Visit Myrtle Beach to Host Second Boost at the Beach

Visit Myrtle Beach will host the second annual Boost at the Beach collegiate esports competition from March 8–10 at The Hangout in Myrtle Beach with double the number of participating schools as the inaugural edition.

Teams include two South Carolina universities in Clemson and South Carolina along with Harrisburg (Pennsylvania), George Mason, Georgia State, Maryville, Michigan State, Northeastern, Ole Miss, Syracuse, UNC Charlotte and West Virginia. The tournament is managed by students from Shenandoah University in Virginia and Syracuse with support from Coastal Carolina University’s Esports Club.

“Last year’s Boost at the Beach was even more successful than we had hoped and this year’s event is staged to be even more exciting with the field size doubling from six to 12 universities,” said Jonathan Paris, executive director of sports tourism at Visit Myrtle Beach. “The exposure this event will gain on Twitch and YouTube will once again highlight Myrtle Beach as a leading sports tourism destination in the country.”

The teams will compete in Rocket League with group play beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday and final bracket play at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Brackets will be announced at 7:30 p.m. Friday at The Hangout. A high school level Super Smash Bros tournament will also take place on Sunday starting at 10 a.m. with on-site registration open for students prior to the tournament. Alienware is providing gaming PCs and Rally Cry will also support the tournament as a sponsor.

“We’re thrilled to be back and running Boost on the Beach with the Myrtle Beach CVB,” said Syracuse University Executive Director of Esports Joey Gawrysiak. “There was an overwhelmingly positive response from last year’s award-winning event and we’re looking to make it even bigger and better for this year’s iteration. It’s a great opportunity to collaborate with other universities to provide hands-on experiences for students to compete and run the event.”