The Pathway to Pro

Welcome back everyone. Thank you all for your continued support.

Army West Point Esports continues to lead the way in the development of a collegiate esports program. With the mission to enhance the Cadet experience and to develop leaders of character to serve the United States.

We are really excited to share this one with you. So please, sit back and enjoy.

The First of its kind.

We talked last month about personal interest. In that personal interest there can be a vision or expectation that the student develops surrounding their efforts. Using esports as a focus you can only imagine a young person's imagination running wild at the thought of one day playing as a professional.

Now that dream can come true.

U.S. Army Esports and Army West Point Esports are now a team. In a first of its kind Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Cadets from the United States Military Academy at West Point can continue their esports journey as a member of the USAE at large division. This 10-year MOA offers a designed pathway for Cadets to continue their efforts in competitive esports from high school through the academy and into their time as an 美国军队 Officer.

Going to give you a minute to let that sink in.

So now, a prospected Cadet can envision themselves not only taking the next steps in their esports interest to college but beyond that and into professional esports. Another reason why West Point can be the best choice for them.

Why is that important? We discussed in the last edition how personal interest can be a driving force for persistence in learning and now we can add value and attainment. If a young person understands that their effort will make a difference in their future plans then the hard work, dedication and time spent will provide value and they can see it as something tangible.

Not just for players

Now, now. AWPE is not just filled with competitive players. This program boasts one of the most advanced media and production teams in collegiate esports.

This MOA also offers the development of Cadets with experience in photography, videography, content creation and live video production a pathway to future 美国军队 roles.

This experience can lead to Functional Areas (FA) such as FA57, Simulation Operations and FA58 the Enterprise Marketing and Behavioral Economics career fields.

Not only do they learn how to create a production from the ground level, but they get firsthand experience in the relationships intrinsic to a modern media environment as well as the legalities of working in a commercial field as an external official presence.

This skill set can serve as an immediate value added to the Army Enterprise Marketing Office (AEMO) and the USAE team.

Let's take a moment

Something of this magnitude just doesn't happen overnight.

We have to acknowledge the vision of leadership that puts our Soldiers and Cadets first. There is a challenge is setting precedence, especially in historic agencies like the 美国军队 and United States Military Academy at West Point . Change is often scrutinized to ensure it finds a place among a lineage that defined the nation. It takes the willingness of leaders to take on this change in confidence. We want to thank RJ Garcia , Gene Palka , David Hart , Sarah Gardner-Cox and Victor L. Castro for being the agents of "yes" in the face of uncertainty.

Thank you.

Ok, back at it.

So, how does this work?

Leadership within USAE will:

5.1.9 Provide program managers to monitor Cadet progress towards their transition to professional status.

5.1.10 Evaluate Cadet skill level, potential for professional growth and alignment to USAE team values and objectives.

5.1.11 Provide interview processes and assessments that may include gameplay analysis, strategic understanding and compatibility with existing team dynamics.

5.1.12 Maintain eligibility criteria for participation in roles of analyst, coach, coordinator and team manager.

5.1.13 Oversee onboarding process upon selection covering professional conduct, team integration and media training.

5.1.14 Provide access to associated team/ title mentorship and coaching of current and future AWPE players as part of the continued development towards the assessment and selection process.

Phew! that sounds really Army like.

To paraphrase, USAE Officers and Non-commissioned Officers (NCOs) will mentor and lead Cadets through a process that will support their 47-month journey at the academy. Through the Pathway to Pro, Cadets will be held accountable for themselves through the AWPE program to ensure they meet the strict guidelines for competing in USAE.

Over the next 10 years the Pathway to Pro will impact thousands of Cadets. It will adapt to the ever-changing environment of qualified talent to the academy. Most importantly it will connect with a population of individuals that did not envision themselves taking this pathway as part of their military career.

Secondary it will show our future leaders that the design of programs can be cutting edge and stay within the parameters of Army regulation but at the same time cater to the understanding of the people within the Army.

In conclusion

We did it. Since its inception in 2020 Army West Point Esports has always had the Cadet at its core function. Now it has enhanced this by providing more opportunity to our players and media students. We have demonstrated secondary and tertiary levels of Return on Investment (ROI) by showing a working example of a program design.

Most importantly we have left our program better than we found it and conducted position improvement.

