Ponca City,
Okla. (Aug. 17, 2011) – The Bass Federation (TBF), in partnership with FLW
Outdoors, announced it will be hosting the inaugural Student Angler Federation
Nebraska High School Fishing State Championship, September 3 Maranatha Lake in
Lincoln County, Neb. The state championship is a two person team event for
students in grades 9 -12. Registration for high school anglers and
their “coach,” who will provide the boat they compete in, is online at HighSchoolFishing.org
or by calling 580.765.9031. Check-in begins at 6am Saturday, September 3
lakeside with a mandatory rules briefing to follow at 7am. We highly encourage
all teams to pre-register online or by phone in advance to avoid late
registration fees.
“The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is proud to help
sponsor this state championship event for our younger generation anglers
in this state,” NGPC-Lincoln County Advisor/Coach, Tony Munter, commented. “One lucky team gets to represent our
Nebraska High Schools this fall, advancing to the regional event to compete for
scholarships, prizes, and also a berth at the first National High School
Tournament next year. Hopefully, with
the help of The Bass Federation, we can help grow the sport of fishing in
Nebraska and get new student angler federation chapters started throughout the
state."
Students and
parents can go to HighSchoolFishing.org for details
on the Student Angler Federation (SAF) and to sign up. Cost is only $25/ year
and includes full TBF and FLW Outdoors benefits, including access to the
all-new FLW Outdoors Magazine e-Edition and insurance coverage for students and
their club. The winning two-person team from each state championship will
advance to an FLW Outdoors/TBF High School Fishing Regional Championship held
in conjunction with a National Guard FLW College Fishing Regional Championship
hosted on a college campus this fall. The
winners from each regional will advance to the FLW Outdoors/TBF High School
Fishing National Championship held on a college campus in conjunction with the
National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship in the spring of 2012.
All SAF members and state championship participants qualify for the largest
event in high school fishing, the 2012 High School Fishing World Finals to
compete for thousands in college scholarships and prizes. Each team that qualifies for a regional and/or
national championship will receive a travel allowance to help offset expenses.
The High School Fishing National Championship winner’s will also each receive a
$5,000 scholarship to use at the university of their choice.
If you’re not an
SAF member, there’s a $25/per angler fee for the state championship, which
includes full TBF/FLW Outdoors membership benefits, and the onetime fee covers ALL
SAF sanctioned events all year!
“We’re very excited to be working with the Nebraska
TBF and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to bring this event to the state
of Nebraska and Maranatha Lake,” TBF National President, Robert Cartlidge,
said. “Our affiliated state federations are the backbone of the industry;
they’re on the ground doing the work to put on these types of events and give
high school anglers a chance to grow their skills, have some fun, compete to
advance, and get involved with other programs the Nebraska Bass Federation has
to offer.”
“High School anglers in are
fortunate to have the Nebraska Bass Federation well established in this state
and eager to help with this event, which promises to be a great one,” TBF
National Youth Director, Mark Gintert, commented. “Our Student Angler
Federation has a great start in Nebraska with several state students participating
in our High School Fishing World Finals this year held in Russellville,
Arkansas. I’m sure they’re ready to show everyone in the state how far they’ve
come as anglers.”
Another unique feature of an SAF
sanctioned event is the “angler testing” component. Anglers can take a free
online test at HighSchoolFishing.org about
boater safety, conservation and angler ethics, which makes them eligible for
contingency awards at their state championship. “It’s an industry first by TBF
and a tremendous way to emphasize the importance of education to these student
anglers,” Gintert commented. “The Federation is driven by our desire to promote
education through fishing and the testing component is designed to do exactly
that. Put this package together with our partnership with FLW Outdoors and the
sky is the limit. These young anglers
will have opportunities unlike anything the industry has ever seen.”
Event Details:
·
State
Championship sign-up:
PRE-REGISTER ONLINE at HighSchoolfishing.org OR BY PHONE
580.765.9031. Questions? info@highschoolfishing.org
or call 580.765.9031. If you have to you can register Saturday morning at the
Mandatory Check-in. The best way is to pre-register online at
highschoolfishing.org.
·
Mandatory
Check-in: 6am, Saturday, September 3 at Maranatha Lake, Lincoln
County, Neb.; one mile south of the Maxwell I-80 interchange (#190) and three
miles west; 1600 E. Maranatha Rd., Maxwell, Neb., 69151 Rules briefing to
immediately follow at 7am.
·
Takeoff
& Weigh-in: Take-off
to follow 7am rules briefing, Saturday, September 3 at Maranatha Lake, Lincoln
County, Neb., Weigh-in will 1pm at the boat ramp.
About FLW Outdoors
FLW Outdoors is the largest
fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the
opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011.
FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s
richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk,
where competitors can play for free, as well as, sign up for Player’s Advantage
to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy
Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com
or FantasyFishing.com.
About
The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is
owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF is the
largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing organization. TBF affiliated
state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing,
youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided a
foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years. Visit bassfederation.com.
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