Marshalltown rolls out the red carpet for ‘State Showdown’ this week
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Less than a week after the high school state swimming and diving championships rolled through Marshalltown, another statewide high school event is set to take over the downtown area.
This week's Iowa High School Esports Association's "State Showdown" will emanate from the Orpheum Theater Center at 220 E. Main St. from Wednesday to Friday this week, bringing 500 competitors from 40 teams and 38 school districts across Iowa to compete for state championships in three esports titles. The event is also open to the public.
It's part of a year-long commitment between the IAHSEA and Marshalltown to host in-person state finals for the fall, winter and spring seasons of high school esports, and to level up the presentation for spectators and competitors.
"Esports is the fastest growing high school competition in the nation, and we look forward to celebrating the great skill and accomplishments of the student competitors," said Dylan Does, tourism director for the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce. "We know the 'State Showdown' is the main event of esports in Iowa, and there is no better location for the main event than on Main Street in Marshalltown."
The teams have competed via online lobbies throughout the season to earn their way to a high-profile competition that IAHSEA Board President Lauren James said will bolster this year's theme of "Student Experience" for the high school esports competitors in Iowa.
"We're bringing in hardware and banners for the first time for qualifying and championship teams, which we feel brings us up to the level of traditional sports in their longstanding traditions," James said. "We also put great focus into our divisional placements... making sure in-state rivalries are upheld and that competition is adequate."
It's a first-of-its-kind tournament for the IAHSEA, which completed its first season in the 2020-21 school year.
Previous in-person tournaments have all occurred in one day, but this year's competitions will provide separate days for each of the titles contested in the IAHSEA fall season.
Wednesday will feature action from the third-person multiplayer online battle arena title "SMITE." Thursday belongs to the championships for tactical shooter "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege." The final day is for the most popular game of the three, Nintendo's "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" - the video-game-multiverse fighting game will crown three division champions on Friday.
"We know our students appreciate competing together and are confident that the work put into the Orpheum will provide that space and more for teams," James said. "The Association and its coaches are extremely excited to visit Marshalltown and its wonderful amenities during this multiple-day tournament."
Discussions of making this event into a reality have been ongoing since May between the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce, Marshalltown Community College, Marshalltown Community Schools, IAHSEA, Mechdyne, which provides infrastructure solutions for massive tech-based events like these, as well as numerous other community partners and sponsors.
MCC will also provide online streaming for those that can't make it to Marshalltown. For those that can, a concession stand will be staffed by Marshalltown High School volunteers.
"It's been a full Marshalltown collaboration," Does said.
The goal is to have high school esports competitors associate Main Street Marshalltown with excellence in esports the way football players strive to compete in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls or state wrestlers at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
A lobby area will include a postgame center for media interviews and photographs, and vendors, sponsors and college recruiters will be at the front entrance. James noted that nearly 10 colleges have signed up to speak with students about post-secondary esports opportunities they may not have previously realized were available.
Midwest Dairy will provide a Gamer Refuel Station with dairy products offered to esports competitors at no cost.
Combined with having a state tournament directly in downtown Marshalltown, with many partnering restaurants at locations surrounding the theater, the State Showdown will be unique among similar offerings across the state.
"We're rolling out the red carpet," Does said. "Our hope as we continue is that Marshalltown is the epicenter of esports."
In addition to providing a top-class competitor experience, Does also thinks the work Mechdyne has done in preparing for the event, using audiovisual and networking solutions from BLACK BOX that help stitch together moving pieces like the 40 computers set up for the Smite and Rainbow Six tournaments, will make for an entertaining experience for spectators as well.
"We had tons of feedback last year from schools, students and parents that spectating was a huge issue," James noted. "Where else to solve that problem but a theatre?"
The IAHSEA is a teacher-led organization that holds competitions in seven games across three seasons with over 100 schools participating. For more information, including info about the "State Showdown" for spectators, visit www.iahsea.org.