OLEAN — The old train depot near North Union Street has been mostly sitting dormant for the last four years, but that’s all changed after a new college athletic team needed a place to play.
SUNY Jamestown Community College held a grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting Friday for its new eSports stadium in the Dresser Rand Training & Conference Center on the Cattaraugus County Campus.
Since early 2022, the former train depot and home to JCC’s Workforce Development operations has been transformed into a high-tech eSports gaming facility with an area for competitions, mezzanine spectator seating, a team meeting room, coach’s office and a space for casual console gameplay and concessions.
“This is our Field of Dreams,” said George Sisson, director of athletics and recreation at JCC. “Our goal and ambition, our directive from our president, was build this thing so we can grow our program and grow our Olean campus.”
JCC partnered with Esport Supply, the official technology partner of the National Association of Collegiate Esports, to equip the building for competitive gaming, Sisson said. The building received new paint, carpeting, LED lighting and electrical and WiFi upgrades to handle the computer load that eSports gaming requires. The facility features modern furniture in addition to two dozen high-end gaming computers and chairs.
“This is probably one of the most premiere facilities in the United States for eSports,” Sisson said. “Our goal at some point is to have all our regional competitions start coming in here and compete face-to-face.”
THE COLLEGE recently hired a coach, Chris Swanson, to lead the National Junior College Athletic Association-sanctioned program, and the team is expected to compete against other colleges soon.
Swanson said he was drawn to JCC’s support of the new program and giving students an opportunity to compete on the collegiate level.
“JCC really cares about building an outstanding eSports program,” he said. “I’m ready to start a new chapter in my coaching career, and there was no better place to continue to grow than coming to JCC.”
Prior to coaching, Swanson competed in eSports tournaments at a young age, particularly “Call of Duty.” He improved by reviewing his game streams and competing in in-person tournaments.
“Playing just came natural to me,” he said. “Just like any other athlete, to get better you have to first see your mistakes. I would watch the streams over again just like any other athlete watching film.”
ESPORTS HAS NOT only grown in colleges but professionally and in high schools, said Dr. Daniel DeMarte, JCC president. When looking at the possibility of bringing eSports to JCC three years ago, he said it was the fastest growing sport for colleges and high schools alike.
“This is exciting for us for a lot of reasons, one of which is we have begun implementing a plan to reintroduce athletics to Cattaraugus County,” DeMarte said. “We know how important it is that students come here and have the opportunity to involved in activities outside the classroom.”
DeMarte said eSports will only be available at the campus in Olean and others will be introduced exclusively in Cattaraugus County as well, just as many are in Jamestown. He said the stadium can also serve as a host site for area high school competitions for the region.
“We will continue to expand what we’re doing in this arena with eSports,” he added.
Paula Snyder, executive director of the Cattaraugus County campus, said the eSports stadium was possible thanks to the efforts of staff, administration and more at JCC as well as the area officials who support the college’s initiatives.
Olean Mayor William Aiello echoed the previous remarks, adding that he learned a lot about eSports for the first time Friday. He said he’s encouraged by the possibilities it brings to the campus and region, noting there’s no worries about rainouts or injuries.
“This is great for the community,” the mayor added. “Congratulations and thank you to everybody involved.”
Sisson said things that are done well aren’t always recognized, but JCC wanted to launch the eSports program so well that their supply company sent a video crew to show footage of the facility on its website.
“What we also found out was it doesn’t matter if you’re a basketball player, football player, swimmer, baseball… all kids nowadays game,” he added. “That was why we felt gaming was a great part of taking the next step to revitalize our athletic program here in Olean.”