CSI esports program becomes official athletic program with six signees

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —The College of Southern Idaho esports program signed enough student-athletes to officially qualify for competition, transitioning from a student club to a fully recognized athletic program.

The program brought in six signees from across southern Idaho, including students from Twin Falls, Middleton, Burley and Jerome.

“Some of these signees have never once thought about going to college, but since they found out that CSI has a program and we play the game that they currently play at the high school level, that’s changed some of their perspective,” said Sebastian Talamantes, head coach of CSI esports.

For signees Gabriella Phillips and Emily Sanchez, both from Jerome, CSI was not on their radar until the scholarship opportunity became available.

“I never thought that I would be so good at a video game to be able to actually get on a full team, which was really crazy to me when I found out,” Phillips said.

Sanchez said the affordability and scholarship made the decision easy.

“CSI was not an option, but it feels great to get such a big scholarship for it. It’s been a journey — I didn’t expect that either, but it feels good,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said she is ready for the challenge of college-level competition.

“I’ve faced people that have gone to colleges, but college just makes them so much better with all the new coaching and all the new material they’re learning. I’m actually excited to improve and face people at a higher level than me,” she said.

To compete, student-athletes must stay enrolled full-time with a 2.0 GPA. The team will face other community colleges weekly in Marvel Rivals, Rocket League and Super Smash Brothers.

“Just like any other sport here on campus, we have the chance at a regional title, a national title,” Talamantes said.

Talamantes said building a team starts with communication.

“You could have a team full of bad players, but with good communication, you could beat a team with good players and terrible communication,” he said.

Practices are set to begin in mid-June, with competition kicking off in mid-August. Matches will be played on campus and streamed live on Twitch.

“This is one of the most well-documented teams in CSI history. The players are the main story — they’re going to set the foundation,” Talamantes said.

CSI esports program becomes official athletic program with six signees

Comments