In 2009, the massive SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio opened as an elite sports-centric academic high school. The first few years of the school were a bit rocky as its location in rural Ohio didn’t really position it as a hub for athleticism. However, with strong marketing, SPIRE Institute soon was bringing in students and hosting income raising competitions. When it was announced that soon to be NBA star LaMelo Ball would be completing his senior year of high school at SPIRE, parents suddenly became keen on sending their kids with professional athletic aspirations to the school.

SPIRE boasts more than 750,000 sq ft of indoor training facilities and several hundred acres of outdoor recreational space. Indoor facilities include fields and courts, a multi-use track and field space, an Olympic sized aquatic center, and wellness centers. There are cutting edge classrooms, banquet halls, a cafeteria, meeting spaces, and a school store. There is also a huge outdoor stadium. All of the facilities have plenty of spectator room so that events can be held and open to the public regardless of weather conditions. SPIRE is a boarding school, but also offers day programs for students who choose to live off campus. It seemed as though SPIRE had finally found its stride, and then COVID-19 hit.

SPIRE, like all schools across the country, had to find a way to remotely teach their students to keep them safe from spreading the coronavirus. This also meant that sports activities had to be placed on hold. SPIRE had to think outside of the box to keep interest in their programs growing while still meeting the unique challenges of social distancing. In 2020, SPIRE began offering a new range of programs that embrace social distancing with a competitive edge, esports and drones.

An unexpected takeaway from this past global time of quarantine is that drones have been key in keeping people connected. Drones have been able to deliver everything from medical supplies to meals and basic home goods to people in quarantine and remote locations. Drones have been keeping workplaces flowing by sanitizing common areas or completing tasks while keeping people socially distanced. Another way that drones have made an impact this past year is through keeping people entertained with stunning images and enthralling races, a much needed relief in such times of uncertainty. SPIRE recognized that bringing competitive drone racing to their students was just one way they could bridge the gap from COVID-19.

The first step for SPIRE was to hire two highly trained individuals to run the drone program, Angela Jacques and Andrew Stankiewicz. Angela has been flying drones professionally for the last 7 years, first as a surveyist and emergency responder, and then as a racer. She is the co-founder of FPV Racing Mexico and Drone Sports International through which she promotes the many uses of drones. Andrew spent nearly 30 years as an avid member of the RC (remote control vehicle) world. In 2013, he was introduced to the world of drones, and it was an instant perfect match. He is known for building and flying incredible drones in more than 216 professional competitions under his racing name, Drewracer.

The drone racing program led by Angela and Andrew is a multi faceted program. As explained on SPIRE’s website, student’s “drone racing journey will begin on a simulator, using world renowned tracks, then progress to piloting micro drones indoors and culminate with pro-spec full size racing drones on an outdoor track.” Besides learning how to fly drones, students will learn how to build drones and code programs for them. SPIRE held its first drone camps this past June through August. They were a series of 2 weeks, 8 hour intensive programs that were open to 12 students at a time. Students had the option of remotely participating or boarding at the school. The cost of the camp was $775 for day students or $995 for boarding.

The cost of the program included daily one-on-one time with the instructors to hone skills, which is why the program was only open to 12 students at a time. Each student also received their own Emax TinyHawk II RTF kit, a Spectrum DX InterLink Sim Controller, and a lifetime Velocidrone simulator software membership with a retail value worth more than $300. And for those concerned about social distancing, drone racing is a perfect sport. Participants do not need to come in any physical contact with each other. Wearing masks are easy as very little physical exertion is used. That doesn’t mean that SPIRE, a school centered on physical activity, lets students get away with sitting still all day. Built into the day were activity breaks such as weighted squats, sprints, and stretches. All of these are activities that can be kept socially distanced but are important for anyone to maintain strength when spending the majority of a day sitting at a desk.

Even with his passion for drone racing, Andrew points out that the camp offered at SPIRE isn’t just for kids hoping to become professional racers. “The competition might be the spark that got them into it,” he said, “but then they realize ‘Oh wow, I could get a career for developing software, you don’t even have to be a pilot.’ There’s so many different aspects they can pursue.” While esports has been around for a few decades, drone racing only entered the field a few years ago. Though it is considered a relatively new sport, it has grown in popularity remarkably fast and brings in millions of dollars. It might not be up there with the revenue that LaMelo Ball will bring in, but for lots of kids today, drone racing is a great way to get ahead in one of the world’s fastest growing industries.