Casting For A Collegiate Championship By Clay Davis
Universities
across America seasonally square off on the gridiron, the
hardwood, the diamond and other sports venues to renew old
rivalries, wave their school colors and claim bragging rights to
championship titles and trophies. That same competitive
atmosphere has now spread to the water in the form of a bass
tournament.
The event is the BoatUS National Collegiate Bass Fishing
Championship, organized to encourage bass fishing at the college
level while providing yet another playing field for schools to
square off in the name of pride and bragging rights.
The program kicked off last year with the inaugural event
held at Lake Lewisville, Texas. The tournament attracted 41
schools from athletic conferences such as the Big Ten, Big 12,
Pac-10 and the SEC that sent two-angler teams to the
competition. The five schools making the final cut fished for a
share of $25,000 in prize money. The competition and related
program will be featured on FOX College Sports network from
January through June 2007. A minimum of seven episodes will air,
featuring the five schools making the final cut from last year’s
inaugural event.
“We want to show our commitment to the recreational boaters
who like to fish and specifically go bass fishing,” said Chris
Edmonston of BoatUS (Boat Owners Association of the United
States). “This environment and title sponsorship also allows us
a platform for promoting boating to the next generation of
boaters.”
Wade Middleton, tournament host for the FOX coverage, says
the event helps bridge an age gap when bass fishing interest is
at a greater risk of declining among college students.
“Bass and fishing programs are available for younger teens
and kids, but there’s a void at the college level between the
ages of 18 and the early twenties,” he says. “This tournament
really helps fuel the interest in bass fishing in that age
category. And it happens through stirring up college rivalries
that are played out in other sports. The opportunity to renew
that rivalry through a competitive atmosphere is all it takes to
get the students interested in participating.”
Middleton added that bass fishing clubs are growing at
schools across the country, from the junior college level all
the way to major universities.
“Many of those clubs are active in conservation projects and the
prize purse goes a long way in helping fund their activities,”
he adds.
The FOX coverage and BoatUS sponsorship is part of an
outreach and marketing effort at the collegiate on two fronts,
according to Edmonston.
“While promoting fishing is part of our goal, enjoying all the
safe and entertaining aspects of boating is another objective in
our involvement with the event.”
With over half of the 670,000 BoatUS members fishing from
their boats, BoatUS Founder Richard Schwartz hopes to reach out
to even more anglers with the event. “This sponsorship is part
of a major campaign to attract the freshwater fishing market,”
he says.
To that end, the event organizers announced that a 2007
championship will be held along with regional events tied to
campuses across the country.
The FOX commitment includes a complete television series about
the program with behind-scenes campus visits, insider stories
and features, tournament action from the events and commentary
from the pros.
N.C. State Wolfpack team takes championship
North Carolina State University students Christopher Craven
and Alexander Freeman topped a field of top schools from across
the country to win the BOATUS National Collegiate Bass Fishing
Championship held in mid-October on Lake Lewisville, Texas.
The two anglers teamed up to weigh a final day catch of 13.57
pounds in a championship round pitting the top five teams
following an elimination-style competition held over three days.
After the second day, weights were zeroed for the top five
teams.
The “North Carolina Bass Pack” club anglers cashed in on $12,000
in scholarships for their team, based on the campus located in
Raleigh, N.C. Craven, a political science major from Greensboro,
and Freeman, who is majoring in education and is from Duncan,
said they will allow their team to vote on how the money is to
be spent.
The tournament format began with a two-day elimination round and
a championship round on the third day. The weather played a
major role, with a 20-degree drop in temperatures signaling the
start of the competition, followed by high winds and post-front
conditions by the championship.
The winning team fished crankbaits along a windblown shoreline
featuring rock and timber where the bass were feeding on
baitfish swept into the embayment by the current.
After taking an early lead, the Eastern Kentucky University team
of Michael Blanton and Andrew Luxon settled for second place in
the finals with 8.75 pounds. The team earned $6,000 in
scholarships for the effort.
The surprise finisher was Oklahoma State University, which had
led the first two days of the qualifying round. The OSU team of
James Elam and Brandon Pedigo gave in to high winds that muddied
up their area and made boat control a challenge. Even then, the
team took third place and $4,000 in scholarships after weighing
4.66 in the championship.
