats do you prioritze when building your karts?
Cooper White, CHSAA State Champion in Mario Kart CHSAA and semifinalist in Super Smash Bros.: “Usually, the most important one is acceleration/mini turbo, which contributes to drifting. Drifting is vital to doing well in Mario Kart and traversing tracks efficiently. However, having the most acceleration would imply that you’re using a small character, making you easier to bump around. When you use a smaller character, you trade acceleration for speed and vice versa with a bigger character. Thus, it’s important to have a good medium between the two stats that holds up well on the track. You’ll usually want a little bit more acceleration than speed though.”
Alyson Cathcart, varsity Mario Kart competitor: “Acceleration, I would say, is the most important stat because it ensures that no matter how many times you get hit, you can catch up to the rest of the pack very quickly. Speed is also a very important factor. Weight is more of a personal preference but also has its pros and cons. The heavier you are, the better you can push people out of the way, however, the smaller you are the better acceleration you have. Overall, it’s a personal decision based on your skill level and how seriously you take the game.”
