Coast Guard World of Warcraft esports team wins Armed Forces Dungeon League’s Spring Clash

By PA2 Jasmine Mieszala

After a three-day brawl over Easter weekend between the Coast Guard, Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, Coast Guard Gaming (CGG) came out on top - first place, for the first time. Not only is this the first time Coast Guard Gaming won first place in an Armed Forces Dungeon League tournament, but this is also the first time the program won first place in any esports tournament competing against other armed forces. “It feels great to put Coast Guard Gaming at the top of the podium,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Will Myers, the team leader and electronics technician at Electronic Systems Support Detachment Alameda, California. “This is the third World of Warcraft event our team has competed in, and after back-to-back second place finishes, we knew we had to show up.” The team coordinated practice around work hours, duty days, and various temporary duty trips between nine members to be able to make their hopes and dreams become a reality. The World of Warcraft team roster is:

• LT Nick Bartolozzi

• LT Raymond Echevarria

• GMC Christopher Fair

• LT Scott Kenney

• ET1 Will Myers

• CWO2 Adam Prater

• BM2 Alex Shoopman

• AET2 Lauren Struck

• CS2 Chris Wilkerson

With plans to hold three more tournaments this year, AFDL can expect to see CGG bring the heat and defend their title. The AFDL is an initiative of Chaos Creative, focused on providing military personnel around the world with a fun, competitive, family-friendly way to interact and celebrate the commonalities of service members and their families regardless of branch or nationality. It began as a passion project to bring a love of World of Warcraft Mythic+ and military communities together. The Community Services Command’s (CSC) Morale, Well-being, and Recreation (MWR) program and Coast Guard Recruiting Command partnered to create CGG, an inclusive gaming community where members of all ages, ranks, and backgrounds can come together and share gaming experiences that form positive relationships, enhance competitive spirit, and improve esprit de corps. Resources If you’re a gamer and interested in opportunities to represent the Coast Guard in national and international competitions, consider joining the CGG Discord server to stay up-to-date.