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Three students representing the Village of Palmetto Bay in a Florida Recreation Esports State Gaming Championship garnered top honors in the Super SMASH Brothers category, winning first Place. They were recognized for their accomplishments during the Oct. 4 village council meeting.
Ivan Rodriguez (GLOB), Jose Sepulveda (Mystery Man) and Ricardo Alvarez-De La Hoz (Loki) were congratulated for representing the village in the inaugural Florida Recreation & Parks Association eSports Championship.
Rodriguez took first place and Sepulveda was the runnerup representing the village.
Winners received prizes from the event sponsor, the Florida Mutineers. The top two players received a trophy and all three received a special commemorative jersey from the village.
Both players and the village also were acknowledged at the annual Florida Recreation & Parks Association Conference in Orlando on Sept. 1. The village received an agency plaque for taking first place in the Super SMASH Brothers category.
“Yohan Jorge was the mastermind behind the success of all our Super SMASH Brother tournaments here in Palmetto Bay during the time of the pandemic,” said Saylin Paez, Village Events & Programs supervisor.
Yohan Jorge, the village IT technician, had volunteered his own time to set-up tournament brackets, design the event fliers, communicate with players, and even teach young players the game. Jorge also helped manage all the gaming logistics with sophisticated computer/AV equipment for virtual play and streaming, while making sure that the tournaments were organized professionally and were fun.
The Parks & Recreation Department teamed with the IT Department to organize, host, and stream a series of Super SMASH Brothers virtual gaming tournaments throughout 2020 and 2021, due to COVID-19 canceling many village events and the growth of e-sports national wide.
“More than nine parks and recreation agencies in Florida competed in the Super SMASH Brothers category of video games that took place over three weekends consisting of two preliminary matches and a single elimination final game in the month of August,” said a statement read during the council meeting. “This championship tournament was a one-of-a-kind opportunity for children and adults to come together and compete in something they love: playing video games.”
