Rubber hits the virtual road at Holland College esports club

Down a hallway in the athletics department of Holland College, Corbin MacAulay is hard at workpractising before Tuesday's competition.

He's one of the newest students to compete under the Hurricanes name, but he won't be stepping onto a court or a field.

Instead,he'll be logging on.

MacAulay is the driver of the No. 17 Holland College Hurricanes car in the CanadianeMotorsports Network.

It's partof the Holland College eMotorsports Club, the college's first foray into esports. Digital athletes compete against each other in a number of different video games.

The club races every Tuesday. Up to eight cars donning Hurricanes coloursrace against drivers from all over Canada and the U.S.

MacAulay said he's been interested in simulator racing for a couple years now. When the college introduced emotorsports, he had to be a part of it.

"Every time race day comes up, it always excites me for the night ahead. It's always something I'm thinking about during the day."

For MacAulay, the league was his introduction to the athletics department.

"I've not always been the best athlete," he said. "I've only ever played a few sports in my life. And seeing this bea part of it, it's really cool because I can call myself a Hurricane now."

Esports has interested the college for a while now, said Daniel Cudmore, the club's organizer.

'Right now it's a no-brainer'

The idea never really materialized, he said. Butthe COVID-19 pandemic proved the perfect time to start.

"With where we are right now it's a no-brainer because there is a lot of interest," he said. "You can do it remotely.You do not have to be on a basketball court or a soccer field. You can do it from home or do it from your campus."

There was no league when Holland College was creating the club. So it formed the Canadian eMotorsports Network.

The league only runs a NASCAR series for now, but will be launching a Formula 1 series in the fall.

The club has a coach, and all of theraces are streamed live online and shared on social media, said Cudmore.

"We treat it a little bit like a team, like we would our varsity programs, and try to profile those student-athletes as best we can," said Cudmore.

"It's been a pretty pretty cool thing to see the Hurricanes not only on the soccer field and the basketball court, but also on the racetrack," he said.

To participate, racers will need a little more than a standard video game controller. A racing simulator setup, complete with steering wheel and pedals, is required, said Cudmore.

Growing competition

Cudmore said some of the inspiration for the club comes from seeing colleges and universities in other parts of the country, and how their esports scenes have evolved there.

He said he hopes the college expands their esports offerings in the future, hosting larger tournaments for emotorsports across Canada, and branching into other games.

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