On Aug. 20, East’s E-wing hallway flooded, damaging computers used by the E-sports team. Nearly two months later, the team is still feeling the impact.

The team practices for competitions at the school and needs working computers to remain competitive. Repairs in the E-wing started almost immediately and have only recently been finished; the computers have yet to be replaced.

Amy Whitlock is the sponsor of the E-sports team and works in the Tech Hub.

“We’re kind of in limbo. We don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Whitlock said.

Last year, the team placed 3rd in the game Marvel Rivals. With playoffs this year starting the first week of November, the team will have to make the top four to make it to the LAN tournament.

Junior Josiah Slezak said that they play many games, some relying on the use of computers. Currently, Marvel Rivals is the only game in rotation requiring a computer. The water damage destroyed all of the computers used by the JV team. They have adjusted their schedule to allow JV members to practice at school using the Varsity team’s computers on Mondays only.

“Because of the water damage, the JV team has been forced to play from home, rather than at school,” Slezak said.

The price of new gaming computers can be quite steep. The average cost of a mid-range gaming computer is about $1000. Whitlock is unsure if the team will be able to obtain new computers for the JV team.

“The original machines were gotten on grant. We have to just see if insurance will cover it,” Whitlock said.

The effects of the water damage will be felt for the foreseeable future, leaving the state of the team in uncertainty.

Written by juniors Aiden Pantojas and Jacob Taylor. Edited by staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.