Coach Daniel Langlois has big dreams and is shooting for the stars for the Triton Esports program.
“I’ve kind of come to this program with the theory of dreaming as big as I possibly can and then fitting that within the box that I’m given,” said Langlois. “My most astronomical goal, and I do believe that this is possible, is I believe that we will be a nationally-recognized Esports program.”
Tables with monitors and controllers line the side of the wall as you walk into the Esports room, near the gym. Team members are playing games of many varieties. Robotics equipment lies in the back corners. The sound of keyboards clicking and people chatting fills the air.
The Esports and casual gaming club is a new program and is looking for members to join its roster. The team plays various games from the Nintendo franchise as well as others such as Fortnite and Valorant. Coach Langlois has big dreams to make his Esports team nationally-known for all involved in Esports. Langlois has faith in his team and believes they have the skill and gamesense to get them there. Through his team’s skill and social media he hopes for his program to be known in the community of Esports in a reasonably quick amount of time.
Who is Mr. Langlois
Langlois is a 33-year-old, with a wife named Sydney, a son named Killian, and a daughter named Percy. He has been a gamer for his whole life and has a passion for Pokemon as well as card games. Langlois grew up in Salisbury and attended Triton, graduating in 2010. Now he works as a social media manager and community manager. He has big plans for the Esports team and casual gaming club. He plans to make them nationally recognized as an Esports program.
When asked what that would entail he replied “What that means to me is that people who are engaged in what Esports is will know who we are.” said Langlois “I think consistently getting out there on social media and posting clips as well as placing well in this coming season as well as spring is going to get us there.” Langlois believes this is a medium to short term goal for the club.
He’s confident his students have the skills to get there. He’s excited for this club and welcomes all who wish to join with open arms. His room is A213, found next to the elevator near the auditorium and meets after school on all weekdays but Monday.
When Senior Esports Captain Aidan Cashman was asked his genuine thoughts on his coach, he replied positively.
“I think he’s honestly like a blessing in disguise for this club,” said Cashman. “We’ve been through multiple coaches and multiple advisors that either are passionate about it but have no clue what they’re doing or have no clue what they’re doing and they’re not passionate about it. But Langlois is exactly the opposite of that, he is both passionate and is completely understanding of what students need and want out of this club, and that is what is kind of necessary to run this sort of thing.”
When Matteo Sampieri a member of the Casual Games Club was asked the same question, he replied, “I think he’s I think he’s just a chill guy to be (with) if I’m being honest with you. It’s cool to be treated like an equal by somebody who’s older than you.”
The Esports program and Casual Games Club
Captain Cashman has a responsibility to manage the team on Play VS, the website where they are able to run scrimmages and matches with teams all around the country. For those who aren’t in sports a scrimmage is a friendly practice match with another school that does not affect standing. While a match is an actual game that will affect the overall record of a team and are more competitive.
When asked about the benefits of being on the team, Cashman responded, “it’s not just playing video games,it’s also making sure that you can communicate well and become this reliable member of a team that you might have or an actual job in the future,” said Cashman. “In addition, you have to do social media things so it shows even more marketing skills”
There’s a difference between the Esports part of the club and the casual games part. While Esports is much more competitive than casual games, the casual games section of the club is less intense and there are no real stakes. It is a place for those who want to play but don’t want the pressure of the competition.
Sampieri describes it as “low pressure and it’s chill and it’s nice. It’s a nice opportunity to have and definitely something I’ve been looking for.”
The team is open to new members. If you have an interest you can find Coach Langlois after school to join, in room A213. He’s usually after school 2:15pm – 5:00pm on all weekdays except Monday.
The Esports team has their first exhibition match against Methuen on December 5th at 6pm, they will be playing Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. If any students would like to reach out to Mr. Langlois they can email him at [email protected]
