BASS Announces Geary County State Lake as Site of 2008 Junior Bassmaster World Championship
Category: press release
Sep 22nd, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Sep 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 AM
BASS announced today that Geary County State Lake will serve as the tournament waters for the 2008 Junior Bassmaster World Championship, Nov. 8 in Junction City, Kan. Additionally, the Bassmaster CastingKids National Championship will take place at the nearby Junction City High School. Both youth events will be in conjunction with the 2008 BASS Federation Nation Championship, the premier amateur fishing event in the world, and will be hosted by the City of Junction City, Kan. Twelve JWC anglers will qualify for the championship event, two from each of the six Federation Nation divisions, and will be paired with one of six BASS Federation Nation qualifiers who secure Bassmaster Classic berths through the Federation Nation Championship. The 12 junior competitors will be split into two age groups, 11-14 and 15-18, and compete against anglers in their respective age division. All Junior Bassmaster World Championship contenders will receive academic college scholarship awards, with the top angler in each age division receiving a $5,000 scholarship. The Bassmaster CastingKids championship will also include 12 youth competitors who qualified from each of the six Federation Nation divisions. The 12 divisional qualifiers will compete within their respective age groups: 7-10 and 11-14. CastingKids competitors will vie for scholarship awards, with the winner in each age group also receiving a $5,000 scholarship. BASS will kick off the youth events with a celebration banquet on Friday, Nov. 7, followed by both youth competitions on Nov. 8. There will be no “off-limit” periods on Geary County State Lake for the Junior Bassmaster World Championship contenders.The Junior Bassmaster World Championship will be streamed live on http://www.Bassmaster.com. Fishing fans can also check http://www.Bassmaster.com for schedules, event information and daily coverage. “Introducing fishing to a new generation of anglers has always been important to BASS,” said Stacy Twiggs, Senior Manger, BASS Federation Nation Youth. “We are excited to crown four youth champions at our marquee grassroots event, further developing the next generation of the BASS Federation Nation.” More than one month ago, New Jersey’s Kyle Harrigan, 18, and New Mexico’s Jordan McMorris, 15, won their respective age divisions at the 2007-2008 Junior Bassmaster World Championship on New York’s Onondaga Lake. The teenagers each took home $5,000 in scholarships. The New Jersey and New Mexico BASS Federation Nation Chapters are sponsored by the Alliance sponsorship team so both anglers also won a Triton, Mercury, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide and Optima Batteries boat package.The BASS Federation Nation Championship will take place on Kansas’ Milford Lake in Junction City. A total of 55 amateur competitors will compete to earn six berths in the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, set for Feb. 20-22 on Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La. “We are excited to have the best of BASS’ youth and Federation Nation anglers come to our area,” Rick Dykstra, president of the Geary County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. “It’s rewarding to see youth participating in positive outdoors activities, and thanks to BASS, we get to experience it on a local level.”The Junior World Bassmaster Championship showcases the top youth anglers in the world and provides them the opportunity to fish competitively through BASS – the most visible fishing tournament structure in the world.A full list of competitors for all three events can be found on http://www.Bassmaster.com.