The spring season is in bloom! From all of us at the High School Esports League, thank you for taking part in what is sure to be one of the most memorable seasons to date. As we kick off the spring events, I want to dive deeper into some recent announcements and reveal something pretty legendary for our Apex Legends schools. Let’s get started!
Nintendo Switch Games at HSEL Nationals
All 3 titles will be featured in our HSEL Nationals events. Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate joins the in-person lineup live in Kansas City. Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe and Splatoon™ 3 enter the online arena at the end of May! How does Nationals qualification work? Let’s take a look:
Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe
Top 3 per conference from the Fall and Spring Major (12 total)
Splatoon™ 3
Top 4 per Fall and Spring Major (8 total)
Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate
Top 3 per conference from the Fall Major season
Top 2 per region from the Spring Major season
Total of 12
Region Updates
To create more balanced matches and allow us to offer a much-requested 3pm queue, we have adjusted our HSEL regions. States in the previous “South” region have been merged into the East and Central regions. All HSEL regions are solely based on your school’s time zone!
Apex Legends
In case you missed it, HSEL Nationals 2024 will be hosted at Midwest Fest in Kansas City this June. Midwest Fest is an annual gaming and content creation festival with multiple open esports tournaments, including Apex Legends TDM. As part of our partnership, Midwest Fest is reserving exclusive entry for the nation’s top high school teams to compete! Schools that reach the top four of the championship bracket this spring will receive an invite to join the top four from last fall in representing HSEL in this competition.
On a different note, we’ve heard your feedback regarding ties. Effective this spring, a new rule has been added to provide clear guidelines for our teams whenever a tie occurs in a match. See rule 2.4 "Ties" for more information.
Platform Updates
Our dev team has been hard at work upgrading the competition app for you over the winter. Since last fall, we’ve revamped the “head to head” tiebreaker system and implemented roster limitations (maximum players and locking periods) on a software level. Check out the dev blogs to learn more!
High School Esports Intramurals – or Training Grounds?
The High School Esports League aims to create an entry point for every type of student and every level of competitive skill. Last fall’s “Training Grounds” experiment was designed for beginners, which was met with praise from coaches, but minimal student interest. This spring, we’re widening the lens and rebranding this entry point as “Intramurals”.
HSEL Intramural competitions are for students desiring a casual or low-stakes experience, where they can still play against school teams. Perhaps you have some students who want to participate in scholastic gaming, but don’t want to commit to a full season? Sign them up for Intramurals! There is no registration deadline, so if your students are feeling a bit overwhelmed after a few matches in the Major, you can transfer them to Intramurals and keep the structured play going.
Thank You!
If you’re still reading, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to our coaches! The opportunities and experiences you are creating for your students is incredible. My favorite part of working with the High School Esports League and Generation Esports is getting to serve the wonderful community of passionate coaches and talented students. I wish you all the best of luck this season!
David Stone
Commissioner of Competition
HSEL, MSEL, & Youth Winner's Circle
"In esports, I found my community AND my competitive spirit. I’m so thankful for the privilege I had in school where I was able to explore my musical passion, and I want to play a role providing that same opportunity to the students now, tomorrow, and forever. I want to give students a reason to come to school, just like I had."
Generation Esports is proud to work with Intel to power scholastic gaming.
