FINAL RESULTS RELEASE

ATTN: Sports/Fishing/Outdoors Editors                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications, Inc.
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Mercury/IGFA Junior Angler World Championship
Dominated by South Florida youngsters

KEY WEST, Fla. (July 17, 2003)— “The youngsters had smiles bigger than the butcher's dog,” was the description of how much 32 young anglers from around the nation enjoyed the inaugural Mercury Outboards/International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Junior Angler World Championship Tournament.

      For a number of young South Florida anglers it was their catches that dominated the two days of fishing.

      Winning three of the 22 categories awarded was Joe Merritt, 10, Key West, Fla. He was named the overall grand champion in the small fry angler division, the high point angler in that division with 352 points, and the “stringer” award winner for small fry boys by catching and releasing 11 species. He also caught the most fish with 47.
Christopher Wightman, 14, Islamorada, Fla., was the overall grand champion in the junior angler category and that division’s high point angler with 332 points. He caught a total of 29 fish.

      The top girl overall also came from the small fry division as five-year-old Jamie Gunthner, Tavernier, scored 272 points from nine species of fish. Sarasota’s Kara Weisman, 14, was the junior girl high point angler with 217 points from seven species.
One young lady may go into the record books. Brittany Wilem, 9, Gulfport, Miss., caught a 35 pound king mackerel, what IGFA officials said is a potential world record for a junior angler.

     “The youngsters were extremely enthusiastic,” said Tom Ireland, director of saltwater operations for Mercury Marine, the title sponsors of the event. “The parents were having as much fun, living their love for fishing through each and every fish their youngsters caught and released. Even the kids that didn’t catch as many fish as others had a wonderful time made better by the excellent guides the IGFA selected for the tournament. It’s one of the most gratifying events we’ve participated in.”
He chuckled, “Some of the youngsters were no bigger than a yard stick with pencil thin arms, but they reeled those fish in without their parent ever touching the rod… just look at the amazing numbers!”

      A total of 819 fish were caught and released in the waters of the lower Florida Keys. The youngsters were awarded points -- five to 25 points each -- depending on the species from 27 different targeted species; everything from snapper and grouper to tarpon and sailfish.

      The youngsters qualified for the championship by winning one of three dozen fishing tournaments in the U.S. They represented tournaments in Florida, Minnesota, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Mississippi and New Jersey.
Anglers ages 5 -10 competed in the small fry division, while the older youngsters up through 16 competed in the junior division Mike Myatt, marketing director of the IGFA, said “This tournament was an absolute homerun for the IGFA. From the conception we wanted a family event and thanks to the great people at Mercury Marine we were able to pull it off. Every angler had a parent/guardian fish both days with them. It was hard to tell who had more fun at the end of the day and that was the goal."

     "The most amazing part of the tournament was the support that not only came
from the individual angler's family, but from the competing anglers for each other. The awards ceremony was phenomenal; these kids’ made me proud to be involved."
"Mercury Marine has a real sense of what the IGFA is all about - conservation, preservation and education. We both realize that today’s youth will be tomorrow's leaders. To ensure our fisheries future, it is essential these youth programs are made available on an ongoing basis."

      The junior championship is the latest addition to the IGFA junior angler program, which recognizes separate world records for boys and girls for 120 fresh and saltwater fish. IGFA has members of the Junior Angler Club in approximately 50 countries.
The junior tournament joins two other world-class fishing championships under the IGFA umbrella. They include the Rolex/IGFA Offshore Championship which has been underway for four years, held in Los Cabos, Mexico, with teams of winners advancing from over 90 qualifying tournaments around the world. Meanwhile, the three-year old Rolex/IGFA Inshore Championship is held in Islamorada, Fla., with competitors who have won one of more than 50 tournaments around the world.

      With the popularity of the event officials expect to add more than two dozen qualifying tournaments making some 75 tournaments in which to compete. Tournament directors of junior tournaments or adult tournaments with junior divisions are encouraged to contact Jeanine Hewlett, IGFA junior angler program coordinator, at 954-927-2628 for complete details on how to become a qualifying tournament for the junior championship. Parents who fish in tournaments with junior divisions should notify tournament officials of this exciting new opportunity.

      The IGFA is a 64 year old nonprofit, membership supported conservation organization best known for maintaining world game fish records in freshwater, saltwater, fly fishing and junior angler categories. IGFA members are located in approximately 125 countries. IGFA welcomes visitors to its 60,000 square foot Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Dania Beach, Florida.

