Virginia Gov. Mark Warner announces Richmond as host of 2003 Jacobs Cup
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Gov. Mark Warner and FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing, announced Thursday the selection of Richmond, Va., as host site for the inaugural $1.5 million Jacobs Cup world championship of bass fishing and outdoor show Sept. 10-13. The announcement came during a joint news conference at the new Greater Richmond Convention Center.
“This announcement is the result of almost a year’s work to bring world class bass fishing back to the Commonwealth,” said Gov. Warner. “Fishing is an enormous economic driver nationwide and in Virginia. The fact that we can bring top-flight professionals into our community to highlight our natural resources is a great accomplishment that signals good things to come.”
The winner of the historic Jacobs Cup will be awarded $500,000 cash, the largest guaranteed award in the sport’s history, and 175 pro anglers representing 34 states, Canada and Japan are in the running.
Qualification for the Jacobs Cup started last week on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, where pro Pat Fisher of Buford, Ga., earned top honors, $100,000 and, most importantly, 200 points in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour season opener. Jacobs Cup contenders will fish six FLW Tour events this season as they travel the road to Richmond, Va. The top 48 pros and top 48 co-anglers based on points accumulated during qualifying events will advance to the Jacobs Cup.
The FLW Tour features a pro/co-angler format in which the pro supplies the boat, fishes from the front deck against other pros and controls boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, 198 for third, etc. The angler with the most points at the end of the regular season will be named Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year and enter the Jacobs Cup as the No. 1 seed.
Team Snickers pro John Sappington of Wyandotte, Okla., won the 2002 FLW Tour championship after entering the tournament as the No. 24 seed. Yamaha pro and 2002 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year, Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas, finished 19th in the 2002 championship after posting the best season of his distinguished career.
Jacobs Cup competitors will fish head-to-head on the James River in bracket-style competition similar to the NCAA basketball playoffs. The No. 1 seed will fish against the No. 48 seed, the No. 2 seed will compete against the No. 47 seed, and so on. Pros will fish for a combined two-day weight to eliminate half the field for the semifinal round. Weights will be cleared for the 24 semifinalists who will continue in head-to-head competition on day three, after which the field will be cut to 12 finalists. Weights will be cleared for the 12 finalists who will fish for a final day to determine the winner of the Jacobs Cup. All 12 finalists will have a shot at the top award, as head-to-head competition ends after day three.
The world champion will net a record $500,000 cash, and cash awards will be presented to all competitors, including the last-place pro, who will win $12,200, enough to cover entry fees for the entire season.
It is the community, however, that is the real beneficiary of the Jacobs Cup, as the tournament and its four-day outdoor show will produce an estimated economic impact of $9.5 million for Richmond businesses, as hundreds of vendors and thousands of spectators visit the area for the week-long extravaganza.
One of the special events surrounding the Jacobs Cup is the FLW Outdoors City of Hope celebrity pro/am, a charity bass tournament held in conjunction to benefit prostate cancer research and treatment. The tournament will feature 96 celebrities and corporate executives paired with the 48 Jacobs Cup pro contenders for a one-day tournament Sept. 8. Participants will donate up to $3,000 each for the chance to fish with one of the world’s top pros, and all proceeds will be donated to City of Hope, a world-renowned medical and cancer research center in Duarte, Calif.
Another special event sure to attract attention during the Jacobs Cup is a free concert that will be performed by one of the music industry’s brightest country stars following the final weigh-in Sept. 13 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The name of the artist has not yet been announced.
Each day of the outdoor show will feature free children’s giveaways, including shirts, hats, and rods and reels. On the final day of the show, Mom and Dad get in on the act when a limited-edition NASCAR boat from Ranger Boats will be given away to one lucky member of the audience. Admission to the Jacobs Cup outdoor show and daily weigh-ins is free.
FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative bass-tournament series; the EverStart Series, the pathway to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail; the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, the world’s most lucrative walleye-tournament series; and the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League for weekend anglers. FLW Outdoors will award anglers as much as $20 million through 175 events in 2003.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and more information about the premier products and services they offer, please browse this Web site.
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