Mind Sports South Africa
In e-Sports there is no distinction at the moment between men and women as both genders compete as equals for the spoils. However, until a couple of years ago it was a rarity that women would finish among the medals in e-Sports. Only occasionally would women make it into the medals. But no longer.
At the 2012 Gauteng Provincial Championships held on 28 & 29 April in Boksburg there were as usual, only a couple women who braved the event as competitors.
Nevertheless, both women made up for their lack of numbers by exhibiting both skill and exemplary sportsmanship.
Young Gabriela Isaacs, from SAHETI High School, took on all comers to make her mark in the WarCraft III: Defense of the Ancients game. WarCraft III is traditionally dominated by men and no woman has ever made it into the premier medals before in South Africa. Nevertheless, the young thirteen-year old showed her skill and took on all comers. Her first game was against Wouter Smit (the IT Educator from HF Verwoerd) and she took him down in a game that only last a mere seven-and-a-half minutes. Immediately cries went up from Wouter’s learners about having been beaten by a girl. Gabriela beamed!
All but South Korean, Dong Hoon Kang, and Pretoria based Ivan De Lange went down to Gabriela to place Gabriela in third place in the Premier section.
Gariela’s fine achievement means that she is the first ever female to win a premier medal for WarCraft III and has also now qualified for the SA National Team Trials.
In TEKKEN 6, the console game, Marushka Bosch made her mark. Again, faced with only male competitors, and not to be be put off, Marushka showed her skill and fought her way to third place. Marushka too, by having finished in third place has now qualified for the SA National Team Trials.
