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Letter to MSHSAA, Dr. Urhahn

Proposing High School Bass Fishing

Group Pushing For Fishing as a High School Sport

MSHSAA May Reel In Bass Fishing

Bass Fishing Proposed as New Activity for Missouri High Schools

To: MSHSAA December 23, 2008
Attn: Dr. Kerwin Urhahn

Dear Dr. Urhahn:

My name is Jim Huson, and I have been a teacher and coach at Republic High School in Republic, Missouri, for the past 25 years. I am also a professional Bass fisherman and have competed in tournaments for over 20 years throughout the Ozarks.

I am the founder and director of a summer school program at Republic titled “Outdoors in the Ozarks.” We have been featured in Bass Times Magazine, Heartland Pro-Am Magazine. We have also been guests on KOLR 10 News, FOX 27 News, The Don Berry Fishing Radio Show and ESPN 1400 Tournament Fishing Radio.

Our web address is www.outdoorsintheozarks.org , which links with our high school site at Republic.

I tell you all of this because I am well known in Southwest Missouri for promoting this great sport to the next generation of fishermen and women through education.

It has recently been brought to my attention that there may be an interest in the possibility of high school sanctioned Bass fishing championships for students in Missouri.

This program is already in place in Illinois and is set to kick off this spring. They will have a state sectional qualifying tournament followed by a State Bass Fishing Championship. Approximately 214 schools will be participating in Illinois. Information on the success that Illinois has had can be found by Googling “Illinois High School Bass Fishing.”

Dr. Urhahn, with the resources that we have in Missouri, such as Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Marine and the abundance of world class lakes at our disposal, we could provide a program like this for Missouri kids.

I am submitting this letter to MSHSAA at this time for possible discussion in your spring meetings. I would be honored as an employee of the Republic R-III School District to assist in any future discussions of making this dream become a reality for the youth of our state.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Your friend in fishing,

Jim Huson : Republic R-III Schools, Republic Missouri

Founder and Director of “Outdoors in the Ozarks”

Proposing High School Bass Fishing

A group of Missouri anglers are working with the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) to initiate bass fishing as a sanctioned activity in high schools throughout the state.

Fishing was one of the activities included on the MSHSAA annual questionnaire sent out last winter to its member schools. If the listed activities were to become sanctioned by MSHSAA, the organization wanted to know whether schools would register and participate. The survey revealed that 36 schools were interested in starting bass fishing as an activity. MSHSAA requires participation from 50 schools in order to hold a sanctioned state championship.

The group promoting high school fishing met this summer with Dr. Kerwin Urhahn, MSHSAA executive director, who said the program would be a good one for the schools. However, he said it is up to the group to convince individual high school principals throughout the state to approve such a program. Dr. Urhahn plans on discussing the proposal with principals during a series of area meetings in January and if the principals show enough interest, the proposal will be placed on the annual MSHSAA ballot next April.

Next on the agenda for the group is to attend the area meetings in January with Dr. Urhahn to explain the fishing proposal to school officials. The group is also putting together a list of clubs and individual anglers interested in volunteering to serve as boat captains or mentors for their area high schools.

Missouri anglers became interested in promoting the cause after neighboring Illinois became the first state to sanction bass fishing as a high school activity. Now more than 200 schools participate in the Illinois program.

Anyone interested in helping the Missouri movement can call John Neporadny at 573/365-4296 or e-mail him at john@jnoutdoors.com . More information about the high school fishing proposal is available at the following web sites: www.jnoutdoors.com and www.fishingradioshow.com. Information about the high school fishing proposal is also available on the Facebook page, Supporters of Missouri High School Sanctioned Fishing.