Esports means business for new generation of LI video game fans
Jackie Mangiolino and Allison Vaz, the owners of Valhallan Wantagh, along with their staff of Esport Coaches. Credit: Photograph by Mario, Kayla Tiffany Photography
You wouldn’t think two people who ran a wedding invitation and stationery company would switch to owning an esports company. That’s especially true of Wantagh’s Jackie Mangiolino who grew up making fun of her now-husband Mike, and how he would spend his free time gaming.
“We’ve been together since high school, so he was always into it, and I always told him it was a terrible hobby,” Mangiolino said. “But then when we had our son, my husband was up all night with the baby and I was like, ‘There might be something to this whole esports thing.’ ”
Her son, Richie, wasn’t into traditional sports, but Mangiolino told him to find a team activity. That led him to Valhallan, and when the opportunity to buy the business popped up, Mangiolino and co-owner Allison Vaz of Bellmore jumped on it..
“I was not a believer, but it was life-changing for him,” Mangiolino said. “He found his friends and the community aspect of it.”
Valhallan, a youth esports training organization, hosted a grand reopening of its second Long Island storefront in Wantagh on Saturday. It also has a location in Huntington. Esports is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, with NewZoo’s 2025 report noted 3.6 billion gamers worldwide with nearly $190 billion in global revenue.
Mangiolino and Vaz pursued the business in November from the previous owners and officially took ownership on Jan. 30. Walk in, and you’ll see rows of desks lined up along the right side topped with computers, controllers, keyboards and headsets.
There are 22 PCs and four Nintendo Switches, with the potential to add more consoles in the coming months. They offer $175 monthly memberships, which includes one class a week, or $200 for teams.
“All of our classes and teams have lesson plans, so they learn healthy habits,” Mangiolino said. “Staying hydrated, practicing good digital citizenship, internet safety, online bullying, all sorts of topics.”
There are spaces for Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and Pokémon Trading Card games, with an official verified “Pokémon Professor” to judge tournaments. That isn’t just a title; becoming one involves a background check and an online test.
There's a 92-inch TV where a young girl played Mario Kart with Princess Peach. A “Gamer’s Only” sign and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade machine — “Turtles in Time” — rested on each side of the room.
With access to Steam and Epic Games libraries, there are few restrictions on accessible games, provided they are “E for everyone.” Valhallan offers esports training classes for Fortnite, Super Smash Bros, Overwatch, Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends, Rocket League, Valorant and Minecraft Bed Wars. There’s also always the potential to add more games to the list, like Deadlock which Mangiolino said has been a popular request.
“They can play here on a team and be part of a team, and for kids that do not like traditional sports, it’s good for them,” Vaz said. “There’s college scholarship money in it now.”
Esports coaches like Alex Haeseker of Amityville, know that firsthand. Growing up on the Nintendo 64 and the SEGA Dreamcast, he realized as he hit his teenage years that he wanted to take gaming more seriously. Maining Zenyatta in Overwatch, he became one of the highest ranked players in North America which led him to receive a full-ride scholarship to Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
The 23-year-old led his college Valorant team and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in esports management, production and performance. He returned to Long Island and has since reached Eternus 6 in Deadlock, the highest rank possible which features less than 1% of the total player audience.
“I find it extremely fulfilling that my life after playing pro is paying it forward and teaching the next generation of gamers,” Haeseker said.
His biggest tip? ”Remember that you are a person outside of this.”
“No game defines your worth as a human, right?” Haeseker said. “Whether you play great or you play terribly, we’re thankful to have our competitor.”
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
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