Rangitoto College claimed victory in the META High School Esports League of Legends division for the third year running in 2020. Now, with a new team heading into 2021, the school hopes to continue that form.
At the end of 2020, Snowball Esports had the pleasure of talking to three members from Rangitoto College on their experience competing in the META competition.
Students Lemonlord and Amnesia, as well as teacher Mr. Gardiner, have taken great pride in the school’s success on the high school esports stage.
“[It] definitely has been good. There’s a lot of great players in the school and we have a great League of Legends community,” Lemonlord said.
“Since League of Legends is a popular game at our school, I’ve kind of made a name for myself where people see me around and say ‘Yo it’s Lemonlord!’”
Reflecting back on their growth throughout 2020, Lemonlord shared “throughout 2020 we’ve grown quite a lot, both individually and collectively as a team. All our players have achieved high ranks which gives us an edge against our opponents.”
Balancing their aspirations as players and their final year in school was very important to the two students. However, they were helped out by lockdown, among other factors.
“This year with COVID, It was easier to balance League of Legends and study since we were at home anyway,” Lemonlord added.
Now both heading into university, Lemonlord and Amnesia are looking at continuing their League of Legends journey through the intervarsity scene at events like Unigames. However, they’re leaving a gap in their wake, although they’re confident it can be filled.
“There’s quite a few juniors and seniors who will ‘pop off’ in the next few years,” Amnesia claims, which spurs hope for Rangitoto to continue their journey as the undefeated titans of META.
Having a teacher that also identifies as a fellow ‘gamer’ helps. Mr. Gardiner is involved with the myriad of teams that exist under the Rangitoto banner.
At the college, they have six League of Legends teams, not to mention the other teams that compete in other games such as Rocket League, NBA 2K, DOTA 2, and Clash Royale. Deciding to support the students in their META journey was an easy choice for Mr. Gardiner.
“These two have had a great run in previous years, and there’s no way they wouldn’t give it a good crack in 2020,” he said.
“I’m into gaming, and I want the kids to do things they’re passionate about, obviously there’s balance in there too. But I want to enable that to allow the kids to have a go at that too.”
Lemonlord and Amnesia are two case studies on why the META program works. It brings students together and helps build skills that will last well beyond the classroom.
“There’s a lot of talent at our school and the students spend a lot of time playing games and it’s nice to be able to channel that energy into something positive. Otherwise, they might not have had a chance,” Mr. Gardiner added.
“It’s very much like a sport, working as a team, getting along with other people, perseverance and grit. It’s very beneficial for the students and it’s beneficial for the team.”
Congratulations to Rangitoto College on a fantastic year in the META HSE League of Legends competition!
Watch the full interview on the Snowball Esports YouTube.
If you’d like to start your own esports club in your high school and compete in this year’s tournaments be sure to check out the META HSE website.
