Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 30, 1994 TAG: 9405310148
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: 6 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Maybe you've been wanting to try fishing but not enough to purchase a $12.50 license just to determine how much you like it. Or maybe you have a friend you'd like to introduce to the sport.
Saturday and Sunday - Free Fishing Days in Virginia - will be your chance. No license will be required for rod and reel fishing those two days. However, you will need a license when casting to stocked trout water.
The free fishing days were established several years ago to lure more people into the sport, especially those who live in urban areas where recreation is more likely to be computer games than angling.
Most states have some type of program to promote fishing, because sport fishing has been declining across the country.
June 5 - Celebrating Safe Boating
What better way to celebrate National Safe Boating Week, June 5-11, than taking a boating safety course sometime during the month? There are a number of opportunities:
A 13-week course starts Friday at Moneta Medical Center on Virginia 122. Cost is $13 for first family member and $3 for additional members, call Jim Budd to register, 703-297-2763.
June 8-9, 7 p.m. at Christiansburg National Guard Armory. To register for the two-night course, call 703-382-2349. There will be a modest charge.
June 14-15, 7 p.m. at the Safety Council of Southwest Virginia, 2728 Colonial Ave. Call 344-4676 to register for the two-night, free course.
The theme of National Safe Boating Week is ``Boat Smart, Boat Safe, Boat SOBER.'' Notice the emphasis on the hazards of drinking and boating.
June 14 - 3-D archery like real thing
Some people call 3-D target archery the next best thing to bowhunting. In fact, you will find a few shooters who say it is better than bowhunting. The sport takes place on ranges where lifelike wildlife targets are stalked in a natural setting. The activity has become so popular it has made shooting a year-round sport for many bowhunters.
Opportunities to shoot 3-D are abundant. On June 14, there will be a 3-D match at Sherwood Archers in Roanoke County near Hanging Rock. The hours are 5 to 7 p.m. All you need to do is show up, but if you want information call Steve Smith, 345-4945.
The Triangle Archers of the New River Valley has scheduled a 3-D tournament June 26. The range is located at 1250 Burley Lane, between Blacksburg and Christiansburg. Registration time is noon to 2 p.m. For information call 703-382-9160 or 552-8023.
Two Flags 3-D Archery is a commercial range open every day along Virginia 311 south of New Castle. For information, contact 703-864-6264.
June 18 - Uphill for mountain bikers
It hasn't been getting attention like the Tour DuPont or the Festival in the Park biking events, but that doesn't make the Mountain Dew-East Coasters Virginia State Championship Mountain Bike Series any less intense for its competitors.
Sunday's Rebel Ramble in Rocky Mount was the third event in the championship's five-race schedule. On June 18, the ``Otter Trotter'' leg of the race takes place near Buena Vista on a new off-road vehicle trail in the George Washington National Forest.
The last race of the season is the ``Rush On Brush'' near Blacksburg, set for July 10.
If you want to ride or watch, you can get information from 774-7933.
June 20 - Taking aim at hunting
Fall hunting season may appear to be a long way off, but it isn't too early to take aim at safety. A 10-hour hunter education course will begin June 20 at Roanoke County's Brambleton Center. It is a joint venture of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Roanoke County Parks and Recreation Department and the Roanoke Rifle and Revolver Club. Call 561-8019 to register.
Safety education is mandatory for young and first-time hunters, but that doesn't mean established hunters shouldn't take the course.
If you can't make this one, other courses are scheduled Aug. 22 and Oct. 24. While the instruction concentrates on modern firearms' safety, it also covers bowhunting, muzzleloading, handguns, landowner relationships and related topics.
by CNB