The first ever Great Plains Showdown between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University saw the two schools compete in three games while raising money for Ronald McDonald House Charities.
OU and OCU faced off in Valorant, Rocket League, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. The event was hosted at OU in the Black Box Theatre and raised a total of $530 for RMHC. OU Esports and Co-Curricular Innovation will raise additional contributions for RMHC this Friday, Nov. 22, at the Sooner Dojo Series: Alabama Special Edition.
Throughout the event on Sunday, viewers and participants could enter a $5 raffle for the chance to win a $50 McDonalds gift card, a Logitech Pro X Mouse, or a HyperX Cloud Alpha Headset after each game. Two $150 gift certificates to Computer Connection were also available to win at the beginning and end of the event Proceeds from the raffle went to RMHC.
The inaugural Great Plains Showdown drew an enthusiastic crowd from both schools; chants of “OCU” and “BOOMER, SOONER” rang out after every round. OU won the Valorant tournament, two maps to one, and the Rocket League tournament, three games to two. The Rainbow Six tournament was cut short of its scheduled five rounds, but OU was up two games to one after three rounds.
Players embraced a for-fun attitude, but held on to their competitive spirits when matches got close. During one Valorantmatch, anyone who was killed by a melee attack had to complete 10 pushups. Even when tensions were high, players were happy to be there to raise money for RMHC.
“It feels great to be doing this for a good cause,” said John “Popcorn” Morgan, OU Valorant coach. “It’s a great opportunity, not just for the two schools and our brands, but also to give back to the community for everything they give us.”
Despite some tough losses, OCU was happy to participate and looks forward to collaborating and competing with OU Esports in the future. Connor Knudson, director of OCU Esports, graduated from OU and admires what OU Esports has been able to build and accomplish.
“This event means a lot to me; I have wanted to partner with OU for a long time,” said Knudson. “It’s two great programs here in the state coming together for a great cause, love it.”
OU ECCI’s goal for the Great Plains Showdown is to eventually scale it up to a regional tournament, including schools across Oklahoma. Schools that have a sponsorship with McDonalds and RMHC will be prioritized for participation in an invitational format.
“We want to do this to celebrate our region and to have a centralized fundraising bucket to support youth in need in Oklahoma,” said Mike Aguilar, director of OU ECCI.
After competing in a Rainbow Six Siege tournament, the OCU and OU Rainbow Six Siegeteams hatched the idea for the Great Plains Showdown. The event was able to be organized and executed within four weeks.
“I hope this thing turns into a super big show,” Landon “Rush” Schmidt, OCU Rainbow Six SiegeCaptain said. “It’s about multiple teams coming together to have a fun time and having a giant community that continues to grow.”
Aguilar hopes that by including a charity aspect to events like the Great Plains Showdown, OU ECCI can help overcome the stigmas of violence in video games and the negative connotations that are sometimes associated with gaming.
“When you do an event like this, which has that exact culture, coupled with a philanthropic event that is for the kids, it allows us to have an artifact to use against those arguments, which absolutely do happen,” Aguilar said.
To learn more about the Great Plains Showdown, read the pre-event press release. For more information regarding OU ECCI events, including the upcoming Sooner Dojo Series Alabama Tailgate, visit here.
