Among the various clubs at Lakeland High School, a new club has been added this school year.
Lucas Hutson, the computer science teacher at LHS, started a Rocket League club at the beginning of the school year.
Many students jumped on the opportunity to join the new club and have deeply appreciated their time in it.
Lyric Fink joined the club not expecting much besides having a fun time with her friends.
“I really just joined the club for fun because most of my friends were joining it,” Fink said. “But, the league has been actually really competitive.”
In Rocket League, students meet up once a week to practice perfecting their skills in the online soccer games.
Based on the National Federation of State High School Associations, Rocket League is a competitive video game that is made up of soccer and cars.
Aiden Larabee, the goalie for the LHS Rocket League eSports team, has deeply enjoyed becoming part of the Rocket League Club.
“It’s mostly really nice because you get to be by other people and see what other schools are doing with their clubs, and you just get to meet a lot of people,” Larabee said.
Kellen Gunderson, another LHS student in Rocket League, initially joined the club because he wanted to try something new.
“I spend quite a bit of free time playing games myself, and I don’t have a lot of friends who do Rocket League, so it’s nice to meet new people, spend time with friends and do something I like,” he said.
Gunderson’s old school did not offer any clubs, so having the opportunity to be a part of one has been a great change. Gunderson has appreciated the chance to meet people outside of his classes who have similar interests.
While being in the club, Gunderson has realized the amount of teamwork that must go into matches against other schools.
Working with a group like that has helped him to become a better listener and taught him teamwork.
“It’s revolved around teamwork and being calm with your teammates instead of yelling at them and telling them what to do, “Gunderson said. “Everyone needs to be in a calm state, cooperative and willing to do what someone asks.”
On Nov. 30, the club took on their first match against Toutle High School and came out triumphant, winning three out of four games.
“It seemed like it went okay,” Larabee said. “I’m the goal, so I mostly just watch my teammates hit the ball into the other goal.”
During the competition, he had three saves for his team, helping towards their victory.
Other students also did quite well in the competition, which helped lead to their win.
Fink scored five goals throughout the games, and Kellen Gunderson performed two ariels that led to goals.
Larabee has grown to really appreciate the atmosphere the club has created and the friendships he has made.
“I don’t necessarily enjoy competitive sports, but the fact that everyone in that room is working together rather than going against each other is definitely nice,” Larabee said.
The club is hoping to expand the types of video games they play in the future, but for now, they are looking forward to more matches.
