Tryout time for Super Smash Bros. at St. Clair College

St. Clair College is holding tryouts for its new esport team this week, the second time it has recruited players since launching the new team in the fall.

Joe Bumbacco, who studies in the mobile applications development program and is the team captain, explained the appeal to students.

Super Smash Bros. is “a very old game. It’s very retro, and a lot of the times what draws a lot of people to it is the fact that, you know, it’s so old,” said Bumbacco. He has been playing this game for almost 4 years.

“My goal this year is to rise in the ranks on Windsor players. I would like to get the top ten players in the Windsor region,” he said.

“It’s so complex but so fast. It’s almost like a game of chess but it’s like speed chess. You only have like a fraction of a second to make your decisions.”

Daniel Baaner has been coaching the team since the program started last September and said more people are noticing Saints Gaming.

“As long as the players are enrolled in St. Clair College one way or another, then they are welcome to come try out…There’s no minimum skill required,” he said.

He encourages students to try it, and he looks for sportsmanship alongside skill.

“I’m seeing a bunch of new faces so this makes me very excited as a coach.”