{"id":23700,"date":"2023-03-20T21:12:29","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T21:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=23700&post_type=story"},"modified":"2025-04-29T20:10:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T20:10:29","slug":"more-than-fun-and-games","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/more-than-fun-and-games\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than Fun and Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elliot Smithson \u201913<\/strong> wants to go to the gym near his office in\u00a0Beverly Hills, California, but the squat rack will have to wait.\u00a0Someone has a series of questions about Esports Health and\u00a0Performance Institute (EHPI), the company he cofounded\u00a0four years ago. The name of the company alone needs some\u00a0explaining, so Smithson settles his well-conditioned self into\u00a0a chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople think of esports as strictly mental, which is far from\u00a0the truth,\u201d says Smithson, who earned an athletic training\u00a0degree<\/a> from UCF. \u201cPlayers at the highest level need speed,\u00a0precision and endurance to stay sharp for hours and hours at\u00a0a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smithson knows what you might be thinking. \u201cThe [generalization] is legit,\u201d he says. \u201cGuys like to stay up until three in the morning, drinking Mountain Dew and eating chips. It\u2019s like any sport \u2014 you need to take care of yourself to stay on top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staying on top can mean a six- or seven-figure salary.\u00a0Major sponsors like Honda, Rocket Mortgage and Lexus\u00a0have expectations as high as the salaries they fuel. That\u2019s\u00a0where EHPI\u2019s sister company, 1HP, comes in, with trainers,\u00a0nutritionists, chiropractors, sleep experts and sports\u00a0psychologists who specialize in the needs of esports players \u2014\u00a0not gamers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is sports,\u201d Smithson says.\u00a0\u201cPoker and chess are games. There\u2019s no\u00a0mechanical skill required to throw a card\u00a0out or move a pawn. But in esports, it\u00a0matters how quickly you move your arms\u00a0and turn your wrists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smithson knows plenty about fitness.\u00a0He always envisioned a career that\u00a0would combine his interests in medicine,\u00a0athletics and entertainment. As a\u00a0teenager he considered using his martial\u00a0arts background to be a stuntman.<\/p>\n

For the next 10 years, Smithson\u00a0learned about optimizing physical\u00a0and mental performance while also\u00a0narrowing his niche. At UCF, he\u00a0stretched and treated players on the\u00a0football, volleyball and cheerleading\u00a0teams. He worked as an injury prevention\u00a0specialist at Walt Disney World, where\u00a0he kept dancers and stunt people limber.\u00a0In grad school, he developed a training\u00a0program to reduce repetitive-strain\u00a0injuries among theater and music\u00a0performers.<\/p>\n

The big moment came late one\u00a0night during his doctoral studies in\u00a0physical therapy at the University of\u00a0St. Augustine, when he clicked on a\u00a0livestream of the Fortnite World Cup.\u00a0Smithson noticed the players\u2019 intensity\u00a0and almost spasmic mouse moves,\u00a0recognizing the biomechanical demand\u00a0on the arm structure. He heard of the $30\u00a0million prize money and thought, \u201cThere\u00a0might be something missing here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did some research and got\u00a0connected with Matt Hwu and Cait\u00a0McGee, who had launched 1HP, a\u00a0health and performance staffing agency\u00a0for esports organizations. The trio\u00a0co-founded EHPI to educate and train\u00a0healthcare professionals to work with\u00a0esports pros. It has already partnered\u00a0with notable teams like 100 Thieves,\u00a0Cloud 9 and Faze Clan.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some of these players, it\u2019s the\u00a0first time they\u2019ve ever used a barbell or\u00a0done a squat. Then I\u2019ll hear them say\u00a0\u2018Oh wow, I feel a lot snappier and less\u00a0tired. I\u2019m a better player.\u2019 The tide is\u00a0changing. If you don\u2019t pay attention to\u00a0fitness and nutrition, you will self-select\u00a0yourself out of the career you dreamed\u00a0about. It\u2019s that serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Who<\/h2>\n

Elliot Smithson ’13<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Pitch<\/h2>\n

A training platform\u00a0for healthcare\u00a0professionals to work\u00a0with esports pros, with\u00a0a staffing pipeline to\u00a0professional teams.<\/p>\n

Inspiration<\/h2>\n

A desire to merge\u00a0medicine, athletics and\u00a0entertainment, and\u00a0help players perform\u00a0their best.<\/p>\n

Find It<\/h2>\n

For healthcare\u00a0professionals and\u00a0support staff: EHPI.org<\/strong><\/p>\n

For esports teams,\u00a0players and\u00a0organizations: 1-hp.org<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":23793,"template":"","categories":[1408],"tags":[1381,1452],"class_list":["post-23700","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-launchpad","tag-college-of-health-professions-and-sciences","tag-ucf-alumni","issues-spring-2023"],"yoast_head":"\nInside the Emerging World of Esports Healthcare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A UCF alum fills the very real (and misunderstood) need for professional esports players to stay physically and mentally fit.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/more-than-fun-and-games\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Than Fun and 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