Ponca City, Okla. – August 6, 2012; The Bass Federation (TBF), announced BRB Roofing from Muskogee, Okla., has donated booth space to further their support of TBF’s Student Angler Federation Oklahoma High School Fishing Program at the 2012 OSSBA/CCOSA Conference and Exposition. The Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) and the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA) Conference and Exposition is scheduled for August 24-25 at the Cox Business Services Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Exhibitors from across the state of Oklahoma will gather for this two day event to showcase their organizations.
The Bass Federation will have a Student Angler Federation booth set up both days. The high school fishing movement across the country is on the rise. With over 60% of students who fish participating in no other sport the Student Angler Federation, a branch of The Bass Federation, provides opportunities to get those kids off the couch and back in the outdoors.
“For more than 37 years BRB Roofing has been an industry leader across the southwest for durable virtually leak proof metal commercial re-roofing projects of all sizes including many public and private schools. So you might say BRB lives, works, and plays in the outdoors.” BRB Roofing President Doss Briggs stated. “We are always happy to do what we can to support the youth and the growth of the TBF Student Angler Federation and High School fishing in Oklahoma so that more young people can have the opportunity to experience an outdoor lifestyle.”
The Student Angler Federation’s goal is to establish an active, high school sponsored or after school fishing program. Thanks to The Bass Federation and FLW Outdoors, schools or fishing teams incur little or no costs as they would with other sports. TBF and FLW Outdoors bring funding, equipment, insurance, tournaments, scholarships, and so much more to the table making it an irresistible option for schools to participate. Anyone wishing to find out more can go to highschoolfishing.org or email us at info@highschoolfishing.org.
Fishing is already a high school sanctioned sport in both Illinois and Kentucky. Several more states are working to sanction fishing with SAF where schools will send students to state, conference, and national championships, as well as, the High School Fishing World Finals to compete for scholarships and prizes. Thirty-three high school teams from across the state of Oklahoma competed in the 2012 SAF Oklahoma High School Fishing State Championship in May on Fort Gibson Lake. School administrators can rest assured the sport will be well received.
Not only is the sport of fishing popular for the sake of the students, education is the key to SAF as each student receives a nine lesson plan work book, free online training courses and minimum GPA’s are required for competition at top level events. The SAF incorporates math, science, and language arts to the sport of fishing. Things like conservation of species and preventing introduction of invasive species into fragile ecosystems all bring biology and zoology to the table along with boater safety and ethics just to name a few examples.
A student’s knowledge must be keen to excel in this sport. Pre-tournament bonus testing is also encouraged in SAF tournaments, as competitors will be rewarded with additional prizes should they complete pre-tournament online testing. They can even add bonus ounces to their catch, which is a strong motivator to the students.
“TBF would like to thank BRB Roofing for its support in helping us promote high school fishing in Oklahoma,” TBF Event and High School Promotional Manger, Mitch Smith, said. “It is responsible, good neighbor companies like BRB Roofing making it possible for future generations to have opportunities to participate in clean, family fun centered on fishing and the outdoors.”
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 there is. 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 and highschoolfishing.org.
