Local Nonprofit Launches Rec Esports League Focus On Youth Development

Burning River Esports is announcing its flagship program, Burning River REC, a recreational esports league for kids, teens, and young adults aged 10 to 35 living throughout Greater Cleveland, which is the first such program of its kind in Northeast Ohio.

Registration is now open for players, and the organization is calling on any youth development organizations in the area to sponsor a team. Both team sponsorship and registration are free of cost, and forms for each are available at burningriver.gg. Play is expected to start in Spring 2021 and will be held entirely online until the pandemic ends and in-person events are safe to attend.

Founded in the summer of 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic by friends-turned-business-partners Eliot Oreskovic and John-Paul Richard, Burning River Esports is a Cleveland-based nonprofit promoting youth development through recreational esports.

Burning River Esports’ purpose is achieved through an integrated approach emphasizing personal enrichment, professional development, and recreational competition. In addition to Burning River REC, the organization is building a mentorship network for kids interested in competitive gaming and a professional network for young professionals interested in how their jobs intersect with the world of esports.

Eliot Oreskovic, the president of Burning River Esports, is from Old Brooklyn, attended St. Leo the Great, graduated from St. Thomas More, is a proud alumnus of St. Ignatius (class of 2016), and holds a BBA in Marketing from Cleveland State. He is currently a graduate student at Cleveland State pursuing an MA in Economics and is the COO of the United States Esports Association.

John-Paul Richard, the executive director of Burning River Esports, is from Middleburg Heights and lives in Lakewood, attended Big Creek Elementary, graduated from Ford Middle School, is a proud alumnus of St. Ignatius (class of 2016), and holds a BA in English and Russian Studies from The College of Wooster.