Prize Winner Could Take Home $14.500

Organizers for the 2nd Annual St. Lawrence International Junior Carp Tournament™ and Mort Backus Carp School have upped the cash for the young carp anglers taking part in the mid-August event. A bonus of $10,000 and two trips to Great Britain have been added to the first place prize pool.
A junior winner in any age bracket will have the opportunity to take home a windfall of $10,000 in addition to the $2,000 for winning their age category and an extra $2,500 for first prize. The first place winning angler will be eligible to enter his or her four best carp to tip the scales at over one hundred pounds in total combined weight to win the bonus prize.
Just to make the competition even keener, the internationally circulated magazine Carp World has once again stepped in as a partner and sponsor for the junior tournament. Carp World has started their own junior competition in Great Britain following on from the very successful 2003 tournament on the shores of the St. Lawrence River at Waddington St Lawrence County NY. Promotions staff from Carp World and the local organizers met up in the United Kingdom last spring at the big carp show in Essex.
Both parties agreed to enter kids reciprocally in the complementing tournaments. Therefore, the winners from the British contest will come to the United States competition, and two American winners from the St. Lawrence competition will travel to England.
American entrants in the 15-18 year category will be eligible for the expense paid trip to England.
"With the Carp championships just a few weeks away, we couldn’t be more pleased with the number of corporate and individual sponsorships", notes Karen St. Hilaire, executive director of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. "I believe these sponsors realized the potential for global recognition after they saw the far reaching appeal of this event last year. We are truly grateful for their support."
"The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce has been able to sweeten the pool of prizes and cash awards due to the increased number of sponsorships we’ve seen this year," said Terry Fishlock, project coordinator for the tournament. "This tournament is not only about fishing, but it encompasses education, ecology and responsibility or preservation of the river environment. It’s a great experience for kids and $14,500 is a great down payment for college."
The tournament begins on Thursday, August 19th with the Mort Backus Carp School. A legion of carp experts will teach classes about the basics of carp angling techniques and skills. Mort Backus will sponsor the day long event which features the lectures by internationally known British carp fishermen Tony Davis-Patrick, Richard "Cash" Farnan and Steve Broad. Teenage heart throb Tom Felton, of the Harry Potter movies, and myself are co-hosts for the three day. Both Tom and myself were full of praise for last years event. We will be lending our support, expertise and enthusiasm for all the competitors.
Competition is expected to be extraordinary with kids who participated last year already registered. Organizers are hearing that the kids have honed their skills and plan to bring a higher level of skill to the shores of the St. Lawrence this year. Contestants from Illinois, North Carolina and Connecticut have already told the coordinators to anticipate some intense competition.
For more information about the tournament, phone the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce at 001 315-386-4000 or check the website www.northcountryguide.com for on-line registration and more details.