Photo by Rowen Fisler/Spoke Online
Chris Lamarucciola stands near the entrance of Conestoga College’s current esports hub at their John W. Tibbits campus in Waterloo, Ont., on Jan. 17, 2025.
Following a successful first year teaching at Conestoga College, Chris Lamarucciola received an award nomination at the inaugural Scholastic Esports Awards, a major collegiate esports event in North America, held in Columbus, OH, from Jan. 11 to 12.
The award nomination was in the “Educator of the Year” category, which aimed to “honour an educator who has made significant contributions to integrating esports in academia through teaching, mentorship, and curriculum development.”
Lamarucciola was nominated due to his work with the college’s School of Business, where he developed and taught multiple courses that are a part of the Esports Marketing and Event Management program.
“It was a little bit of a shock to me,” Lamarucciola said.
Lamarucciola said the shock did not wear off after finding out about the nomination.
“Getting to go to the award ceremony meant a ton to me, just being able to enjoy the event with other people in the space… to represent Canada for this specific award was a great honour,” he said.
Timmy Tram, a member of the Condors Esports who goes by the gamertag “Kip”, explained the importance of the nomination to the program’s future.
“That sort of recognition will help put this program on the map, it will show future students what the program is about and how everyone involved has bought into the culture we’re looking to build here,” Tram said.
The players and staff are not the only parties to buy into the esports project, as Conestoga is on the verge of completing the construction of a “state-of-the-art” esports arena at the college’s Waterloo campus.
The 10,000 square foot facility is set to include:
- A full production suite
- Virtual reality and simulation stations
- A premium console station
- A team operations room
- Classrooms for students and faculty in relating programs
Photo by Rowen Fisler/Spoke Online
A LED keyboard illuminates its surroundings on a desk in the Condor esports hub at the John W. Tibbits campus in Waterloo, Ont., on Jan. 17, 2025.
In a press release, Conestoga College’s Vice President of Student Success Trish Weigel Green expressed why the investment was important to not only Conestoga, but the Waterloo Region.
“We are proud to invest in emerging fields of study, enabling students to gain invaluable experiences as they embark on their future careers,” Weigel Green said.
“It (esports arena) is further evidence of Conestoga’s commitment to innovation while also demonstrating our ability to create positive student experiences to benefit our community,” Weigel Green said.
Although the program has seen significant growth and investment since its inception in 2020, Lamarucciola and his team believe that there is still plenty of work to be done.
“We know there is still a long way to go… we have a lot of long term goals in terms of securing government recognition and funding,” Lamarucciola said.
In the interim, Lamarucciola expressed his hope for continued community involvement to help further grow esports in the region.
“Just having people show up everyday gets the word out more. That’s what we need to continue to build our community and show people that esports is here for the long haul,” Lamarucciola said.
Condor esports will continue to compete throughout the winter, with the new arena expected to open this spring.
