2nd Annual GigaZone Gaming Championship Set for Sept. 29-30 in Bemidji

(Bemidji, MN) (June 22, 2017) – The first stadium style eSports event in the region, the GigaZone Gaming Championship returns to the Sanford Center Ballroom in Bemidji on Friday, September 29 and Saturday, September 30.

Northern Minnesota's best League of Legends teams will compete for more than $4,500 in cash and prizes and teams interested need to register by July 1st at http://www.gigazonegaming.com The League of Legends tournament is free and open to anyone 13 years of age or older that resides in the 218 area code.

In addition to the League of Legends Tournament, the public is invited to participate in open console and arcade gaming along with tournaments of Street Fighter 5, Mario Kart 8, Madden 18, Overwatch, Super Smash Brothers, Magic the Gathering, and more. Pre-registration for the Overwatch and Madden 18 tournaments will begin on Tuesday, September 5 at 4 p.m. until full. All other tournaments will be open registration at the door the day of the tournament. Admission is free for both tournaments and the event plus there will be a chance at great door prizes throughout.

"eSports has explored across the country and coming off the success of the first GigaZone Gaming Championship last November we are making this year's event even bigger and better. There is a large gaming community in our area and this will showcase not only some of the region's best but give everyone a chance to get in on the action!" said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.

"Our cooperative continues to expand one of the largest rural fiber gigabit networks in the country and that brings many advantages to our members. The GigaZone provides extreme speed and low latency which are critical for the best online gaming experience which the GigaZone Gaming Championship showcases," added Leo Anderson, Paul Bunyan Communications Digital Services Supervisor.

For more information on the 2017 GigaZone Gaming Championships visit http://www.gigazonegaming.com

"We're excited to bring this back to our region! Whether someone is a big time gamer or not the GigaZone Gaming Championship is a great chance for people to come together, have fun, try out a wide variety of video games, and experience the growing eSports phenomenon." added Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

Paul Bunyan Communications has the region's largest and fastest all fiber optic network with over 5,000 square miles throughout most of Beltrami County and portions of Cass, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis Counties. The Cooperative provides Broadband High Speed Internet Services including the GigaZone, digital and high definition television services, Smart Home services, digital voice services, Residential and Business IT services, and is also northern Minnesota's certified Apple Service Center.