The Humboldt State University Department of Athletics will be presenting the Battle of Humboldt County Esports Tournament in conjunction with the College of the Redwoods’ Athletic Department.  This event will take place on April 30-May 1, 2021.  

 This initiative was started by the Presidents of Humboldt State University and the College of the Redwoods to provide collaboration between the two Humboldt County Higher Education institutions. This includes the departments of Academics, Enrollment Management, Facilities, Safety Human Resources, Student Services, Community Partnerships and Athletics.

 Registration is now open and you can go to https://battleofhumboldtcounty.mainline.gg/directory/-/directory to register and will be open until April 29 at 5pm PT.  The first 50 participants to register will receive a free t-shirt. All Humboldt State and College of the Redwoods’ students are welcome to participate in this competitive Esports tournament for the opportunity to win fun prizes.

 Prizes will be awarded for the first and second place teams.  First place prize for Humboldt State or College of the Redwoods’ students is an HSU or CR Swag Bag valued at $125 per individual on the starting line-up.  They will also receive a $50 Stream gift card per individual on the starting line-up.  For second place, a $20 stream gift card per individual on the starting line-up.

 Launch Esports, which will serve as the official tournament software and sponsorship sales partner of the event, collaborates with conferences and institutions at the NCAA Division II and junior college levels to build Esports programs.

 The tournament will begin on April 30 at 6:30 pm PT and the finals will be streamed on Saturday, May 1 at 4pm PT on www.twitch.tv/launchesports.

 About Launch Esports

Established in March 2021, Launch Esports is a joint venture of Mainline and Steel Planet

Esports, that combines leading Esports tournament software, operations, and production with

sponsorship and Esports rights representations. Based in Houston, Texas, Mainline is the leader

in college Esports software and tournament management. Steel Planet Esports is a sister

company of Steel Curtain U, which manages multimedia rights for 19 conferences and

governing bodies at the NCAA Division II, NAIA and junior college levels. Together as Launch

Esports, they are providing college conferences turnkey Esports solutions to build their Esports

programs.

 Quotes regarding the Battle of Humboldt County

 From Humboldt State University Director of Athletics Jane Teixeira---"It is an exciting time to launch a joint venture with our Humboldt County partners in College of the Redwoods. Bob (Brown) and I have worked together on this event to provide an opportunity that brings together both of our institutions in a safe manner during this unprecedented time.  We are grateful that the leadership of both institutions have allowed for a creative way to collaborate and virtually compete. This is hopefully the start of many opportunities to showcase the amazing talents of our respective students.”

 From College of the Redwoods’ Director of Athletics, Bob Brown---"On behalf of our entire Athletic Department and College of the Redwoods student body, we are very excited to launch our first ever Esport challenge with HSU. It has been a great opportunity for me personally to get to know Jane (Teixeira) better and continue growing the collaboration with HSU Athletics both on the sporting fields and virtually!  I am certain this collaboration this will lead to more virtual Esport events down the road along with some of the ideas we are coming up with on how each of our departments can support each other in the community.”

 From Tyler Harrison, Humboldt State PC Gaming Club---"The leadership of the PC Gaming Club is excited to be involved in the developing Esports scene at HSU! It's great to see more opportunities for friendly competition between students, and we hope that it leads to further growth and fun down the road! Esports are becoming a major part of people's lives much like traditional sports, and as student leaders, it presents us a unique opportunity to bring together our passions and our community.”