$10,000 prize pool on the line at Carowinds esports event. Tickets are still available.

Michael Burgess
·2 min read

Winthrop University will co-host an esports event with Visit York County at Carowinds this weekend.

This tournament on Saturday and Sunday is larger than the “Rock the Hill” competition Winthrop’s esports team hosted in September. The Rock the Winds event is considered a “super-regional,” placing it one step below a major tournament in the world of competitive gaming. So far, over 160 people have signed up to participate.

The Rock the Hill event back in September featured four games: DNF Arena, Guilty Gear Strive, Rivals of Aether and Super Smash Bros.
The Rock the Hill event back in September featured four games: DNF Arena, Guilty Gear Strive, Rivals of Aether and Super Smash Bros.

“What a super-regional does and brings to the area is that it brings a ton of people, a ton of talent and a ton of attention to the area of Rock Hill,” said CJ Wiley, a member of Winthrop’s esports team and the esports management intern for Visit York County.

Two different games will be a part of the Rock the Winds competition:

  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: a platform fighting game that features several characters from popular Nintendo titles

  • Rivals of Aether: a platform fighting game that is seen as the indie counterpart to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The event offers a total prize pool of $10,000 split across three different brackets.

There is $8,000 allocated for the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate singles tournament, with the winner receiving $4,000. Both the Rivals of Aether singles tournament and the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate doubles tournament have a prize pool of $1,000 that will be split among the top finishers. The winner of the Rivals of Aether tournament receives $400, while the winners of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate doubles tournament receive $225 apiece.

Event organizers say they’re are looking forward to a fun event that can continue to draw more names in the future.

“I expect a bunch of people sitting down, having fun playing their favorite video games,” Wiley said. “While a bunch of people walk around the amusement park, having a great time with the people that they met through this community.”

Registration for the event will close on Friday at 10:30 p.m.

For additional information on how to participate and where to watch the festivities, visit start.gg/tournament/rock-the-winds-10000-pot-bonus/.