Illinois this week became the first state in the nation to recognize fishing as an official sport at the high school level, according to organizers of the program.
The Illinois High School Association voted unanimously to sanction a state bass fishing championship in the spring of 2009. Efforts have been launched to secure sponsors, said Terry Brown of the Bloomington-based www.wired2fish.com, a main advocate of the move.
Brown, a successful regional tournament angler and bass educator, hopes to make the program self-supporting. The fishing industry, realizing action is needed to offset declining participation in the sport, is willing to ante up, he said. At the same time, nonfishing-related companies realize that angling remains one of the most popular outdoor activities, and anglers comprise a major segment of the population, he said.
http://www.pantagraph.com/blogs/main/?p=2514
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