BRP Awards Fantasy Fishing Grand Prize
Category: npaa
Aug 19th, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Aug 19th, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Phillip Little of Whitesburg, Kentucky is the winner of the grand prize package in the Evinrude Ultimate Fantasy Fishing Experience Challenge. As part of his prize package, Little was presented the ultimate fishing machine – the new Evinrude® E-TEC® 250 H.O.-powered Ranger Z520 Comanche boat. The announcement was made live during the FLW (Forrest Wood Cup) Championship fishing tournament today in Columbia, South Carolina.
Little earned his victory with 719 total points, only two points over the second place winner. As the grand prize winner, Little was also awarded a fantasy fishing trip with an elite Team Evinrude angler of his choice – George Cochran, who will share his successful fishing tips and techniques and teach Little how to catch fish on his hometown lake. Cochran will demonstrate how to use the new Evinrude E-TEC 250 H.O.-powered Ranger Z520 Comanche boat, a Minn- Kota® Maxxum Pro™ trolling motor and dual Lowrance® LMS 520C fish finders. The prize package is topped off with a $2,500 Cabela's gift card – valued at over $60,000.00.
The second place finisher, Jason Bean from Scottsville, Kentucky, was awarded a 2009 Evinrude E-TEC 200hp engine. Both Little and Bean were guests of BRP at the final FLW Championship tournament. Neither knew who the top winner was until the live announcement on stage during Friday's weigh in ceremony.
"We wanted to continue the exciting momentum into the final announcement of results," stated Richard Palmersheim, Vice President, Marketing & Strategic Planning for the Outboard Marine Engines at BRP. "A large part of the Evinrude Ultimate Fantasy Fishing Experience program was designed to interact with our loyal consumer base and further promote the sport of fishing. Ski-Doo Lynx Sea-Doo Evinrude Johnson Rotax Can-Am Page 2 We're pleased with the success of the program this year and we anticipate having continued popularity and awareness of the program in the coming years."
Third, fourth and fifth place finishers were James Winters, winner of a Minn-Kota Maxxum Pro Trolling Motor and a Lowrance X96 Fish Finder, Kurt Koedyker was the recipient of the Maxxum Pro Trolling Motor, and Brad Holmes took home a Lowrance X96 Fish Finder.
Entering into the final tournament of the contest Little was holding on to his lead with 621 Evinrude Power Points. Less than 100 points separated Little from over 60 players.
Initially, Little made his selections without much research and primarily relied on his experience and knowledge of the anglers. However, once he took the lead he became much more diligent in researching and choosing anglers. "This contest was fantastic," stated Little. "I developed a good strategy and stuck to it. I knew if I stayed consistent, I had a shot at winning and it paid off. Evinrude did a great job building this contest and making it fair and equitable for all players. A novice can play or a more experienced angler can play – all have a chance at winning. I will definitely play next year!" concluded Little.
Little has a great passion for fishing and outdoors, as well as his faith; he helps coordinate the local chapter of "HOOKED FOR LIFE." The "HOOKED FOR LIFE" ministry conducts community outreach to youths through the sport of fishing. "Bringing fishing and the love of the outdoors to our youth is a priority mission for me," stated Little. "This program allows me to share my love of the outdoors with others through the sport of fishing," he concluded.
The Evinrude program will return next year as the race for the Ultimate Fantasy Fishing Experience begins February 12, 2009, kicking off with Lake Guntersville tournament in Huntsville, Alabama. Details for next year's game will be announced at a later date. Visit Evinrude.com for more exciting news about the Ultimate Fantasy Fishing Experience from Evinrude.