Northwestern State University’s Jarred Williams and Ryan Wiggins
took fourth place with 3.86 pounds. Fifth place went to the
other NSU team in the competition, anchored by the 3.55-pound
catch of teammates Kevin Jeane and Jonathan Bennett.
Overall, the five schools shared $25,000 in prize money
presented to each university’s fishing club.
BoatUS membership for anglers
Part of the BoatUS plans for supporting collegiate bass fishing
include a new “Angler” membership program that is attractive to
bass boat anglers regardless of their age.
The membership includes on-the-water and on-the-road towing
coverage with 24-hour telephone dispatch, launch ramp rebates,
discounts at West Marine and a subscription to BoatUS Trailering
Magazine. BoatUS also offers anglers a specialized fishing boat
insurance policy with extra coverage available for expensive
fishing gear and equipment such as trolling motors, electronics
and tackle and includes tournament coverage.
CBAA Puts Bass Fishing On Collegiate Venue Taylor Wilson
Trying to blend coaching college baseball trips and fishing
trips was the formula that yielded the notion for brothers Troy
and Mark Heckaman to eventually develop the Collegiate Bass
Anglers Association (CBAA).
“Mark and I were college baseball
coaches on spring break with our teams in Florida. On off days
we would try to schedule fishing trips (lakes in our part of the
country were still frozen at this time), which always ended up
in friendly my team versus your team fishing outings,” said
Troy, who lives in Plymouth, Ind., and serves as CBAA’s
commissioner.
Thus the concept for CBAA was born and was incorporated in 2004
as a not-for-profit amateur athletic organization.
According to the organization’s website (www.collegiatebass.org)
CBAA is, “a competition-based vehicle, functioning uniquely as a
national not-for-profit organization for to the promotion and
enhancement of intercollegiate angling.”
The Heckamans say, “CBAA is dedicated to elevating the sport to
new levels, changing the face of collegiate angling, and
bringing exposure to places where bass fishing has never been.
CBAA is not just another fishing organization throwing its line
into tournament waters. Bass fishing is an exciting sport and we
want to share it with student athletes, presenting it with both
passion and style.”
Troy said CBAA knows of 94 institutions that have a fishing
team/club or an interest in developing one. It has worked with
42 student groups to date on club development issues.
Membership guarantees eligibility for CBAA tournaments, awards,
and provides valuable club tournament and activity insurance.
“CBAA membership is open to all fulltime students of accredited
colleges and universities who are in good academic and social
standing. This year will see the launch of our competition
offering conference championships (regional events), national
championship, and several special events (Big Ten Classic,
Illinois challenge, etc.). We will also promote and encourage
head to head competition within conferences,” Troy said.
CBAA’s scope is for national development with conferences
including: Patriot Conference (Connecticut, Massachusetts,
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont);
Chesapeake Valley Conference (District of Columbia, Delaware,
Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia);
Great Lakes Conference (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin);
Heartland Conference (Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri,
Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas); Bayou Conference
(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee); and Great Basin Conference (Arizona,
California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada,
Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming).
Troy said the response for
the new venture has ranged from very encouraging to overwhelming
from all sides (industry, constituents and non-endemic groups)
for the CBAA and our mission and goals. Good things are in store
for collegiate angling and the CBAA, he added.
“2007 will see
the launch of CBAA conference competition and the inaugural CBAA
National Championship. At present, some conferences are better
developed than others, with the northern, central and southern
areas having the most participation. CBAA will be working
vigilantly with The Bass Federation state presidents to help
build interest and gain participation nationally.
“We are also
in the process of working on a pilot project with the NAIA
concerning emerging sports and varsity sport recognition for
collegiate angling. Other ongoing projects include internship
program development and scholarship program development.
“This
is a great time for our sport and rare opportunities exist for
partners and sponsors to get on board with a new national
amateur athletic organization with tremendous upside at the
ground level and help develop and educate our next generation of
anglers, outdoor leaders, and legislators,” Troy said.
For
special events slated for 2007 or to learn more about CBAA,
visit
www.collegiatebass.org.
Lewisville, Texas. The tournament attracted 41
schools from athletic conferences such as the Big Ten, Big 12,
Pac-10 and the SEC that sent two-angler teams to the
competition. The five schools making the final cut fished for a
share of $25,000 in prize money. The competition and related
program will be featured on FOX College Sports network from
January through June 2007. A minimum of seven episodes will air,
featuring the five schools making the final cut from last year’s
inaugural event. 
