A champion of character: Interview with KU eSports prodigy Caitlyn Yarbrough
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Originally from Denton, Texas, Caitlyn Yarbrough found her way to Keiser University鈥檚 Flagship campus by unconventional means. It was during the year 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, when Caitlyn decided to take her video-gaming skills to the next level, and this led to a successful start to her eSports career.
鈥淚 had been playing video games for a long time before the pandemic, but during that time I figured I might as well see how good I could get at gaming. I tried to take it seriously; I ended up playing as an amateur for about two years, and that鈥檚 when a coach from Keiser reached out to me through the game.鈥�
At first, Caitlyn thought Coach Joe Rivera was a scammer, but he saw how well Caitlyn played and offered to recruit her to the Keiser University eSports team.
鈥淟ong story short, I was brought to the Flagship campus, and we ended up winning our first title.鈥�
The eSports program is relatively new to Keiser University, and for Head Coach Denzel 鈥淒enny鈥� Vaughan this was the team鈥檚 first full and successful year of competitions. What began as a way for Caitlyn to pass the time during the pandemic quickly became a source of great success for both her and the team as Caitlyn was a recent recipient of a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character Award.
Coach Denny stated that the Champions of Character 鈥�…is the most important award given to our eSports program. Outside of the standards set by the NAIA, a champion of character is a person I can build a team culture around. It鈥檚 someone who shows up every day, puts in the work, and is always there for their teammates.鈥�
This prestigious award is a measure of five core values鈥攊ntegrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. According to Coach Denny, these values manifest as traits and actions that coaches need from leaders on their team but cannot articulate as requirements.
鈥淣umerous times this year, Caitlyn went above and beyond for her teammates. Whether that was staying later to run through film, taxiing our students to doctors’ appointments when they needed physicals, or driving three hours to help a teammate whose car had broken down on game day.鈥�
For many of us, 鈥淕ame Day鈥� means stadiums and tailgate parties, not settling in to watch the screen as gamers compete in battles of Super Smash Bros and League of Legends. However, Caitlyn explains some of the key similarities between what she does and other, more traditional sports.
鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about eSports; I think there鈥檚 a lot of people who just don鈥檛 know about it, don鈥檛 understand it fully, and I just think it鈥檚 something that is really cool that if people were to understand it, they would be interested in it.鈥�
Just like football, for example, training for the team happens in many ways. First, players practice together and build team cohesion and communication skills because 鈥�…every game is different on a micro-level, but on a general level, they all have the same ideas and it鈥檚 part of the skill of the players to recognize the patterns of what stays the same and how we can adapt to it versus how we can try to make sure we understand what needs to be kept consistent.鈥�
Then鈥攍ike many traditional sports鈥攖he eSports team completes Video-on-Demand (VOD) reviews where players watch their own games on film to criticize and learn from their mistakes and to grow as players from past experiences.
But for Caitlyn, the best part of practice with the team is the scrimmages because it is a chance to connect with other schools and teams, and she loves the interaction between players during the game.
鈥淪crimmages are the closest thing to a real competition. You can play a mock match against a team鈥攁 best of three, a best of five鈥攁nd you go through all the steps from drafting to scouting to playing, all in advance of the real competition.鈥�
And like other athletic and team sports, Caitlyn believes that gaming has a strong future in that it can be a spectator sport and strengthen connections between players, teams, and fans.
Despite only being in her first year on the Flagship campus, Caitlyn鈥檚 desire to interact with others and build a strong community spirit is evident in all her endeavors鈥攁thletically and academically. She is a bright presence on campus, always willing to talk and help others around her.
Caitlyn鈥檚 advice to other up-and-coming athletes and students is two-fold. First, a lesson from her high school football experience: 鈥淎nything is achievable with effort, and effort always pays off.鈥� And second, a lesson from the gaming world: 鈥淒on鈥檛 end on a loss.鈥�
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