#IYKYK

Key links to this edition:

USAE- U.S. Army Esports (@usarmyesports) ? Instagram photos and videos

AWPE- Esports | United States Military Academy West Point

US Army- Army Career Match | U.S. Army (goarmy.com)

FA58 - Selection process for new Army functional area now open | Article | The United States Army

FA57 - Untitled Document (army.mil)

Help us grow.

Share, subscribe and help us continue to tell the story of our program. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to grow organically and we want the hard work of our Cadets and Soldiers to be recognized.

Repost this newsletter to your hearts content and spread the word.

Acknowledgments

As always AWPE wants to thank everyone who has made our program such a success.

West Point Community

United States Military Academy at West Point, West Point Association of Graduates, Department of Military Instruction, US Army, U.S. Army Esports, Army Enterprise Marketing Office (AEMO), U.S. Army MWR, RJ Garcia, Gene Palka, Rance Lee, Lisa Benitez, Mark Bieger, Victor Jaffett, Emily Nack, Jacob Marcovecchio, Kraig Sheetz, Ed Teague, Matt O'Banion, Sheryl Marion - MPA, Sarah Gardner-Cox, Tatum Paullus, Kelechi Odocha, Rachel Cotter, Abdul Subhani, J. Shane Hatcher, MPA,MBA, Denver Dill

To our valued alumni, donors, Veterans and friends.

Kevin Johnson, Laurie Lehman, Michael Gallegos, Tuan Le, Jim Slavin, Erik Kober, Alan Boyer, Jon Neumann, Ron Dodge, Laura McKenna, Patrick Cronin, Melissa Andres, CSM, Neil Hilderbrand, Rahil Thanawala, Rupal Thanawala, Brian Bulatao, Jim Young, CCIM, Cory Faison, Mike Nemeth, Christopher Oxendine, PhD, Rob Boeckmann, Christopher J Kelley, Parker Wilson, Michail Huerter, Patrick J. Murphy, Gary Albaugh, Zachary Fabi, Jaiden Rabatin, John Ku, Victoria Mullin, Andrea So, Rosalynn Johnson, Minas Macos, Tony J. Sagastizado, PMP, LSSGB, TS/SCI ??, James Riely, Bennett Smoot, Cristina Kiesel, Madison Daugherty, Shaneka Bernard, Alexander Tosi, Austin Hunt, Lucy Swinley, Christopher Jones

To our valued supporters. No federal endorsement is implied

USAA, Jeff Fink, Jackie Adkins, Steve Sarandos, Jeffrey Barash, James Rini, Emma Winburne, Extron, Jason Bond, Anthony Cortes, Mike Andrews, Kevin Diltz, CTS, Elizabeth Selinger, Joe da Silva, John Boble, Corsair, Vivian Wang, Pearl Yon, Diego Castillo, Heyo, Peter Deltondo

To our friends in the Esports community.

Mike Sepso, Wim Stocks, Caleb Cousens, Matt Fisher, Daniel Holobeny, Mark Cai, Jake Lucky, Leslie Fitzsimmons, Kristin Anderson, Michael Anderson, Samuel Boudrie, Brendan Huffman, Stan Murphy, Dane Neal, Jesse Iwuji, Joey Nowlin, Joey Gawrysiak, Daniel Clerke, Kurt Melcher, Christopher Earl, Christopher Turner, Eugene Frier, Alexander Raff, Kalon Davis, Jeremy Stout, Russell Hamer, Jesse Bodony, Evan Yoshitani, Sheridan Shay, College Esports News, Braeden "BCL" Cheverie-Leonard, Matthew Potthoff ?? TwitchCon, Bryan Hummel, Caroline Shaw, Adam Antor, Kevin McIntyre, Angela Bernhard Thomas, ToniAnn Convertino, Ray Katz Alan Ritacco, Kevin Palmer, M.Ed., Lyndsay Postell, Chris Postell, Kevin Mitchell, Justin M. Jacobson, Esq., Max Levasseur, Danielle Rourke, Daniel Sportello, Jay DeShong, Sergio Brack, Caleb Glube, Cora Kennedy, Dr. Seth Jenny, Chase Neukam, Ryan Johnson, Arpit Manaktala, Danny Martin, Amir Satvat, Arin Goldsmith, Cody Elsen, M.S., Deanna Fino, Parker Neiman

Win with Honor.

Disclaimer

This newsletter does not speak on behalf of the United States Military Academy at West Point, United States Corps of Cadets, Department of Military Instruction, Directorate of Cadet Activities, the US Army or the Department of Defense. No Federal Endorsement is Implied.