GRAND FORKS – Evan Guilmino, a sophomore from Minot North High School, sat studying the skills and strategies of possible competitors in the Super Smash Bros video game as he prepared for a championship game Saturday afternoon, March 29, in the North Dakota Esports State Tournament at UND.

“This is my first year (in esports),” said Guilmino, who specializes in the character King K. Rool in the Super Smash Bros game. But “I’m also getting good at Mortal Combat.”

These are a couple of the seven games that students in grades 9-12 were competing in, either individually or in teams, during the state tournament.

Guilmino was one of 268 high school students at 36 schools throughout the state who gathered for the tournament Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, hosted by Fenworks at the UND Memorial Union.

“I get to meet new players from around the state,” he said, “and get to show off a little bit.”

“Esports,” which is short for “electronic sports,” involves organized, competitive video game competition. It engages students in an environment steeped in “camaraderie and community,” said Hayden Sherva, marketing coordinator at Fenworks. “Of course, there are rivalries, like other sports, but (esports) is bringing them together.”

“It aligns very closely with other traditional sports,” Sherva said. “Everyone likes to have something they’re good at, that they can invite their families and friends to, invite new friends to, and show off the skills they’re learned.

“It brings a lot of students out of their shells,” he said, recalling the story of a very shy student who transferred into a Dunseith, North Dakota, school. He was so proficient in video gaming he was asked to be captain of the school’s team.

The student underwent “radical change,” Sherva said. And “he played a big role in helping the GM (general manager) organize esports” at that school.

Esports is “very communication-based,” he said, and offers students an avenue to “befriend others in their school that they may not have met before.”

Sherva’s employer Fenworks, a Grand Forks-based company, promotes esports career pathways to students. This is the fourth time Fenworks has hosted the North Dakota state competition in Grand Forks. Earlier this year, it hosted state tourneys in Wyoming, Minnesota and South Dakota, Sherva said.

Surveying the Memorial Union filled with esports tourney participants, UND President Andy Armacost said, “It’s incredible to have all these students here. There’s such a sense of teamwork and camaraderie.”

Having walked by a winning Minot team, he said, “you can see the pride (on their faces).” UND launched a bachelor’s degree in esports about five years ago, but esports draws interest from majors and non-majors alike, he said. Several esports labs are available for student use in the Union’s lower level.

“It draws (students) from all over campus,” Armacost said.

In the past, video gaming was viewed differently than it is now, Sherva said. The stereotypical notion of a young person spending time isolated in the basement playing video games is no longer true thanks to esports.

The skills students learn from participating in esports – such as strategic thinking, leadership and effective communication – are applicable to many careers fields.

Students benefit from enhanced “self-confidence, which is so important for every single aspect of life,” Sherva said. “And the team-building aspect is there.”

In addition to “soft skills,” students learn to become more comfortable with technology and more digitally literate, preparing them for work in “really anything STEM related,” he said. “In most workplaces, it’s hard to get a job if you don’t know how to use a computer.”

And esports presents a wide variety of job opportunities including photography, live-streaming and “casting,” a role similar to the announcer at a sporting event.

The field offers an abundance of “real-world opportunities to get a real job” in today’s market and in the new careers that are unfolding, Sherva said.

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – North Dakota anglers need a new fishing license by April 1.

Mike Anderson reports on what anglers can expect.

Every year in February, fisheries biologists conduct dissolved oxygen testing on many lakes in North Dakota to determine potential winterkill.

“We should be in good shape,” said Greg Power, the North Dakota Game and Fish Fisheries Chief. “Ice is going off, we’re not seeing much for dead fish, we don’t expect to see much for dead fish.”

With little or no snow on the landscape, many of North Dakota’s waters will likely receive little runoff in spring.

“As you go east, we’re in better shape water level-wise,” said Power. “The mountains are going to provide Sakakawea and Oahe with a little bit more flush of water than was expected a couple of months ago, because there is, you know, snow in the mountains. But in the big picture, we’re still in good shape.”

With an eye always focused on walleye, anglers should be pleased with what the season holds.

“All species we’re doing okay with, but in particular in North Dakota here in the last 20 years, people like their walleye and the walleye populations, especially in the district lakes and central, southeast North Dakota, are at historic highs,” said Power. “The big three, that being Sakakawea, Oahe, and Devils Lake, maybe not record high walleye populations, but still really, really good shape.”

There’s a great resource on the Game and Fish Department’s website at gf.nd.gov that can help anglers find a place to go fishing in North Dakota.

“If somebody is new to fishing or it’s not just new to fishing, it’s everybody out there, utilize our Where to Fish tab on the department’s website. And there’s a whole lot of information in there from species, what species are in the lakes, to where to go,” said Power. “In some cases, contour maps, stocking records, catch records, a little bit of development, boat ramp access, stuff like that, a little bit of everything you can find at one stop shopping.”

Power said fishing over the last few years has never been better in North Dakota, and this year should be more of the same.

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WEST FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The Polar Plunge event kicked off at The Lights in the Essentia Health Plaza on Saturday, March 29th.

153 people signed up to make a splash in what contributes to the fundraising effort for Special Olympics North Dakota.

“This is the biggest plunge we’ve ever had so far. The support for our Special Olympics athletes is just overwhelming,” said Renee Dufner, law enforcement Torch Run manager for Special Olympics North Dakota.

Plungers raise a minimum of $100 to jump into icy water.

The Polar Plunge is a fundraising effort through the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics.

Law enforcement agencies came to judge the contests, including the North Dakota Highway Patrol, Cass County Sheriff’s Department, Fargo Police Department, and West Fargo Police Department.

Captain Matt Christensen of the Fargo Police Department participated in being a judge for the first time.

“I get to do some fun judging for different contests for costumes and belly flops, so I’m just looking forward to seeing everyone come out and raise money for a good cause,” said Christensen.

A handful of contests were in store for plungers at the event, including the Best Belly Flop, Best Costume, and Most Money Raised by an Individual.

Plungers that raise $500 will receive a Polar Plunge gift and polar plunge towel.

Registration to participate in the plunge began at 12:00 p.m.

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