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.
