Director's Report
| Eric Kuehne 79 Country Way Lyman, Maine 04002 (207) 499-2692 Email Youth Director |
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2008 Report
Do you want to grow your club? Do you want to grow the Maine Federation? An easy way to grow both your club and the Maine Federation is for your club to get youth hooked on fishing. You can easily develop a pipeline of new recruits for your club and often you have the added benefit of the youth’s parents wanting to get involved with your club as well. Whether you host a youth fishing event or start a Junior Bassmaster chapter, you will get more people involved in bass fishing and you will increase public recognition of your club and attract new members.
The Maine B.A.S.S. Federation Nation has a long history of youth involvement. Each year hundreds of youth statewide are involved in the many fishing derbies, youth tournaments and other fishing events held by clubs in the Maine B.A.S.S. Federation. Our clubs are also involved with Boy Scout merit programs and support organizations like Pine Tree Camp, Camp Sunshine and Big-Brother-Big Sisters by giving the youth an opportunity to go fishing. Youth are also touched through the many charities that benefit from tournaments and other fund raising activities held by member clubs. Our flagship youth programs are the Bassmaster CastingKids and Junior Bassmaster program.
Many of our clubs host Bassmaster CastingKids Competitions. Much like the NFL’s “Punt, Pass & Kick” competition, Bassmaster CastingKids has boys and girls ages 7-10 and 11-14 compete by casting, pitching and flipping at a bulls eye target. Winners from the local competitions advance to the state championship and have the opportunity to advance all the way to the national championship. In 2007 we crowned Hunter Beyea of Arundel and Amanda Kimball of Biddeford as State champions and they competed at the national semi-finals in Orlando in November.
Junior Bassmaster Chapters provide a venue where youth under 18 can improve their skills as anglers, learn & exchange fishing techniques and learn responsibility and teamwork by operating their own club. Adult clubs, who become sponsors for Junior Bassmaster Chapters, act as mentors who foster and pass on their knowledge and the traditions associated with the sport of bass fishing. In 2007, Reel Deal Junior Bassmasters of Gardiner became our third youth chapter, joining the clubs from York County & Lewiston/Auburn. At our 2007 Junior Bassmaster State Championship, Nick Deering of Portland won the state title in the 11-14 age group and Nate King of Biddeford captured the state title in the 15-18 age group. They will advance to the 2008 Junior Bassmaster World Championship in August at Syracuse, NY.
2008 & 2009 will bring several changes to both the Bassmaster CastingKids and Junior Bassmaster programs. State champions will now advance to an Eastern divisional competition where they will compete against champions from CT, RI, MA, NH, NY, VT and Ontario for the opportunity to advance to the national championship, which will be held in conjunction with the BASS Federation Nation national championship. This new format will mean that the dates for our 2008 & 2009 state championships will be moving to align with divisional competition dates.
Congratulations to Central Maine Bassmasters for winning the 2007 Maine B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Youth Award. This award goes annually to the club that is judged to have the best overall youth program. Central Maine Bassmasters involvement in many of the local Boy Scout events, their work with Pine Tree Camp for crippled children & Big-brothers –Big Sisters, their involvement with local youth on conservation and community projects and their donations to youth charities highlights how much impact one bass club can have on youth.
If you are already one of the many Maine Federation members involved with youth fishing & other youth activities, I want to thank you for your participation. If not, I hope you choose to make 2008 the year that you decide to help make a difference and help grow the great sport of bass fishing by getting a youth hooked on fishing. And if you are one of those people who just doesn’t have the time – please support our youth programs thru the raffles our youth program will have in 2008. We plan to have raffles for a Mercury prop and Motorguide trolling motor and possibly other donations to raise money for our Bassmaster CastingKids and Junior Bassmaster programs.
Have a great 2008, catch lots of bass, stay safe, and get a youth hooked on fishing.