PONCA CITY, Okla. – The Bass Federation (TBF), in partnership with FLW Outdoors, announced it will host the inaugural Student Angler Federation Oregon High School Fishing State Championship April 30 on the Columbia River in Hood River, OR. 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 open online at HighSchoolFishing.org or by calling (580) 765-9031. Check-in starts at 3 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the TBF tournament trailer lakeside at the Hood River Marina with a mandatory rules briefing at 6 p.m. Teams are encouraged to pre-register online or by phone well in advance to avoid late-registration fees.
Students and parents can go to HighSchoolFishing.org for details about joining the Student Angler Federation (SAF) and signing up for an event. Cost is only $25 a year and includes full TBF and FLW Outdoors member benefits, including unlimited 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 and to be hosted on a college campus this fall. Ranger boats will be provided for the high school anglers to fish from at each regional championship, and 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 automatically qualify to fish the largest event in high school fishing – the 2011 High School Fishing World Finals, July 20-23 in Russellville, Ark. – to compete for thousands in college scholarships and prizes. Each team that qualifies for a regional championship and the national championship will receive a travel allowance to help offset expenses. The High School Fishing National Championship winners 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 entry fee per angler for the state championship, which includes full TBF and FLW Outdoors membership benefits. Also, it’s a onetime fee, so you won’t have to pay to fish another SAF sanctioned event all year.
“We’re very excited to be working with the Oregon TBF Federation to help bring this event to Oregon,” 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 events and give high school anglers in Oregon a chance to grow their skills, have some fun, compete to advance and get involved with other programs the Oregon TBF Federation has to offer.”
TBF National Youth Director Mark Gintert stated: “High school anglers are fortunate to have the Oregon Bass Federation well established in the state and eager to help with this event, which promises to be a great one. SAF has a great start in Oregon with several students participating in our High School Fishing World Finals last year in Russellville, Ark. 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. All participants 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 said. “The Federation is driven by our desire to promote education through fishing. The testing component is designed to do exactly that. When you put this package together with our partnership with FLW Outdoors, the sky is the limit for these young anglers. They’ll 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? E-mail [email protected] or call (580) 765-9031. If necessary, you may register for the tournament at the Friday mandatory check-in. HOWEVER, there will be a $25 late fee per angler. The best way is to pre-register online at HighSchoolFishing.org.
• Mandatory check-in: Friday, April 29, 3-6 p.m. Pacific time, TBF trailer, Port of Hood River Marina, 1000 E. Port Marina Drive, Hood River, OR 97031, www.portofhoodriver.com; rules briefing 6 p.m.
• Takeoff and weigh-in: Saturday, April 30, Port of Hood River Marina, 6:30 a.m. takeoff and 2:30 p.m. weigh-in
About FLW Outdoors
FLW Outdoors is the largest tournament-fishing 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 at FantasyFishing.com, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge.
About the Bass Federation, Inc. (TBF)
The Bass Federation Inc. (TBF) is 100 percent membership owned. It is owned by those it serves and dedicated to the sport of fishing. 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 the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 40 years.