COLUMBIA, S.C. (November 6, 2013) – When Berkley Fishing decided to launch the first International High School Fishing Club Challenge they didn’t know how well it would be received. High schoolers and fishing coaches around the country have rallied to vie for rewards, product samples, prizes and the title of Berkley High School Cup Champions.
Beginning in August, high school fishing coaches registered their schools to participate in the program. The program offers fishing teams an opportunity to compete for prizes and rewards. It also allows those participating the opportunity to connect to fishing industry leaders for program support.
Each team that wants to win the Cup must complete a series of assigned tasks and participate in monthly contests to accumulate enough points to be crowned champions. There’s also lots of team prizes for the winners of the monthly contests.
“The first year has been going great,” says Roxanne Coleman, Senior Field Marketing Manager, Berkley Fishing. “We have 136 schools that includes over 2,000 students participating. It is a pleasure to see so many schools involved in the aquatic development of our youth. The teams are exceeding our expectations with the voluntary monthly challenges and the required tasks.”
The ultimate goal is to win the Berkley High School Cup. The first-place winner receives $4,000 in prizes for that fishing team. Berkley plans on awarding 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and honorable mention finishers. This program is not just about catching the biggest or most fish; it’s about learning fishing skills, nature conservation and creating a lifetime hobby.
“We had a Race to Facebook contest that saw so much participation it bogged down my email for days,” said Chris Hockley, Berkley Brand Marketing Manager. “It’s exciting to see the enthusiasm from the students. These high school anglers are serious about improving their sportfishing skills, and Berkley is helping them have a good time doing it.”