FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ponca City, Okla. (March 19, 2011) – The Bass Federation (TBF), in partnership with FLW Outdoors, announced it will be hosting the inaugural Student Angler Federation Illinois High School Fishing State Championship, June 4 at Rend Lake, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, at the Marcum South Boat Ramp. 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 5pm on Friday, June 3 in the Community Building at Veterans Park, Mt. Vernon, Illinois. A mandatory rules briefing will follow at 7pm. We highly encourage all teams to pre-register online or by phone well in advance to avoid late registration fees.
“The city of Mt. Vernon is very excited to be hosting the Student Angler Federation High School State Championship on Rend Lake. We are looking forward to bringing in anglers and their families from across the state to participate in this exciting event,” Director of the Mt. Vernon Convention and Visitors Bureau, Bonnie Jerdon, commented.
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. Ranger boats will be provided for the high school anglers to fish from at each regional championship, and 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 2011 High School Fishing World Finals, July 20-23 in Russellville, Ark., to compete for thousands in college scholarships and prizes. Start planning your vacation now! 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 Illinois Bass Federation and the City of Mt. Vernon to bring this event to Illinois,” 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 Illinois Bass Federation has to offer.”
“High school anglers in Illinois are fortunate to have the Illinois Bass Federation well established in the state and eager to help with this event, which promises to be a great one,” TBF National Youth Director, Mark Gintert, stated. “Our Student Angler Federation has a great start in Illinois with several students participating in our High School Fishing World Finals last year 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 at the Saturday Mandatory Check-in, HOWEVER, there will be a $25/ per angler late fee. The best way is to pre-register online at highschoolfishing.org.
- Mandatory Check-in: Friday, June 3, 5-7pm CST, at the Community Building at Veterans Park; 800 S. 27th Street, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, Rules briefing to follow at 7pm Sharp
- Takeoff & Weigh-in: Saturday, June 4, at Rend Lake Marcum South Boat Ramp with a 6am takeoff and a 2pm.
- The host hotel will be the Holiday Inn in Mt. Vernon, 222 Potomac Blvd Mt. Vernon Il 62864
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.
