Official Membership Process

So - are you looking at joining the Iowa High School Esports Association? 

Here is how you can do it! If you have any questions along the way, please reach out to the Exec Team at any point. They are here to help! 

Step 1: Identify one person at your school (or at each school) who will serve as the Designated Esports Coordinator (DEC). They act as your school’s official voice in the IAHSEA and coordinate all esports activities within your school (think the athletic director of esports). Expectations for the DEC at your school can be found in the Expectations of a DEC document. This person does not need to be the coach of the team, however, they will be the coordinator and vote in all things IAHSEA. 

Step 2: Read the Expectations of a School. Make sure that your school is adhering to all of the requirements of a school and you have the processes in place to support your Designated Esports Coordinator, Coaches, and Students. As you design and think about your program be thinking about the following things:

Step 3: Get approval for your program from your school’s administrator. Create a document that explains how your school will adhere to the expectations documents and provide a competitive environment for students (we will call this document the Esports Agreement). You will need to upload this document, with both the DEC and Administrator’s signatures, to the application. 

Step 4: Submit your application for membership. You will need the following items in your application: 

Step 5: Upon review of your application, the following things will be checked: 

When approved, the DEC will then be invited to the IAHSEA Discord, the official notification and communication tool of the IAHSEA. When you join, you must format your name (first name) (last name) (school), so other DECs can find you. 

Step 6: You are now in probationary status! This means that you are able to participate in one title per season. You should now choose your first title, signups will be posted in the IAHSEA Discord: 

Step 7: Once you have chosen your first title, assemble your equipment and team. It is recommended that you assemble the team, at least, two months before the start of the first season. Students must adhere to the Expectations of a Student-Athlete

Step 8: Before the season begins, find a team on IAHSEA Discord that is willing to run a scrimmage match with you, using the official rules. Practice both setting up a match and joining a match. This is to ensure a complete understanding of the rules, check for any technical difficulties, and ensure you can navigate the system. 

Step 9: Around one month before the season starts, you will receive the schedule for the season. Go through the schedule and find any and all conflicts you might have with the published schedule. Contact the DEC of any teams where a conflict lives and change the scheduled match time. Once the season begins, you may not change any scheduled matches. If you are contacted by another DEC about a schedule change before the start of the season, you must work with them to reschedule the match to a time when both teams can compete. Matches are played in accordance to the following schedule: 

Mario Kart 8: Deluxe Time Trials will run from Friday to Thursday the first full week of every month from September through June. See your Dashboard for submission links. 

Step 10:  Successfully play through a season! Successful play means fully completing a season, with no forfeits, properly reporting and submitting all documentation, including wins/losses, rosters, and any other required documentation for that game, and no official violations of the Expectations documents. 

Upon completion of a successful season, your school has now gained full membership status in the IAHSEA. You may now vote in all full membership votes, participate in all titles, and join a committee (should you choose)! 

Welcome to the Iowa High School Esports Association!