PONCA CITY, Okla. – The Bass Federation (TBF), in partnership with FLW Outdoors, announced it will host the inaugural Student Angler Federation West Virginia High School Fishing State Championship June 25th in Marion County in the city of Fairmont, W.Va. 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 available online at HighSchoolFishing.org or by calling (580) 765-9031. Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 24, Clarion Inn located at 930 E. Grafton Road, Fairmont, W.Va., with a mandatory rules briefing at 7 p.m. We highly encourage all teams to pre-register online or by phone in advance to avoid late-registration fees.
Leisha Elliott, Group Sales Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Marion County, said: “Marion County is absolutely thrilled to be hosting the inaugural West Virginia High School State Bass Fishing Championship! This is a great opportunity for us to draw families from around the state to our area and show them what a great vacation destination we have to offer.”
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.
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 qualify for 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. Start planning your vacation now! 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 fee per angler 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 West Virginia Bass Federation and Marion County to bring this event to the state of West Virginia,” 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 West Virginia Bass Federation has to offer.”
“High School anglers in are fortunate to have the West Virginia 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 West Virginia with several state students participating in our High School Fishing World Finals last 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? E-mail [email protected] or call (580) 765-9031. If you have to you can register at the Saturday mandatory check-in; however, there will be a $25/ per angler late fee. The best way is to pre-register online at HighSchoolFishing.org and avoid the late fee.
• Mandatory check-in: Friday, June 24, 5:30-7 p.m. EDT at the Clarion Inn located at 930 E. Grafton Road, Fairmont, W.Va.; (304) 366-5500; rules briefing to follow at 7 p.m.
• Takeoff & Weigh-in: Saturday, June 25, at Pricket’s Fort State Park Route 3, Fairmont, WV 26559; (304) 363-3030.
• Host hotel: The Clarion Inn will act as the host hotel with discounted room rates for anglers and their families; call (304) 366-5500.
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.
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.