Lets cheer on Aaron Mcmullen and Cooper Gunther from Colorado.[/b
]Tomorrow’s best bass anglers are competing in Pittsburgh as well for the National Guard TBF Junior World Championship.
FLW Live will focus on the future of the sport with weigh-in coverage. Beginning at 1 p.m. EDT July 31 and Aug. 1, FLW Live will broadcast the weigh-ins from Kittaning Riverfront Park until the moment a young champion is crowned.
BASS FISHING’S JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPION TO BE CROWNED AUG. 1 IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FORREST WOOD CUP IN PITTSBURGH
PITTSBURGH (June 25, 2009) – The Bass Federation has announced that its 2009 National Guard Junior World Championship will be held on The Allegheny River in Kittanning, Pa., July 31 - Aug. 1, in conjunction with the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup – the world championship of bass fishing – presented by BP and Castrol. Daily weigh-ins will be held at Kittanning Riverfront Park , and will be streamed live to fans around the world watching “FLW Live” on FLWOutdoors.com. All junior anglers will walk across the main stage to be recognized during the Saturday weigh-in of the Forrest Wood Cup in Mellon Arena.
The TBF National Guard Junior World Championship will feature youth anglers from 40 states fishing for $30,000 in scholarships and prizes. Each participating state will be represented by two junior anglers: one in the 11 to 14 age bracket and another in the 15 to 18 age bracket, both of whom will receive travel assistance to Pittsburgh . Every youth angler will also be treated to a world championship-caliber pizza party served up by the National Guard pro team and featuring high-energy games, entertainment and sponsor prizes.
"The National Guard Junior World Championship has quickly turned into the premier youth fishing event in the country and this year’s program is shaping up to be another great success,” said TBF Youth Director Mark Gintert. “The setting at the John Murtha Amphitheater is going to offer our parents and spectators a great place to watch a tournament weigh-in and the waters of the upper Allegheny River appear to be prime for our state champion anglers to conquer. We're all looking forward to the last week of July!"
The junior anglers will each be paired with a veteran angler from the area for competition on the Allegheny River . Juniors will be allowed to fish pools 6 and 7. Any angler age 16 and older will be required to have a Pennsylvania fishing license. Off limits begins on Sunday, July 26, 2009, and will continue until the start of the tournament on Friday, July 31. There will be three anglers to a boat: a junior angler from each age group plus a boat captain who will assist the junior anglers, but will not fish. The two junior anglers will share control of the boat for the day, but will compete in their respective age groups. The full field of junior anglers will compete July 31 then be cut to the top angler in each age bracket from each of the TBF’s six geographic divisions. Weights will be zeroed Aug. 1 as six anglers in the 11 to 14 age bracket and six anglers in the 15 to 18 age bracket continue competition, with the winners determined by the heaviest catch from that day.
Qualifying for the 2009 TBF National Guard Junior World Championship takes place up to a year in advance through each states qualifying structure.
“The National Guard Junior World Championship allows The Bass Federation’s brightest upcoming anglers to elevate their game and be spotlighted during the Forrest Wood Cup,” said FLW/TBF Programs Manager David Simmons. “It’s such a great way to enhance the FLW Outdoors/TBF partnership and provide an experience-of-a-lifetime for the next generation of anglers and their families. Of course, none of this would be possible without the hard work and support of TBF youth directors and parents nationwide.”
First-place finishers in each age bracket will receive a $5,000 scholarship in addition to a sponsor merchandise package. Second-place finishers will receive $3,000 scholarships plus sponsor packages. Third-place finishers will receive $2,500 scholarships plus sponsor packages. Fourth-place finishers will receive $2,000 scholarships plus sponsor packages. Fifth-place finishers will receive $1,500 scholarships plus sponsor packages. Sixth-place finishers will receive $1,000 scholarships plus sponsor packages.
The eventual champions will also be featured in an episode of “FLW Outdoors,” which will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” which airs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET and is hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.
