The esports team at World Academy in Nashua. Shown in the back row from left are Lucas Antiquera, Emery Cardoso and Caroline Space. Shown in the front row from left are Raviv Young, Rhys Richards and Mason Kent. Courtesy photo/World Academy

NASHUA – With an unparalleled proficiency in Mario Kart, the World Academy esports team finished the season with a 6-0 record garnering national recognition and the school’s second esports title in three years.

The esports program was established in the fall of 2021 by teacher Daniel Kilgour following his discussions with academy founder Kathleen Nelson. During their conversations, Nelson told Kilgour that her son had excelled as a gamer and went on to gain professional success as a programmer.

Around the same time, Kilgour’s daughter began playing Rocket League, a vehicular soccer game released in 2015 by Psyonix.

“I saw how streamlined and organized it was,” he said of the game.

Kilgour said the esports program immediately gained traction, attracting an initial group of 27 middle school students, ages 11-14.

“Our numbers have always been very high,” he said.

Kilgour said that in addition to having a team, there is also an esports club. He said the club serves as a way to select new students to be on the team.

“I’m glad we have this program now, I don’t know of any other schools in the area that have esports,” he said.

Kilgour said the esports program provides students, who may not necessarily be athletic, with a chance to compete and be part of a team. He said his students also learn how to remain calm under stress.

“Esports are really starting to take off,” he said. “The product is there, the interest is there.”

He also addressed concerns that parents may have about their children spending too much time on a screen by participating in esports.

“We have a rule in both the club and the team that outside commitments such as family, school and athletic commitments come first. I do not require students to practice outside of the club or team, so the commitment level is rather minimal compared to other team sports,” said Kilgour. “As always, if a parent feels that too much screen time is being devoted to this endeavor then I encourage them to make the best decision for their student including having them not participate in either activity.”

In 2022, the team joined Vanta League, an esports development platform. World Academy went on to defeat teams from Alabama, Ohio and New York to win the championship in the Rocket League division.

Impressed with his students’ performance during the prior year, Kilgour, in the fall of 2023, created a club for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a heavily popular racing game released by Nintendo in 2017. He also chose six students to compete on a team in the larger Middle School Esports League.

“We switched from Vanta League due to the fact that Vanta was still in its infancy as was our team at the time,” said Kilgour. “MSEL is an established and highly regarded program, I felt the team was ready for the challenge.”

During the season, World Academy went head-to-head against 60 schools from across the nation including teams from New York, Ohio and California.

The championship match came on May 8 when World Academy took on a formidable opponent, Maine-Endwell Middle School of New York. Despite being down by seven points during the match, Kilgour’s students emerged victorious and ended the season undefeated.

“The kids really dug in deep, we dominated the season,” he said.

Kilgour’s students said they also appreciate the social aspect of the esports program.

“Mario Kart Team helped me get more friends, engage more in an activity that is competitive but not overly athletic,” said seventh grade student Mason Kent. “I loved learning how to play Mario Kart more and working with other people, actually engaging instead of doing things on my own.”

Eighth grade student Emery Cardoso said being involved in esports has boosted her self-confidence.

“It has given me more confidence to make connections with students I may not have made without it,” she said.

Sixth grade student Rhys Richards highlighted the importance of “being a leader and adapting to how other people play the game and using those to our advantage.”

Looking ahead, seventh grade student Lucas Antiquera said he plans to pursue esports beyond World Academy.

“I do plan on continuing my eSports career in high school,” he said. “It is a fun distraction from schoolwork and stress, it makes me love video games even more.”