Illinois To Offer High School Fishing Championship

Illinois will become the first state to recognize fishing as an official high school sport. The Illinois High School Association voted unanimously on February 11th to sanction a state bass fishing championship in the spring of 2009. The hope is to make the program self-supporting through sponsorships. The effort to get this approved was spearheaded by Terry Brown of the Bloomington-based www.wired2fish.com.

The idea came about several years ago as IHSA staff members explored ways to involve kids in non-traditional sports. Testing the idea resulted in an overwhelmingly positive response. Though the plans are not complete at this point, it is likely that there will be sectional tournaments throughout the state that feed into a championship event. Expert coaching and fishing boats will be provided by adult mentors.

Information from a recent IHSA board meeting:

Additionally, the Board of Directors approved a recommendation from the Executive Director to add a bass fishing tournament as an IHSA activity beginning in the spring of 2009, provided that adequate sponsorships are secured in advance for the tournament.

“The level of support for a bass fishing tournament, from both our membership and from other non-school groups, has demonstrated clearly to our Board that this event is one with potential tremendous value to our schools,” said Dr. Hickman. “Implementing such an activity will enable our schools to provide another opportunity for students that will enrich their educational experience and keep with the Association’s mission.”

I anticipate high school fishing being extremely successful and spreading to other states in the near future. We'll keep you posted as we learn more. I can't wait to see how it goes.