Harrisburg, PA – In celebration of Women's History Month, HACC Hawks Athletics would like to take this time to spotlight our female athletes who are making an impact on the Esports program. HACC Hawks Athletics had the opportunity to hear from a few of our female athletes and learn how they've made their way into the Esports realm. The female student-athletes below have all become an essential piece to the Esports program at HACC and represent a range of roles within the gaming arena. These inspiring women are great role models for those who aspire to join Esports and compete in the cyber arena!

Tianna Bidelspach – HACC Esports Overwatch 2 Team

Major: Political Science

Years playing the sport: 2 years

What is the most rewarding part about being a student-athlete at HACC?

The most rewarding part about being a student-athlete is the ability to connect with others with similar interests and create strong bonds that'll hopefully last a lifetime. The team currently consists of four female and one male athlete(hi Jean), and they're the best. They keep the morale and the fun energy up. 

How long have you been involved with esports/ video gaming?

I have been playing video games for over a decade at this point. I got into esports back in high school when the idea was brought up to add new opportunities to the school.

How did you get started with esports/ what interested you in participating?

I got started with esports back in 2020/2021, during the pandemic when we were stuck at home. Some women I had met and became friends with had talked about how they were planning on doing it in college. This sparked my interest into seeing the hype about it and I found it to be a pretty accepting community. 

March was Women's History Month. What does this mean to you and what opportunities do you think it presents in terms of talking points for the esports industry?

Women's History Month is an interesting time for women in esports, as esports and gaming were seen to be predominantly male and directed to men for many of years. Being able to openly play video games without too much harassment anymore is amazing.  Hopefully, in the close future women's esports will be at the same level as men's esports, and the harassment will be fully gone.

What do you like about esports?

I love the fact it not only makes a new way for kids to get involved with their school, it's also an avenue for kids to make friends. It has opened doors for people to pursue what they love to do as a hobby.

Katrina Bulgrien – HACC Esports Mario Kart 8

Major: Social Science

Years playing the sport: 1.5 years (3 Semesters)

What is the most rewarding part about being a student-athlete at HACC?

It has to be the community. Since joining the Esports team, I have made so many friends with like interests, hobbies and similarities. Being on the team is rewarding, even if I'm not a winner.

How long have you been involved with esports/ video gaming?

This is my third semester being on the Esports team. I started playing Super Smash Bros. but Switched to Mario Kart last semester. That being said, I have been video gaming most of my life, probably since I was about 6 years old.

How did you get started with esports/ what interested you in participating?

My brother was the one that got me into Esports. He joined the same semester I joined. The two of us have always gamed together, so I wanted to see what competitive gaming was like.

March was Women's History Month. What does this mean to you and what opportunities do you think it presents in terms of talking points for the esports industry?

For the most part, competitive video gaming is a male-dominated sport, I think that bringing light to those comparatively few female gamers may give them opportunity to show people what we can do. I also hope that it could show other women that Esports isn't just for 'boys', that there are some pretty awesome female gamers!

What do you like about esports?

As stated before, the community and comradery. But also, I love being able to play games while competing. Sometimes I even forget that I'm actually competing, because I do really enjoy it.

Madison Cuckovic – HACC Esports Overwatch 2 Team

Major: Graphic Art and Design

Years playing the sport: Played Overwatch for 6 years, played for HACC for one semester.

What is the most rewarding part about being a student-athlete at HACC?

I think the most rewarding thing about being on the Esports team at HACC is how inclusive it is. I have heard of female Esports players get hated on for being females but I really feel welcomed by everyone on my team and outside it. I am treated exactly the same and it's very rewarding to feel so included like anyone else. I also think getting connected with a team and making friends is extremely rewarding. Going out with my team members and having fun with new friends is very exciting and it is like a second family. There is so many rewarding things when it comes to esports as there are many fun opportunities we are given as well! A wonderful group of people rented out a movie theatre for us to watch the newest Ant Man movie, for registered athletes only so there are special opportunities given to us athletes as well.

How long have you been involved with esports/ video gaming?

