The Escalon Youth Center recently invited the Riverbank Teen Center to a friendly competition of Super Smash Brothers. The competition was held at the Escalon Youth Center on a Friday at the end of January. Ten students from the Teen Center participated in the contest along with staff and volunteers. Riverbank High School student Alvaro Lopez was the Super Smash Brothers champion. Lopez received a Game Stop gift card.

“They had a projector set up with the live game, snacks, drinks, and about 30 Escalon students,” stated the City of Riverbank Parks and Recreation Supervisor Julia Petit. “The students said they had a blast.”

Petit explained that new council member Luis Uribe connected with Todd O’Neill, the Escalon Youth Center Coordinator, with a common interest of bringing the youth centers together for an event.

“I do not believe we have ever done this in the past,” added Petit. “Todd let me know that their Youth Center had recently purchased a Nintendo Switch and they wanted to have a tournament with their new system. Todd organized everything.”

O’Neill created the flyer and Rec staff distributed it to the Teen Center and along with students and a few snacks they made their way to the tournament in Escalon. Middle and high school students were invited to attend and the Riverbank participants came from RHS and Cardozo. The event lasted for about two-and-a-half hours and after it was all said and done, Lopez was victorious.