Charitable pro-am tourney to bring together top bass anglers, celebrities prior to FLW Tour Championship
To say that fishing is a sport embraced by males would be an understatement: 75 percent of all American anglers are males, and about 25 percent of all males living in the United States fish. So what better arena could there be in which to promote awareness of a health issue that affects only men?
That’s the question that Roy Forbes, director of development for City of Hope, asked himself nearly three years ago when he first thought of creating a high-profile fishing tournament to raise funds for prostate cancer research. His idea will come to fruition in September when the FLW Outdoors Celebrity Challenge kicks off the FLW Tour World Championship of Bass Fishing and Outdoor Show in Richmond, Va.
The Sept. 8 event will bring together the best 48 bass anglers on the FLW Tour, a variety of celebrities and paying participants in a professional-amateur fishing tournament. The Celebrity Challenge is intended to raise funds for City of Hope, a comprehensive cancer center based in Los Angeles.
“What we’re doing now is the first ever of its kind for anywhere in the world,” Forbes said of the upcoming event.
The Celebrity Challenge was modeled after similar pro-am charity tournaments popular in the PGA and LPGA. Participants will have the opportunity to fish with 48 of the highest-ranked professional bass anglers in the world, who will be in Richmond to compete for a $500,000 top prize in the Sept. 10-13 FLW Tour Championship.
Forbes – who was employed by the American Golf Corporation before City of Hope – said he thought a charity event tied to the world’s most lucrative competitive bass-fishing circuit would provide a great opportunity to raise funds while promoting awareness of prostate cancer. With comparisons being drawn in the national media between the success of NASCAR and the up-and-coming status of professional bass fishing as a popular sport, Forbes said he recognized the value of the FLW Tour Championship as a launching pad for his fund-raising concept.
“The time is right with where the status of pro bass fishing is today,” Forbes said, adding that Richmond locals have indicated the weigh-in for the Celebrity Challenge could pull in a crowd. “They’re excited that the top pros will be there.”
The drawing power that pros will have among charity-tournament participants and spectators will be further enhanced by the inclusion of celebrities in the event. NASCAR’s 2002 Rookie of the Year Ryan Newman will pair up with one of bass fishing’s finest for a day on the water as will “As the World Turns” star Real Andrews, a bass-fishing enthusiast. Other celebrities will include FLW Outdoors radio-show hosts Keith Lebowitz and Tony Casillas, a former Dallas Cowboys great. Forbes said other sports celebrities and country music stars may join the lineup, too, pending confirmation.
Forbes said he hopes the Celebrity Challenge will not only benefit the City of Hope’s research and treatment efforts but also help “develop the sport” of professional bass fishing by introducing it to a wider audience.
Participants in the Celebrity Challenge will spend a night at Richmond’s five-star establishment, the Jefferson Hotel, where they will also be treated to a cocktail reception the evening before the tournament. A continental breakfast will be provided before the tournament, and refreshments will be served on the boats. Transportation to and from Lake Chesden is part of the package, and all fishing equipment will be provided for anglers. A 2 p.m. weigh-in on Sept. 8 at Lake Chesden’s Seven Springs Marina, which is open to the public, will be followed by an awards banquet and dinner for anglers.
“There is a tremendous amount of interest,” Forbes said of registration for the Celebrity Challenge thus far.
Some of the 96 slots are still available, however, and the cost to register is $1,000. Money for entry fees can be raised by soliciting tax-deductible donations from companies, friends, family members and neighbors who might wish to support the effort to help cure cancer. Those interested in registering for the Celebrity Challenge or learning more about the event can call (213) 241-7118 or visit the City of Hope Web site.
“I see that City of Hope – because of the great story we can tell about our treatments – and FLW – because of its demographics … [the partnership] really works out great,” Forbes said.
Nearly 200,000 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, according to City of Hope statistics, and more than 31,000 will die from it. Current statistics from the American Cancer Society suggest that prostate cancer accounts for one-third of all the cancer cases among U.S. men. Considering these numbers, Forbes said it isn’t hard to see how important an event like the Celebrity Challenge can be as a tool to raise both funds and awareness for the fight against the disease.
“The significance of this event for City of Hope is, we get our name out to an even broader group nationally as far as what we do,” Forbes said. “It’s extremely important to get the word out about prostate cancer.”
Because of embarrassment about the potential side effects of the disease or its treatments and because many men simply don’t know much about what options are available, Forbes said prostate cancer is not discussed as much as it should be. That is one reason why awareness is so important.
“Working through bass fishing demographically, because of who typically fishes, is a great vehicle for awareness,” Forbes said.
City of Hope is working to fine tune cutting-edge procedures and tests as well as develop new ones so men will have many options available to them when faced with the possibility of prostate cancer. Forbes said the disease is so common that most people will deal with it in one way or another in their lifetimes.
“It can happen and will happen to us or someone we know,” he said. “There are options.”