Hood esports coach steps down mid-season

By Braden Weinel//

The Hood College esports coach stepped down from his position on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Chris Leonard, the former head coach of the varsity esports team at Hood, gave notice to the college last week that he would be stepping down from his position due to a daunting season and a high stress level. 

With just a few weeks left in their season, the esports team is left mainly relying on the captains. Geoff Goyne, the Hood College sports information director, has stepped in to fill the “coaching” role until the school hires someone for that position.

Goyne simply facilitates the organization of the team’s matches, making sure all the players can log in and leading the team discord chat, a platform for voice and text chat that the players use to communicate during matches. Goyne also attempts to solve any problems surrounding the team or the games but trusts the captains to do their part.

“The captains have been doing a great job trying to keep everyone organized,” Goyne said.

Esports is a generally new concept in the world of college athletics. This is Hood’s first year having a varsity esports team. Last year, the team competed at the club level.

Due to the novelty of esports, Goyne said it is much harder to find a coach than it is for a traditional, physical sport.

Holding the position as head coach for the esports team is a part-time job, however, it requires constant communication and planning. This year, since the promotion from club level to varsity level, the guidelines are stricter, causing even more paperwork and organizing.

Earlier this year, Leonard explained that the esports team would play 100 times in 10 weeks. With no assistant coach or extra help, Goyne said that he understands why Leonard was getting stressed out.

“He was ambitious. He wanted the team to be excellent out of the gate,” Goyne said.

Leonard has other ventures in the world of esports. He is a member of Meta Pro Gaming, a company specializing in esports coaching and management solutions.

Hood College is currently advertising for a new coach through the school’s website, social media, and on an online coaches’ organization for esports.

The Hood esports team will enter the playoffs in early November. They compete in both the East Coast Conference and the New England Collegiate Conference.