FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ponca City, Okla. (Dec. 7, 2011) – The Bass Federation (TBF), in partnership with FLW Outdoors, announced it will be hosting the 2012 Student Angler Federation Florida High School Fishing State Championship, Saturday, March 3 on Lake Toho launching out of Kissimmee Lake Front Park in Kissimmee, Florida. 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 6pm on Friday, March 2, at the Clarion Resort Waterpark & Convention Center with a mandatory rules briefing to follow at 7pm. We highly encourage all teams to preregister online or by phone in advance to avoid late registration fees.
“Osceola County is excited to have the SAF State High School Fishing Championship return to Lake Toho for the second consecutive year,” Sports Development Director for the Osceola County Department of Tourism, Don Miers, stated. “We are one of the premier bass fishing locations in the world and are proud to host this wonderful youth event here in Osceola County.”
“Our Student Angler Federation had a great start in Florida with last year’s inaugural event jump starting several high school fishing teams,” TBF National Youth Director, Mark Gintert, commented. “They’ve taken the next steps to get their respective clubs up and running. Now, they’re ready for action at this event. We’re looking forward to the increased participation and enthusiasm for the sport, as this program grows nationwide.”
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 in the fall of 2012. The winners from each regional will advance to the FLW Outdoors/TBF High School Fishing National Championship held in conjunction with the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship in the spring of 2013. 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!
Anglers can also take advantage of a free online test offered at HighSchoolFishing.org that asks questions about boater safety, angler ethics, and conservation. Completion of this “angler test” will make those anglers eligible for contingency awards and prizes at their state championship event. SAF Program Manager, Alex Craw, states that, “The SAF Program was founded with an emphasis on promoting education through fishing and this angler testing component is designed to do exactly that. With our partnership with FLW Outdoors, these high school anglers will have opportunities unlike anything the industry has ever seen. We’re very excited to be working with the Florida Bass Federation and Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring this event to all student anglers in the state of Florida,” Craw said. “Without their passion and dedication to this sport, events like these simply wouldn’t exist!”
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 Mandatory Check-in on Friday, March 2 at 6pm. The best way is to pre-register online at highschoolfishing.org.
- Mandatory Check-in: Friday, March 2, 6-7pm EST, at the Clarion Resort Waterpark & Conference Center, 2261 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, Florida, 34744; Mandatory rules briefing to immediately follow at 7pm.
- Takeoff & Weigh-in: Saturday, March 3, at Kissimmee Lake Front Park in Kissimmee, Florida on Lake Toho. Takeoff & Weigh-in times will be announced at the Mandatory rules briefing.
- Host Hotel: Clarion Resort Waterpark & Conference Center, 2261 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, Florida, 34744; Guests should call 407.846.2221 or 1.866.9SLIDES and mention the SAF High School Tournament to make their reservation. All reservations must be made by February 17!
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.
