KASA (Kayak Anglers Society of America) is proud to announce the launch of its newest program, the High School Kayak Fishing Series (HSKFS).

Starting officially in September of 08, club teams from high schools around the state will begin fishing competitively in district tournaments for bragging rights, trophies, fishing gear and scholarships.

THE WAY IT WORKS:

Club/teams are assigned to a district of 6 other teams (7 teams total per district). Following HSKFS guidelines, each club/team within a district MUST host a tournament once a year; that tournament can be on ANY body of water (except some rivers), either SALT of FRESH, and the target species for that tourney is identified by the hosting club/team. Each district will fish 4 tournaments in the fall and three in the spring, and each is limited to 49 student anglers. All tournaments are a live weigh in format (this could change....we'll have to see how it goes).

Points are awarded for all participants, with extra points going to those who finish in the top 6 or so for each tourney. These points are carried through all year, and the top student anglers from each district will advance to a regional tournament (again, limited to 49 student anglers). Following the regional tourney, the top 100 student anglers (total from all regions) will advance to the state championship tourney, which will be held sometime in May of each year.

The program is set up much like a track team, where athletes compete as individuals and for team points through the district levels, them more as individuals as they advance through regionals and state. We'll have district champions on the team level, along with a district angler of the year. We'll have individual regional and state champions (no club/team).

To be eligible to compete, just like the UIL we have a NO PASS NO FISH policy in place. All student anglers MUST maintain a 70 average in all classes to participate in any HSKFS event.

AWARDS:

No cash monies will be awarded. Awards will consist of trophies/plaques/buckles for placing in tournaments and for angler of the year, along with rods, reels, kayaks and other fishing gear that has been donated by our sponsors. Letter jackets will be awarded after certain criteria has been met (yes, its now possible to earn a letter for fishing!).

The plan for now is to get EVERY graduating senior a scholarship of some kind (based on years of competing, not placing in tournaments). Those that place in the regional tournaments will be awarded larger scholarships (along with trophies/gear), and we're working on getting full scholarships for state winners (still in the works).

SPONSORS & COVERAGE:

All sponsors will be named at a later date, but I can tell you that we're currently talking with some of the largest players in the industry, both on the manufacturing and the retail side. If anyone reading this is interested in becoming a sponsor, PM me and we'll get the info to you.

To coincide with the start of school, Chester Moore will be writing an article about the program that will be released in the September issue of Texas Fish & Game magazine (96,000 subscribers). He and TF&G have also offered to dedicate a full page, every month, to cover the standings of our tournaments, and to highlight clubs/teams and individual anglers! We'll also be sending tournament stats and info to ALL of the major papers in the state on a weekly basis.

We're also working on getting TV coverage, but that's still in its infancy.

BOATS:

We will do our very best to have a minimum of 20 boats at each division tournament for students without yaks to use, but as the series grows this will be harder to do. We encourage all members to buy, borrow or rent their own as they're able (we'll be working with local dealers & manufacturers to offer HSKFS discounts on certain makes/models).

HOW TO BUILD A CLUB/TEAM:

If you would like to start a club/team at your school (home school kids are welcome too!), send an email requesting information to info@KayakAnglersSA.org, and we'll get a "how to packet" to you as soon as its completed. IN ORDER TO COMPETE IN DSITRICT TOURNAMENTS IN THE FALL, START BUILDING YOUR TEAMS NOW!!

Basically, to start a club/team you'll need a minimum of 3 members (pres, Vp & Sec), and a club advisor; a club/team may have as many student anglers as it wishes. The advisor acts as a liaison between KASA and the team; the students actually run the clubs/teams but all activities are overseen by the advisor. The advisor can be a teacher, coach, parent, friend or pastor, as long as they are over the age of 25 years. More than one advisor per club/team is highly recommended.

In Texas alone, we already have 14 clubs/teams on board (we haven't announced this until now), and we expect to have over 100 by Christmas of 08 and up to 200 by the end of school next year. We're also starting the series in FL and CA this year, and in AL, OK, AR, TN, MS, LA, GA, SC, NC and VA in 2009.

HELP NEEDED:

As this grows, we'll be looking for regional directors, administrators, and others (all paid positions), plus an army of volunteers. If you have an interest in helping in any way, be sure and let us know.

GET YOUR CLUB/TEAM STARTED NOW, & WE’LL SEE YOU ON THE WATER IN THE FALL!!!!!