HENDERSON, N.C., (August 17, 1999) Top bass anglers from the second year EverStart Batteries Series of bass tournaments will converge on Kerr Lake at Henderson, North Carolina, to compete for an Evinrude powered Ranger bass boat plus $20,000 September 8-11, 1999.
The EverStart Challenge, which is the culmination of the Eastern Division of the $1.7 million series, will feature a purse of $283,200 and some of competitive angling’s brightest new stars, like David Walker of Cannon, Kentucky. Walker won the Angler of the Year points race on the 1999 Wal-Mart FLW Tour and will appear on a special edition box of Wheaties due out in September. He is currently in second place in the Angler of the Year race in the Eastern Division of the EverStart Series, trailing Ricky Shumpert by just 21 points. Should he win, Walker would be the first angler in history to win both titles in the same year.
Joining Walker in the Professional Division are seasoned Wal-Mart FLW Tour touring pros Roger Farmer, Marty Stone, Dwayne Horton, and Jeff Coble.
The format for the event is identical to Operation Bass’ exciting Wal-Mart FLW Tour for professional anglers and includes four days of elimination competition, with the full field narrowing to the top 10 pros and co-anglers at the conclusion of the second day of competition. The anglers then fish for one day (weights do not carry over from the first round), with the top five pros, based on that day’s catch weight, advancing to the final round on Saturday. Co-angler competition is concluded at the end of Friday’s competition. First place in the co-angler division is $10,000.
In the final round, each of the professional anglers is paired with an ESPN 2 camera crew. ESPN 2 is filming the EverStart Challenge as part of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour television series. The event is tentatively scheduled to air December 12, 1999, at 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN 2.
The winner of the EverStart Challenge, winners of each of the previous four EverStart Series events in the Central Division, and the top 10 anglers from the Central and Eastern division, based on pounds and points for the year, automatically receive priority into the prestigious 2000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour, which features a record $4.4 million in cash awards in the seven-venue tour.
The EverStart Series was designed to meet the incredible demand for high visibility, lucrative bass tournaments generated by the Wal-Mart FLW Tour,” said Operation Bass President, Charlie Hoover. “The series gives anglers a pathway to the professional ranks that offer even more lucrative purses and national exposure.”
Winners of 1999 Eastern Division EverStart tournaments include: Derrick Millirons, Seale, Alabama, Larry Pinder, Port Charlotte, Florida, William Chapman, Salt Rock, West Virginia, and Larry Inman, Greensboro, North Carolina. Winners of EverStart Series events receive priority entry into 2000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour events.
Weigh-ins for the EverStart Challenge will begin at 2:00 p.m. daily Wednesday and Thursday at Satterwhite Point Marina. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins begin at 5:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. respectively at the Henderson, North Carolina, Wal-Mart located at 200 North Cooper Road. A Family Fun Zone, with activities including: seminars from pro anglers, ESPN 2 television taping, Elliot Sandlers CITG race car, and a trout pond for the kids will be open to the public beginning at noon on Saturday.
Sponsors of the EverStart Series include: Wal-Mart, Everstart Batteries, Black & Decker, Chevy Trucks, Chex Mix, CITGO, Coca Cola, Coleman, Eveready Flashlights, Evinrude Outboards and Electrics, Hamburger Helper, Land O’ Lakes, Mitchell Rods and Reels, Ranger Boats, Spiderwire, Uniroyal, US Bank, VISA, Wheaties, and Wrangler.
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