Local teen earns top spot on leaderboard during NASEF Worldwide Mario Kart Tournament
Nov 14, 2024
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A local teen earned a top spot in the NASEF Worldwide Mario Kart Tournament, which is 11 weeks long, giving Rochester some international recognition.
16-year-old Victor Quintana said this is something he would've never imagined, but now he’s focused on getting to the playoffs. Currently the tournament is on week eight, but Victor came in first place during week seven. As of this week, overall, he's in third place.
“I'm doing well in week eight so now I just look forward to getting through it, maybe get first place again and after that it becomes playoffs. My head is mostly at playoffs because I heard playoffs will be much different.”
Victor told News 8 it was his first time entering, adding it was his coach that encouraged the group to join.
They're part of the Esports team in Rochester, which is an inclusive gaming community for players of all ages and skill levels.
The coach, Jeff Bostic, said he started the club back in 2022 as part of an anti-violence initiative that was going on with the city. The goal, he said, was to bring kids in and have them play games instead of wreaking havoc out on the streets.
Bostic described Victor as a hard worker.
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“He put in a lot of work this #1 time on track #7. We spent about five hours on Saturday, you know, just grinding, trying to get it and about seven minutes before the library - he got his fastest time and so, we were super happy.”
Victor said all the support he has received thus far is beyond what he could’ve expected. He said it's certainly a motivator to keep him going.