Esports Ed Webinars

Esports Ed, our former podcast centered on sharing industry best practices and advice on starting and running esports programs, is changing formats to become more interactive.

We are switching from a podcast to a once-a-month webinar focusing on different topics that are impactful to students, coaches, and directors involved in esports, and view previously recorded content.

Esports Ed will be led by an advisory panel of individuals working in high school and collegiate esports, along with industry professionals to guide discussions, come up with topics for each month’s webinar, and to coordinate guest speakers to present on their area of expertise. See advisory panel below.

REGISTER FOR UPCOMING ESPORTS ED WEBINARS: 

More webinars coming soon!

WATCH PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ESPORTS ED WEBINARS: 

Wisconsin Esports Webinar

June 2, 2022 – 3pm CT

During this webinar, President of the Wisconsin High School Esports Association (WIHSEA), Mike Dahle, and ByteSpeed’s Esports and VR Solutions Director, Josh Knutson, talk about the scholastic opportunities for esports in the state of Wisconsin.

WATCH RECORDING>

South Dakota Esports Webinar

June 8, 2022 – 3pm CT

Open forum discussion on high school esports in South Dakota. Josh outlines the major benefits that having an esports team in your school gives to your students, and highlights some key steps in building out your own program.

WATCH RECORDING>

Minnesota Esports Webinar

June 8, 2022 – 10am CT

In this webinar, Minnesota Varsity League’s creator, Jake Utities, and ByteSpeed’s Esports and VR Solutions Director, Josh Knutson, talk about the scholastic opportunities for esports in the state of Minnesota.

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Esports Facility Building – Do’s and Don’ts to Outfitting Your Esports Program

March 17, 2021 – 10am CT

During this webinar, we will examine the best practices for building a space for your esports program. We will also review a number of funding sources for those whose main barrier to entry is the funding to get an esports facility off the ground.

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Esports Ed: How to Utilize Film Study & Analytics to Become Better at Esports

March 22, 2022 – 11am CT

Whether you are a high school team trying to learn the basics of the game, or a collegiate team preparing for playoffs, this session will show you the tips and tricks to getting the most out of your review session.

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Equipment Needed for Esports with the IAHSEA and ITEC

November 8, 2021 – 3:30pm CT

Join speakers Josh Knutson, Tanner Duncan, John Grunwald, Patrick Donovan, and Phil Trimble to learn about the equipment needed for esports. The IAHSEA is a state-wide esports association for high schools in the state of Iowa.

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Introduction to Iowa High School Esports Association

November 1, 2021 – 3:30pm CT

Join speakers Josh Knutson, Tanner Duncan, John Grunwald, Patrick Donovan, and Phil Trimble for an introduction to Iowa High School Esports Association. The IAHSEA is a state-wide esports association for high schools in the state of Iowa.

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An Overview of K12 Esports in Iowa with IAHSEA and ITEC

October 25th, 2021 – 3:30pm CT

Join speakers Josh Knutson, Tanner Duncan, John Grunwald, Patrick Donovan, and Phil Trimble for an overview of K12 Esports in Iowa. The IAHSEA is a state wide esports association for high schools in the state of Iowa. 

WATCH RECORDING>

NASEF & Affiliates: The Importance of Grassroots Organizing

August 11, 2021 – 3pm CT

In this webinar, we’ll be explaining what each NASEF Affiliate does and how they can impact a state and the schools competing under their league banner. We’ll explore benefits and reasons to join, as well as talk about the future of those organizations moving forward.

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Bytespeed & Learn 2 Esport Announce Gameplan Partnership

May 26, 2021 – 7pm CT

In this webinar, watch a demo of Gameplan platform and learn how this tool will help high school and collegiate esports programs manage their teams and help their students grow.

VIEW RECORDING>

Esports in Education in the State of Iowa with Ali Vandermyde

March 23, 2021 – 10:30am CT

Join the Ali Vandermyde, President of the Iowa High School Esports Association and Josh Knutson, Gravity Gaming director from ByteSpeed as they talk about the state of Esports in Iowa, how you can get involved, and what it takes to get started.

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Esports Ed: A Guide to Fundraising and Sponsorships

February 3, 2021 – 7pm CT

Funding an esports program can be difficult, so watch this webinar to learn how to allocate a school-approved budget, find sponsors, tips for grant writing, and discuss creative fundraising opportunities! This week’s guest speaker is Esports Program Director Teddy Delaney from Lackawanna Community College.

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Esports Ed: Tips On How to Plan Esports Events

January 27, 2021 – 7pm CT

Planning events is essential to any competitive team and, recently, has gotten more complicated. This webinar will cover how to plan online and in-person events, tournaments, and informational clinic days! Speakers include Dana Hustedt from Grand View University and Josh Knutson from ByteSpeed.

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Introducing NAECAD Scholarships for Esports Coaches and Directors

Date Recorded: December 1, 2020

Learn about the benefits of joining the NAECAD association and how you can get a scholarship from Gravity Gaming by ByteSpeed. Each scholarship includes a free NAECAD membership for the 2020-2021 school year, plus 10 online coaching classes to become NAECAD Level 1 Certified, an overall value of $450.

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Preparing Students for College Recruiting

Date Recorded: October 28, 2020

This webinar focuses on getting high school juniors and seniors prepared for the world of collegiate recruiting and offer insight into the process as a whole. We cover key areas that college esports coaches are looking at in recruits, including in-game skills, out of game characteristics, roles to fill, and more!

