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Discussion Topic: Should Fishing Be a High School Sport?
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Illinois could be ''within a year or two'' of becoming first to sanction statewide fishing competitions at the high school level.
''We have reached out to some folks who can make this happen,'' said Marty Hickman, executive director of the Illinois High School Association. ''The ball is more in our court.''
Let's be blunter. If a couple of good sponsors sign on, it will go, and quickly.
''What a great concept,'' Alsip bass pro Ed Bohn said. ''The whole thing is you would have to have adults involved, a type of boater/ co-angler setup.''
What do you think of the concept?
That would be cool. Don't think it will happen though not enough students would be interested. If it was Video Games they would be all over it though.
Posted by: Hip Hop Bob | September 25, 2007 at 10:58 AM
That would be pretty cool down her where I live in Ga there would be plenty of kids who would get into that.ha maybe that would be something I would coach.
Posted by: Trae B. | September 25, 2007 at 11:09 AM
no, just no.
getting out of school for a debate tournament, a volley ball match, or a football game, OK ! not a fishing tournament.
Posted by: tom | September 25, 2007 at 11:10 AM
I graduated high school 2 years ago in SC and i'm if we would have had an all-state angler he would have been the big man on campus not our all-state running back.
Posted by: tay | September 25, 2007 at 11:23 AM
Why couldn't this have happened when I was in high school?! My school wouldn't have cared though, what with all the jocks busy chasing their balls around.
Posted by: Blue Ox | September 25, 2007 at 11:30 AM
You want to ruin a sport? Have it organized by the state government and run by local public schools.
I think a school would be better served by having a Hunt and Fish Club - not a statewide league.
Why? Ball sports are the same game anywhere in a state. Hunting and fishing vary dramatically across county lines. Variables in climate, water quality, terrain, etc. cannot provide a kid from a northern county any sort of parity with a kid from a southern county.
Posted by: jack | September 25, 2007 at 11:44 AM
You want to ruin fishing? Turn it into a competition. Oh wait, we've already done that. Darn!
Posted by: Larry | September 25, 2007 at 01:37 PM
competition fishing is stupid.
yrs-
Evan!
Posted by: Evan! | September 25, 2007 at 03:39 PM
Wow first archery and now the possibility of fishing? Now I wish I hadn't passed 10th grade.
Posted by: E | September 25, 2007 at 04:46 PM
Sure,that would be awsome!
Posted by: Colton | September 25, 2007 at 05:43 PM
As a student and a fisherman that would have to be the greatest idea I have ever heard. Schools need some other sports than just the main few. If that happened at my school I would be the first on the sign up sheet.
Posted by: KM | September 25, 2007 at 06:41 PM
That would be great for us high schoolers here in florida. I live in a rural town in central Florida and we play hooky just to go fishing at the local rock mines. If the school had a fishing team, we wouldn't have to miss school.
Posted by: mike | September 25, 2007 at 10:12 PM
I wish they would have had this when I was in school
Posted by: RC | September 25, 2007 at 10:43 PM
For those of you born before electricity I am tired of hearing how video gaames are the end of the world. I am only twenty and grew up in a world with video games. Guess what, I play sports and love to hunt and fish. I spend as much time as I can outdoors. So stop complaining about fast cars and loud music. You are becoming what you disliked about the generation before you.
Posted by: TJB | September 25, 2007 at 10:59 PM
fishing would be fine but hunting is better.
Posted by: zack johnson | September 26, 2007 at 12:07 PM
1; fish and bait identification.
2; Spin casting.
3; Bait casting.
4; fly rod handling.
5; locale fishing areas and regulations.
Take that curriculum that far and stand back, a new group of fisherman / fisher-woman every year to compete with and to enjoy!
HUNTING IS SURE TO FOLLOW.
Posted by: paul Wilke | September 26, 2007 at 02:36 PM
this could be one of the most rediculios things ive ever heard of. i just got out of high school and i love to fish. but the thing that keeps athletics going is the fans and the money they bring in. there isnt many old timers that are guna drive over to the river to watch billy catch a trout. he rather watch dave rush for two hundred yards on a friday night.
Posted by: jon boutte | September 26, 2007 at 07:55 PM
and another thing do you understand that the public funds pulic schools? thats just one more thing to jack up our taxes. and hunting to fallow are you out of you frickin mind? i would hate to be in the field with a bunch of other kids hunting for a compitition. just keep things the way they are now where the kid that brings in the biggest fish buck or bull pic has bragging rights for the year. jack i agree with your ideas.
Posted by: jon boutte | September 26, 2007 at 08:07 PM
I think this would be great. I think anything that draws toward finshing and hunting helps the rest of our community. jon boutte, the only sport that really brings in any revenue where I live is football, basektball and baseball. There are no admission fees for track and field type events and those have been going on for ever. I would imagine we would have to charge a fee to be on the fishing team and a small fee per tourney and it would sustain itself. Of course nothing like this would be possible without some community involvement.
Get those whipersnappers out there fishin' and off those deviled video games.
TJB you are probably a minority these days. I have two sons (16 and 13) and I can't get them to the lake or woods. The 13 year old is a skateboarding freak, at least he's outside. The 16 year old has to be pried away from the PC or VG's with a 2X4. I don't want to force this on them and have them end up hating it.
Chris H. (age-36)
Posted by: Chris H. | September 27, 2007 at 11:43 AM
I dunno Wilke, how many "fans" do High School golf and tennis teams bring out?
Several of the high school sports exist to round out a program..or, if you can believe it, to teach stuff.
One things for sure, they can't get it done if they don't try
Posted by: TimothyJ | September 27, 2007 at 12:53 PM
im only in 7 grade and i think it would be awesome. i wish my school had that instead of a golf team.
Posted by: huntnut | September 27, 2007 at 10:07 PM
If I had had fish in high school as a class I would probably be a better fisherman and would have gotten better grades.
Posted by: jeremy | September 28, 2007 at 11:49 PM
hey Chris throw the dam#ed video game in the trash
Posted by: pete | October 08, 2007 at 03:34 PM
i think it would be fricken awsome They should have started it a long time ago
Posted by: brett | April 02, 2008 at 09:54 AM
Joe would win it all
Posted by: brett | April 02, 2008 at 10:01 AM