Ponca City, Okla. (Aug. 16, 2011) – The Bass Federation (TBF), in partnership with FLW Outdoors, announced it will be hosting the inaugural Student Angler Federation Mississippi High School Fishing State Championship, August 27 at the Stennis East Bank Lock and Dam Recreation Area in Columbus, Miss. 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 Saturday, August 27 at the Launch Ramp Pavilion located at the Stennis East Bank Lock and Dam Recreation Area with a mandatory rules briefing to follow at 6pm. We highly encourage all teams to pre-register online or by phone in advance to avoid late registration fees.
“The Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau is so excited to be hosting the Mississippi High School State Bass Fishing Championship,” CVB Marketing Assistant, Kim Bennett, said. “Events such as these are a great way to showcase all the great restaurants, shops and hotels Columbus have to offer. We welcome everyone to the ‘Friendly City’ and hope they enjoy their visit.”
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 Mississippi Bass Federation and Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau to bring this event to the state of Mississippi,” 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 Mississippi Bass Federation has to offer.”
“High School anglers in are fortunate to have the Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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 at the Saturday Mandatory Check-in. The best way is to pre-register online at highschoolfishing.org.
- Mandatory Check-in: Saturday, August 27, 5-6pm Central time, at the Launch Ramp Pavilion at Stennis East Bank Lock and Dam Recreation Area, 3257 Wilkins-Wise Rd., Columbus, Miss., 39701; Mandatory rules briefing to immediately follow at 6pm.
- Takeoff & Weigh-in: Sunday, August 28 at Stennis East Bank Lock and Dam Recreation Area (Same location as Mississippi TBF Adult Championship)
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.
