Montreal students can enroll in an esports coaching program

While the Olympic authorities state that esports do not exist, the Canadian city of Montreal is launching a program for aspiring gaming athletes. Local news network CBC recently reported about a high-school student Phoenix Bruneau (14-year-old) who has enrolled in a program to help him become a professional competitive gamer.

The young man clocks 20 hours a week in League of Legends on average, spiking at 35 hours when he is free from school.

Starting next September, he is going to be able to practice much harder with the aid of Montreal’s esports studying program. Members of the program will attend a school in the east region of the city in the mornings to participate in extensive practicing. In the afternoon the students will have to go to Montreal Esports Academy and practice with professional coaches.

The program is not free and will cost parents about $2,500 a year. Here is how Bruneau’s mother explains the decision to support her son:

For me it's like having your kid going through hockey; it's a lot of time, it's a lot of investment, it's a lot of money, but it's the kid's passion.

The esports studies program in Montreal is possible because similar programs exist for athletes in traditional sports. Young people are given flexibility at their schools to be able to learn and practice what they want to focus on in the future.

The Montreal Esports Academy training sessions take about 4 hours daily, and they include at least 30 minutes of physical activity to keep the students in good shape. The coaches allocate more than an hour for theoretical tuition, explaining to the trainees how to position themselves in an FPS, or how to better manage resources in a strategy game.