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Utilize Film Study & Analytics to Become a Better Esports Player

Date Recorded: September 30, 2020

In this webinar, we cover best practices for running a film review session during one of your practices. Whether you are a high school team trying to learn the basics of the game, or a collegiate team preparing for playoffs, this session will show you the tips and tricks to getting the most out of your review session.

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How to Run Effective Practices and Tryouts

Date Recorded: August 26, 2020

In this webinar, we will cover setting up and running practices for high school and college esports teams. We’ll cover everything from how to structure operations day to day, what type of drills you might have players participate in, what realistic expectations you should set for students and staff, and everything in between!

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Esports Shoutcasting and Broadcast Production

Date Recorded: July 15, 2020

This webinar will be on all things related to shoutcasting and production of esports broadcasts. The panel will discuss tips for getting started with streaming, different roles and responsibilities associated with a production team, the different career pathways that are available in esports production, and much more!

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PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ESPORTS ED PODCASTS: 

Episode 9: Wisconsin High School Esports Association

Date Recorded: December 11, 2019

In this episode, Josh visits with Mike Dahle, President of Wisconsin High School Esports Association. WIHSEA governs, supports, and promotes the growth of high school esports through community development, advocacy, and interscholastic competition to enrich the educational experience.

VIEW RECORDING>

EPISODE 7: Take Your Team to the Next Level with Virtual Reality Esports

Date Recorded: November 13, 2019

Esports Ed is all about starting and maintaining your esports team. In this episode, we chat with Shaun Byrne, Esports Director at St. Clair College in Ontario, Canada. They’ll talk about Shaun’s start planning esports and gaming events, virtual reality esports, and taking your esports team to the next level. 

VIEW RECORDING>

EPISODE 6: Getting Started with High School Esports

Date Recorded: October 30, 2019

In this episode, we’ll chat with two Illinois high school esports coaches: Brock Frazier and Marvin Lindsay! Brock is the esports head coach and lead IT technician at Massac USD #1 and Marvin is the esports head coach and the technology support specialist at Sandoval CUSD #501.

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EPISODE 5: Leadership and Coaching in Esports

Date Recorded: October 16, 2020

In this episode, we’ll chat with some of the brightest head esports coaches and directors in the game: Karen Ruggles, MS from DeSales University; Ashley Jones from Park University; and Dana Hustedt from Grand View University! All three also bring another factor into play: women in esports! 

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EPISODE 4: Sponsorship and Partnerships with Teddy Delaney

Date Recorded: October 2, 2019

Esports Ed is all about starting and maintaining your esports team. We’ll discuss finding partnerships and sponsorship from large companies and in your community. Learn how Esports Program Administrator and Head Coach Teddy Delaney got his team at Lackawanna College sponsored by Mountain Dew GameFuel!

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EPISODE 3: Division 1 Teams and Production with Dr. Chris Haskell

Date Recorded: September 18, 2019

Esports Ed is all about starting and maintaining your esports team. In this episode, we’ll discuss esports at a Division I level with Dr. Chris Haskell, the Head Esports Coach at Boise State University. Doc Haskell built the BSU esports team from the ground up and created a top-class production studio for sharing media.

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EPISODE 2: Minefaire and Middle School with Steve Isaacs

Date Recorded: September 5, 2019

In this episode, we’ll discuss esports in middle school, game design and development, and Minefaire – an event Steve Isaacs produced to bring Minecraft to kids and super fans across the nation. Steve has been a part of technology, game design, game development, and esports spheres for over 25 years.

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EPISODE 1: Recruiting for Your Esports Team with Kyle Trapp

Date Recorded: August 21, 2019

Esports Ed is all about starting and maintaining your esports team. In this episode, we’ll discuss recruiting – how-to, why, and what to look for in players with Kyle Trapp, the current Head Esports coach at Shawnee State University. Kyle has ample experience with recruiting for esports teams nationally and internationally.

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MEET THE ESPORTS ED ADVISORY PANEL:

Josh Knutson

Josh is the Esports and VR Solutions Director at ByteSpeed. Previously, Josh served as the Head Esports Coach at the University of Jamestown (ND) which was one of the first 20 varsity level collegiate programs under the National Association of Collegiate Esports. Knutson was responsible for all major day-to-day operations of the Jimmie Esports team including recruitment, retention, scouting and game planning, individual and team coaching, and scheduling. He has also been a panelist and speaker at regional and national esports coaching clinics. Josh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts from the University of Jamestown.

Kris Weissmann

Kris Weissmann is the University of South Carolina Sumter’s Director & Head Coach of Esports and Director of Student Life. He has a well rounded background in a variety of games. His first step into esports and competitive play was in StarCraft, playing on dial-up internet. Later in life, he moved to GameBattles with Gears of War. Professionally, he founded the USC Sumter Varsity Esports program in 2015. With the support from the university administration, he built the program from the ground up. It was one of the first programs in the United States, and the first in the state of South Carolina. They have been successful at graduating young adults from college, allowing them to compete in esports, and having fun winning!

John Grunwald

John Grunwald is currently the Technology Administrator for Fairfield Community School District. He began his career as a music teacher before entering the technology world. John’s Esports experience began in 2018 when he toyed with the idea of starting an Esports club for Fairfield High School. The club began with six students playing Fortnite. The club has grown in the short time it has been around and is bringing success for students both in the games and outside the games including scholarships for student coaching and artwork/design. John has also recently accepted the position of Vice-President of the Iowa High School Esports Association

Nick Rider

Nick Rider is the Founder and President of Esports Ohio, an educational non-profit focused on high school esports and NASEF affiliate. Curriculum developer and adjunct professor for the Esports Management and Coaching program at Rhodes State College and the Director of Technology for the Carey Exempted Village School District.