SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Sept. 12, 2008) - Mother nature has thrown a curve ball named Ike at more than 200 anglers headed for the 2008 BoatU.S. National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship (NCBFC) on Lake Lewisville, Texas, but the Sept. 18-20 event remains scheduled as planned because forecasts look good by tournament time.
Even so, BoatU.S. NCBFC organizers are communicating with the participants representing 57 schools from 23 states almost daily to remind them to be safe on the highways and on the water during the stormy days leading up to next week's competition.
"It is the travel days to Lewisville and the three practice days before the start that will be somewhat dicey because of remnants of the hurricane," said tournament director Wade Middleton. "I'm sure some of the anglers think we're bombarding them too much with our precautions but most important to us is that everyone takes their time to get here safely for the actual competition days because things look good for then. Safety is of the utmost importance to us."
So while skies might look bleak overhead now as the fishing teams from colleges all across the country start their treks to Texas, there's also a bright outlook on the horizon for the 100-plus teams once they get settled into the Dallas area for the championship.