The Bond Esports team are taking their game to the next level by hitting the gym ahead of their biggest tournament yet, the Redbull Campus Clutch National Final.
Led by Bachelor of Film and Television student Samuel Chung, the team hope to use the tournament as a stepping stone to international competition.
“We take our preparation and competition just as seriously as traditional sports like soccer or badminton,” Chung said.
“Our group trains a minimum of four times a week, plus additional social gatherings to build our team camaraderie.”
With virtual life or death on the line, they’re also shedding real sweat to give them a competitive edge.
“Recently we’ve been hitting the gym together after our training sessions,” Chung said.
“We want to take care of ourselves inside and outside of the game so it’s really important to keep our bodies active, especially after a long session in the Esports Hub.”
The team are well versed in a range of games including Counter-Strike 2, Rocket League, Fortnite, Valorant, and League of Legends.
Valorant, a tactical shooting game, will be their virtual battleground as university student teams from across Australia compete against each other in a bracket-style elimination tournament.
The Bond team earnt their entry after winning every match in their sudden death qualification rounds.
“Leading up to this tournament we’ve spent the past few months focussing on our strategies and executions,” Chung said.
“Particularly for this Valorant tournament, hitting our targets is very crucial so our biggest training focus has been our aim.”
Valorant team member and Bachelor of Digital Transformation student James Hickey believes they have a real shot.
“If we can perform well in this tournament the winning team will get to compete in Turkey against other countries across the globe,” said Hickey.
“We’re definitely aiming to get into that competition and I think we’re in with a decent chance.
“We recently won the Valorant premier competition which encompassed teams from across Oceania.”
With seven very dedicated players on their team, the group considers themselves athletes in their own right.
“We train just as seriously as any other sports team so I would definitely say that we’re athletes too,” Hickey said.