Collegiate anglers gear up for national championship
Category: press release
Sep 2nd, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Sep 2nd, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Collegiate anglers gear up for national championship SAN ANTONIO, Texas – College bass anglers are likely not the crown jewels of many campus sports programs yet, but the 200 competing in next month’s 2008 BoatU.S. National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship (NCBFC) are certainly getting some royal treatment as a result of their participation.A full field of 100 two-person teams representing more than 60 schools are expected to convene on Lake Lewisville near Dallas for championship week, Sept. 15-20, making it the largest college bass tournament ever. Both the event and college bass fishing in general have caught the eye of many businesses with vested interests in outdoor sports, causing them to step forward in support of growing the activity and what they hope will become a new stream of loyal customers.Leading the way is BoatU.S., the Boat Owners Association of the United States and the nation’s largest advocacy group for recreational boating. The organization has been the title sponsor of the championship since the first event in 2006, and company officials say involvement was an easy decision.”Combine the enthusiasm of college sports rivalries with the fun of competitive bass fishing and you’ve got something really special here,” explained Chris Edmonston with BoatU.S. “Although this isn’t a traditional sport such as football, we consider these participants to be athletes who are just as committed to excelling in their sport as those of others. We’ve found their passion for the activity to be genuine and their appreciation for support refreshing. We’re proud of our association with college bass fishing and we enjoy seeing the future of the sport growing today.”In addition to financial support, BoatU.S. also provides championship participants with free membership into their BoatU.S. Angler program. Program members have access to 24-hour roadside and on-the-water service assistance that covers just about every imaginable scenario around boat and tow vehicle problems. Many sponsors, including Costa Del Mar sunglasses, Sperry Top-Sider sport shoes, Berkley, Abu-Garcia, Fenwick, American Rodsmiths and others, are offering special discount purchase opportunities to championship contenders in advance of the championship.Stearns, long known as a leader in personal flotation devices, is helping anglers make the trip to Texas. They are providing each championship team with identical travel stipends of $250 each.Once the anglers arrive in Lewisville, mail-order and destination-retail giant Cabela’s is hosting a “College Day” outing to their nearby retail location. Each team will receive a $100 Cabela’s gift certificate to use for a shopping spree at that time, with buying assistance coming from top professional bass anglers like Luke Clausen, Kelly Jordan and Jeff Kriet.”We’re blown away by the generosity of the special offers the championship sponsors have been extending to us,” said Mitch Kistner, an Arizona State University angler. “Every penny we can save is a big help on our travels to the championship in Texas and I’d say many of us have taken advantage of discount purchase opportunities for sunglasses, rods, reels, fishing line, lures, etc. The travel stipend, the roadside assistance program, the gift certificates – everything coming our way is a huge benefit to our being able to make the trip. We are stoked and ready to fish.”Almost every sponsor takes advantage of the opportunity to meet and greet the participants during official registration day. It’s also a time that many of them will provide their product samples and goody-bags to the participants. Sponsors often stay throughout the practice and tournament days for further interaction with anglers at the dinners and other activities.On the last of the three competition days, Ranger Boats, another original NCBFC sponsor, is putting the top 5 advancing teams in Z-21 bass boats equally rigged with Yamaha outboards and Garmin electronics to battle it out for the championship.The unique support by each of the NCBFC sponsors goes on and on for every company involved and many of the names are category leaders in the outdoor industry. In addition to those already mentioned, other sponsors include: Anglers’ Legacy, Aviva Fishin’ Buddy, EPIC Sports Video Cam, Falcon FTO tackle organizers, Frogg Toggs, Lago Vista Lodge, Gene Larew Lures, MotorGuide, Pioneer Beef Jerky, PowerPole, Rapala’s Fishing Frenzy, Sebile, TruckVault, Witz Sportcases, XDS Xtreme Dye Sublimation, Yamaha, City of Lewisville, Sneaky Pete’s Marina and Fox College Sports.And to top it all off, the NCBFC is filmed for a 13-week half-hour television series that begins airing on Fox College Sports in early October of this year.”So, you see, college bass fishing does have its perks,” said NCBFC tournament director Wade Middleton. “And guess what? Even with all of this attention by sponsors, fans and media, at the end of the day every one of the championship participants will still be willing to stop and talk fishing, pose for a photograph and sign autographs – for free. We all can learn a lot from these great ambassadors for their respective schools and the sport of fishing.”For more information about the 2008 NCBFC, visit www.collegiatebasschampionship.com.###2008 BoatU.S. Championship school participation roster (as of 8/29/08)Updates will be posted at www.collegiatebasschampionship.com/Schools.htm.ALABAMAAuburn UniversityFaulkner UniversityTroy UniversityUniversity of AlabamaUniversity of Alabama – BirminghamUniversity of MontevalloUniversity of South AlabamaARIZONAArizona StateARKANSASUniversity of ArkansasCOLORADOMetropolitan State College of DenverFLORIDAUniversity of Central FloridaWebber InternationalINDIANABall State UniversityIndiana UniversityPurdue UniversityILLINOISSouthern Illinois UniversityIOWAUniversity of IowaKANSASKansas StateKENTUCKYEastern Kentucky UniversityMurray State UniversityUniversity of KentuckyUniversity of LouisvilleWestern Kentucky UniversityLOUISIANALouisiana State University-ShreveportLouisiana Tech UniversityNorthwestern State UniversityUniversity of Louisiana-LafayetteMISSOURIDrury UniversitySoutheast Missouri State UniversityMISSISSIPPIMississippi State UniversityUniversity of MississippiNORTH CAROLINANorth Carolina State UniversityOKLAHOMAOklahoma State UniversityUniversity of OklahomaOREGONUniversity of OregonPENNSYLVANIAPenn StateTENNESSEEFreed – Hardeman UniversityUniversity of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee-MartinTEXASBaylor UniversityLamar UniversitySam Houston State UniversityStephen F. Austin UniversityTarleton State UniversityTexas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University – KingsvilleTexas TechUniversity of North TexasUniversity of Texas – AustinUniversity of Texas-ArlingtonVIRGINIAVirginia TechWISCONSINUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens Point