Published: September 8, 2025
On September 4th, the Huskies Esports team hosted an open house to welcome the new school year. This wasn’t any regular open house, however, as the event doubled as a teaser for the new Collab Esports Arena in Lower Brooks that will open to students on September 22nd. Thanks to donation funding from Town & Country Federal Credit Union, the university was able to erect this arena. Since then, they’ve secured another sponsor in Westbrook’s Weekend Anime & Games, with more in the works. Originally, the arena’s building project was supposed to begin last year, but due to complications, it got pushed back to this year. The delay didn’t disturb too much, by the looks of it, as the club started in 2023 and has now graduated to its own program, the “Esports Program.” The program currently occupies the top of the recreation page on the school website. General popularity is clearly rising for the sport, with potential for recruitment opportunities for future students at colleges across America. USM has become home to the largest collegiate Esports team in Maine, with over 75 active members, 200-plus members in the official Discord, several Twitch channels, sponsors, collaborators, and a new arena. After this streak of good happenings and recognition from the East Coast Conference (ECC), the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), the Maine Esports Collegiate Association (MECA), and the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC), our Esports team is on the up and up.
Myca Crawford, the events coordinator, walked me through the members and goals of the “eBoard” for the near future. This fall, the board consists of Eliza Cox, the Executive Chair; Myca Crawford, the Events Coordinator; Kyle Rich, the Secretary; Evelyn Spencer, the Vice Chair; and Colby Fredette, the Coordinator. Additionally, Michael Brown, the previous Executive Chair, stayed with the team as Team Manager, despite his move to graduate school. This fall, the board plans to collaborate with Nokomis Regional High School to host a LAN Party for the school’s Esports team. The relationship between the two schools sprouted through an event where USM students gave presentations to the Esports team at Nokomis. The Huskies gave these presentations because Nokomis is home to Maine’s number one Mario Kart Esports team. The Huskies team hopes to normalize and extend these events to other high schools and colleges, with a focus on the former to create a draw for the collegiate programs. This team has several victories under its belt, with 11 Esports teams making the playoffs last semester. With this new arena, four new games to build teams on, their achievements are surely going to be bigger and better. Tryouts for the Esports teams run from September 8th to September 11th. See graphic for information.
Adorning six screens, couches, tables, and magic chairs, the gaming area of the arena is a joy to visit. Xboxes, PlayStations, and Nintendo Switches occupy two screens each, with several seating options for anyone who may use them. You can sign into your own accounts on any of these consoles, so don’t worry about having to start fresh. Just be sure to log out when you’re done! When you enter the room, you are greeted by the video game area, but if you descend the ramp, old arcade cabinets, pool, and foosball are available to play. Since the space was previously a hotspot for students, it seems that the designers took that into account and kept that inclusivity in the revamp. This means that even if you don’t like video games, this area will still welcome you with open arms. For seating, you’ll find high tables, high chairs, and couches in this section. While it may not be what it was before, this space still feels cohesive with the rest of the building, and the chairs alone will captivate enough people to visit; some of the chairs move like ergonomic controller joysticks! The only caveat to this new area is that no one is allowed in the PC room; this area is restricted to the Esports teams. Due to prior misuse of Esports computer equipment, this is a reasonable measure. Etiquette and restrictions for users of the space will be on sheets of paper at each gaming station, outlining the rules and expectations. If you want to use the PC room, try out for an Esports team! There are 15 different games the Huskies are building teams for, including, but not limited to: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch, Super Smash Brothers, Fortnite, and now Marvel Rivals.
The Collab Esports Arena will open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 22nd, welcoming gamers and students alike. The Esports teams will begin having biweekly meetings once the arena opens. For busy folks, they will also be tabling at the upcoming Student Engagement Fair.
To join the USM official Discord Server, contact [email protected]
For more information, contact [email protected]
