esports Coach's Passion Helps Fuel Dallas College Gaming Program
When Sky McCort attended Dallas College Richland, she brought with her years of time in front of a computer.
Playing games.
Now she's trying to bring more students into the gaming world opened up by Dallas College esports program, which entered its second semester this fall.
McCort began gaming at age six, and began playing competitively for Dallas College Richland in 2017-18 when she formed an esports club. Back then, she gave Overwatch her attention for two years.
"It was just something that I fell in love with," she said. "Esports was a passion of mine."
She was attending college for game design programming, and stuck with esports as an outlet to fuel her competitive passion. McCort began coaching with the Dallas Mavericks' esports program in 2019. She also worked as a tournament administrator and development operations manager with XR Sports in Frisco, Texas, from 2019-22.
Now she is managing three campuses and multiple teams as one of Dallas College's three esports coaches, trying to build the program from the grassroots level up to one where the numbers justify why sponsoring esports was worth the investment. She coaches at Dallas College North Lake, Dallas College Brookhaven and Richland campuses, managing multiple gaming teams.
"I think right now we're doing a great job of bringing interest in from any group, any demographic, anywhere," McCort said. "I just hope that, as a coach, I can continue to create teams and environments where no matter, gender, no matter age, no matter what interest, it's a place where they come and feel celebrated learning about the game and competing together.
"My role here is to continue to facilitate great esports teams, go to every length I can to recruit, make sure that I have students that are happy, successful. We want to make sure that we get them through academically. We want to make sure that we are supporting them. I'm hoping to be here until I can hopefully help run it someday."
Dallas College's esports program is off to a good start. This year, which will be its first full year since the program started in the spring of the 2021-22 academic year, the school's seven-campus gaming program has nine teams ranked No. 1 in their respective classifications within the National Junior College Athletic Association esports program. Students attending any of Dallas College campuses can compete in any of the 13 titles offered as long as they meet the academic requirements of at least 12 credit hours per semester, while maintaining a 2.0 grade point average.
When Krasi Kolarov, the Dallas College esports Director, brought McCort on board, he knew she would play a prominent role in getting the program off the ground.
"She came to Dallas College esports at the initial opening of the program, and she is the lead coach for all the esports programs," Kolarov said. "She is a great asset to the esports, and students just admire her for the knowledge and ability that she contributes to the Dallas College esports programs."
Students within the gaming circles are drawn to McCort, including the female population – a demographic sector Dallas College is welcoming more participation numbers from, in addition to increasing the older population. Currently, five females and one 32-year-old male compete in the Dallas College esports program, which has 56 gamers spread out on the 10 teams over the community college's seven campuses.
Dallas College sophomore Mirabel Vakser is one of those females. She has taken to McCort's ability to create a culture within the esports program.
"She's very dedicated," Vakser said of her coach. "With those seven teams (she coaches), it has been a lot. She always keeps a high spirit. It's been beyond just playing games together. It's been team bonding, hanging out together. We all have a connection with each other.
"I've heard about her childhood, and how she's always been into games. The teams that she coaches is the games that she'll play on her own in her own personal time. I feel, that itself, says a lot. She can also just play these games, and enjoy it, rather than making it a bore because she would have to teach."
Vakser is the lone female on the Rainbow Six Seige team, which competes out of North Lake's K Building.
"It makes me glad that there's female at least," she said. "I'm not too sure what the gender population is with the game, but I'm proud to represent as a female playing it."
Dallas College's hope is that more females will want to get involved in the esports program. Vakser has made her sales pitches. Now it's a matter of securing more participation.
"I think the representation is enough," Vakser said of her female presence on the esports team. "It's kind of a, 'Hey, she can do it. So can I.' We've had some people interested, so hopefully they'll come through."
Come through so they can achieve something big for Dallas College.
"We're shooting for championships," McCort said.