04/26/2011 - Rockford to Host Cabela's Fishing Tourney
The Rockford Region catches a whopper of a tournament; the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau announced today the community will host a Cabela's King Kat Fishing Tournament. The national catfish tournament will take place June 25, 2011 and is one of 15 King Kat Trail fishing events taking place this summer. Sportscore One will serve as the home base for the tournament, with anglers fishing in the Rock River. This is the first time in recent history the region has hosted a fishing event of this caliber.
Cabela's, the sporting goods retail giant, coordinates the King Kat Trail. The trail of tournaments is a series of affordable fishing tournaments taking place around the country.
"A national tournament of this caliber establishes the Rockford Region as a fishing destination and will make the region a contender for similar events in the future," said RACVB President/CEO John Groh. "Our community is fortunate to have some amazing natural assets including the Rock, Pecatonica, Kishwaukee, and Sugar Rivers. This tournament provides a unique opportunity for us to showcase our region to anglers nationally, regionally and here at home."
The tournament will draw nearly 700 anglers and fans from around the Midwest and other parts of the country. They will fill 450 hotel room nights and generate an estimated $80,000 for local businesses. The entry fee is $200 for a team of two. In an effort to encourage family involvement, teams are allowed a third person if that person is under the age of 16 or over 65.
The event in Rockford includes a kids' tournament for those 12 years old and younger. The King Kat Kids event will also take place at Sportscore One on the Rock River and works to encourage an appreciation of rivers and lakes and the sport of fishing among youth. The kids' tournament is free.
Reeling in the event took hard work, according to RACVB Vice President of Sales and Marketing Monica Krysztopa. "Our staff initially met the event organizers at the Connect tradeshow in August of 2010. They cultivated a relationship and invited them to visit our community to see for themselves the wonderful assets the Rockford Region could offer their tournament. They took event organizers on a pre-dawn tour of possible locations."
Registration for the tournament takes place online at www.kingkatusa.com.
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