I have been gaming ever since I could remember, I remember sitting in my playroom at 7 years old playing Super Mario on the floor on my dad's old Nintendo 64. Of course, this never stopped, it went from DS, to Wii U, laptop, then I finally got my first PC at 14 years old, the Christmas of 2016. The first video game I ever played on my PC was overwatch so I've been gaming for quite some time, of course I still game. I only recently got into esports, I was aware it existed but I got interested when I went to a League of Legends worlds event in 2022 in NYC. I watched some of the best League of Legends gamers play League and it was really fascinating and exciting. I joined the HACC Esports discord in 2022 as I wanted to join but ended up being too busy. It is now my last semester at HACC and knew it would be a fun opportunity to have to finish off my last bit of school.

How did you get started with esports/ what interested you in participating?

As stated before I got started and interested at League of Legends worlds, but what interested me in participating is I got a notification from Pulse about the teams needing members to which I joined the Discord server. I think after joining what drove me to join a team was the community as everyone seemed very nice and I decided that it would be exciting to finally try out Esports and be on a team. 

March was Women's History Month. What does this mean to you and what opportunities do you think it presents in terms of talking points for the esports industry?

Esports is a male dominated profession, or club to which a lot of the women in Esports get swept under the rug. A lot of sexism is received and harassment as people believe women cannot be good at video games because they are women. I think being given an opportunity at HACC and shows that more women are getting interested in esports and they CAN do it. I think we can use woman's history month to show that women can be good at games and be on an Esports team and be included as well. In fact, I am on a team with 4 women and one guy, Jean who treats us equal and we get along with. We have done two scrimmages so far this season which we won one of them which totally proves that women can be good at video games too. I think being able to take opportunities as a woman in Esports is important, don't let the hate get to you and keep doing what makes you happy.

What do you like about esports?

The thing I like the most about esports is the competitive nature. After our first scrimmage I had a huge adrenaline rush and my heart was being so fast. Taking that first breath after winning can make you feel like a million dollars, congratulating your whole team. I used to play ice hockey in high school and I've been chasing that same adrenaline rush ever since and esports gives me what I want. Even if it's not exactly physical, esports still requires skill, dedication and gives you the same adrenaline and (sometimes anxiety) that any other sport would give you. I also like the team aspect of it, at the end of the day even if you lose your match you still have an awesome team to be on and play with, I think that's just exciting in itself to be a part of something bigger than just playing games normally. 

Awards and Accolades (Please list all achieved while at HACC academic/ athletic):

Dean's List

Charlotte Martin – HACC Esports' Rainbow 6 Siege Team

Major: Psychology

Years playing the sport: First year playing competitive

What is the most rewarding part about being a student-athlete at HACC?

I find the most rewarding part about being a student athlete is getting to be part of a team. It has been a long time since I have had the courage to put myself out there, and I am happy with the choice I have made. I feel a sense of unity when I am working with my team as we work together towards a common goal.

How long have you been involved with esports/ video gaming?

If I really turn back the clock, my love for gaming started with the Nintendo Game Cube. From then, I explored all kinds of platforms and consoles, including the DS, Wii, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and finally PC. Minecraft was my first PC game, which I played on my mom's laptop starting in 2014. 5 years later, I had finally saved enough money to put together my first PC set up. The first game I bought was Rainbow Six Siege, since all of my friends played it at the time. Naturally, I am still playing it to this day, among a variety of other games.

How did you get started with esports/ what interested you in participating?

For me, it was kind of on a whim. I stumbled across the HACC Esports discord server while exploring what HACC had to offer, and I thought to myself 'why not'. I got a direct message from one of the coaches, inviting me to try out for a team of my choice. So, here I am.

March is Women's History Month. What does this mean to you and what opportunities do you think it presents in terms of talking points for the esports industry?

I cannot honestly say being a woman has ever affected my ability to participate in esports. Despite video games being a male-dominated field, I have always felt very welcomed and confident in my ability to take on the challenges presented by other teams. Though it doesn't relate to me personally, I know some girls who can be scared to take part in gaming in fear of being ridiculed or harassed. I don't think that should ever have to be a worry in the back of their mind and that they should feel free to play, so that may be something worth discussing.

What do you like about esports?

Video games are a hobby of mine- it's how I have connected with many of my present friends. I like the challenge that comes with esports. It's one thing to play casually, but esports is on a whole new level of method and strategizing.

You can catch these female trailblazers in action on the HACC Esports Twitch Channel as they compete in the NJCAAe Cyber Arena this Spring!

Go Hawks!!

HACC Hawks Esports Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/haccesports