NEW NAME FOR LADY ANGLER TOURNEY!

The lady angler tournament will be renamed this year in honor of our favorite fishing girl, Keli Wagner, who sadly passed away in October 08'.

Keli loved fishing and had fished every lady angler tournament since the beginning. She was also responsible for the charitable proceeds being donated to the local RAAB Cancer Clinic. The lady angler tournamet has raised $107,000 so far, with $61,500 of that total going to the clinic. These funds have been used to enhance the clinic with small t.v's, art, blankets and other comforts for patients receiving treatments.

The picture above is the rough sketch of the t-shirt and logo. Casey and Keli's son, Cole, offered the blue marlin sketch and we thought it would be a great idea to have his art on the shirt.

We are working on the tournament this year to make it a special event with tons of fun and goodies for all involved. A new level has been added at $250 for "Non-fishing" teams! The team can still compete in the best dressed contest, come to the event, and their entire donation will go to the RAAB clinic. It is a great way to get in on the fun and sleep in the next morning!

-Sponsors!

We are still working on our sponsorship drive and will continue for a few more weeks. Though it is going slower than usual, I believe we will finish with our fair share and be able to continue our benevolent giving. The Big Rock is committed to donating as much as possible back to the community. If you know of anyone who might have an interest in sponsoring or advertising, please have them contact me!

Just returned from the Miami Boat Show where the news was not quite as bad as expected. Yeah, there were a few tense smiles around but for the most part everyone was "cautiously optimistic".

The deal is, everyone still loves the sport, they still want to go fishing, and that will require some new stuff! Just that simple.

I talked to Dave Ferrell, Editor of Marlin Magazine, who offered up his belief that Big Rock would be "just fine". Of course, we believe that, but it was nice to hear from a seasoned marketer. It was also very nice to see so many people that know of our tournament and think so highly of it. As I said before, we will do our very best to give the participants and sponsors a tournament no one will want to miss.

Some of the best news was at Hatteras Yachts where they reported sales during the show and were talking with new and previous owners that were contemplating new purchases. Randy Ramsey with Jarrett Bay/Hatteras told me he was feeling pretty good about the show and was looking forward to the upcoming few weeks.

Though we are a little chilly, it sure is good to be back in North Carolina where they have sweet tea!

-Richard Crowe is coming along just great and continuing to venture out some. He took a longer trip this weekend and was happy to report it went well. Keep him in your prayers.

-Sensation, captained by Dale Britt, is open for Big Rock! Could you possibly get a better chance at fishing?? This well seasoned local captain will offer you one of the best weeks of your life. Check out his website at http://www.sensationsportfishing.com

Nothing to report but GOOD NEWS!! More sponsors have signed up for this year's tournament and man are we happy about that!!

Linda Rike and Ed Daughety have returned for the Diamond level sponsorship which gives them an exclusive along with their single logo on the t-shirt. Linda Rike/Ed Daughety have been supporters of Big Rock for a very long time and we are pleased they are coming back for another year. Their Diamond Level sponsorship also allows them to present the donation check to one of Big Rock's worthy charities.

DIAGEO will once again sponsor the bar featuring the upscale liquors of Crown Royal, Tanqueray Gin, Ciroc Vodka, Smirnoff Vodka, and Johnny Walker Black. Big Rock is pleased to be able to offer our participants premium products for the events!

Coastal Beverage/Miller Products will return again this year as well and we are very happy to have them in the sponsor family. This company not only sponsors the beer but gives tons of hours each year with set-up during the events. They are a real asset to the tournament.

I will continue the sponsorship drive through the end of February. The deadline for the program will be February 20th, 2009 with a couple of extra days for industry professionals that will be attending the Miami boat show.