Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 14, 1991 TAG: 9104150260
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Called the B.A.S.S. Kids Championship, it is one of several events that the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, the largest fishing organization in the world, has scheduled for youngsters.
"We want to make certain kids are exposed to the cleanest, most wholesome sport that we know of today - fishing," said Lyn Wheatley, director of the B.A.S.S. National Federation.
The kids' championship is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon, with sign-up beginning at 10 a.m. The youngsters will be given an Abu Garica rod and reel, which should encourage them to continue fishing well beyond the contest, Wheatley said.
The event is limited to 250 kids, and nearly that number have registered, said Nancy Hughes, community service manager for the Roanoke Times & World-News, one of the sponsors. Registration for the remaining slots may be completed Monday at the receptionist's desk of the newspaper, 201 Campbell Ave. S.W. There is a $3 fee.
The youngsters will be coached by members of B.A.S.S. clubs, and the winners will be recognized at the federation championship weigh-in, 2:30 p.m. at the Roanoke Civic Center, Wheatly said.
During the three-day federation tournament, B.A.S.S. officials will be meeting in Roanoke to complete details of CastingKids, a national casting, flipping and pitching competition for children. It is designed to involve hundreds-of-thousands-of-youngsters with final competition scheduled at the 1992 BASS Masters Classic, Wheatly said.
by CNB