      For further information contact the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, Florida 33004; phone 954-927-2628, fax: 954-924-4299, e-mail: IGFAHQ@aol.com, website: www.igfa.org.

Mercury/IGFA Junior Angler World Championship
Tournament Results, July 13-15, 2003

Overall Grand Champion Junior Angler (age 11-16)
1st Place -- Christopher Wightman, 14, Islamorada, Fla., -- 332 points
2nd Place -- Jordan Brown-Herlth, 11, Key Largo, Fla., -- 326 points
3rd Place -- Danny Ochab, 14, Orlando, Fla., -- 316 points

Overall Grand Champion Small fry Angler (through age 10)
1st Place -- Joe Merritt, 10, Key West, Fla., -- 352 points
2nd Place --Tyler Sage, 6, Weston, Fla., -- 329 points
3rd Place -- Jamie Gunthner, 5, Tavernier, Fla., -- 272 points

Junior Boy High Point Angler
1st Place -- Christopher Wightman, 14, Islamorada, Fla., -- 332 points
2nd Place -- Jordan Brown-Herlth, 11, Key Largo, Fla., -- 326 points
3rd Place -- Danny Ochab, 14, Orlando, Fla., -- 316 points

Junior Girl High Point Angler
1st Place -- Kara Weisman, 14, Sarasota, Fla., -- 217 points
2nd Place -- Katrina Tomczyk, 14, Boca Raton, Fla., -- 192 points
3rd Place -- Kara McLaughlin, 10, Hollis, N.H., -- 145 points

Small fry Boy High Point Angler
1st Place -- Joe Merritt, 10, Key West, Fla., -- 352 points
2nd Place -- Tyler Sage, 6, Weston, Fla., -- 329 points
3rd Place -- Colton Gallops, 10, Naples, Fla., -- 245 points

Small fry Girl High Point Angler
1st Place -- Jamie Gunthner, 5, Tavernier, Fla., -- 272 points
2nd Place -- Brittany Wilem, 9, Gulfport, Miss., -- 116 points

Stringer Award
Junior Boy -- Jordan Brown-Herlth, 11, Tavernier, Fla., -- 11 species
Smallfry Boy -- Joe Merritt, 10, Key West, Fla., -- 11 species
Junior Girl -- Kara Wiseman, 14, Sarasota, Fla., -- 7 species
Smallfry Girl -- Jamie Gunthner, 5, Tavernier, Fla., -- 9 species

Most Unusual Catch
Amanda Quain, 12, Sunny Isles, Fla., – stingray

Top Captains
1st Place -- Captain Vinny Argiro, on the Coolwater
2nd Place -- Captain Steve Rodger, on the Spear One
3rd Place -- Captain Ryan Logan, on the Cheerio

Mercury/IGFA Junior Angler World Championship
Overall standings

Angler's Name / Age / Hometown Total Species Fish Day1 Day2 Class ID
Points Count

Junior Angler

Christopher Wightman, 14, Islamorada, Fla. 332 11 29 225 107 JB
Jordan Brown-Herlth, 11, Key Largo, Fla., 326 11 44 104 222 JB
Danny Ochab, 14, Orlando 316 9 46 138 178 JB
Christopher Trosset, 14, Key West, Fla., 312 10 32 175 137 JB
Zachary Best, 11, Nelliston, NY, 281 11 37 109 172 JB
Ryan Summers, 13, Finksburg, MD, 278 9 41 116 162 JB
Alexander R. Lopez, 14, Coral Gables, Fla., 264 7 30 125 139 JB
Elliot Grossman, 15, Manteo, NC, 261 9 32 116 145 JB
Kirk Beattie, 15, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 257 8 24 167 90 JB
Philip G. Cathell, 15, Berlin, NJ 225 7 28 105 120 JB
Chad Raney, 13, Pompano Beach, Fla., 220 10 24 150 70 JB
Kara Weisman, 14, Sarasota, Fla., 217 7 22 65 152 JG
Matthew Anderson, 14, Princeton, MN 203 7 32 106 97 JB
Katrina Tomczyk, 14, Boca Raton, Fla. 192 7 20 65 127 JG
DJ Cook, 14, Port St. Lucie, Fl 161 6 26 81 80 JB
Kara McLaughlin, 11, Hollis, NH 145 6 16 115 30 JG
Mike Zsoldos, 12, Bayville, NJ 130 7 18 90 40 JB
Jeffrey Hald II, 11, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 120 4 18 90 30 JB
Drew Nobregas, 11, Islamorada, Fla., 115 5 17 85 30 JB
Patrick Snipes, 12, Vero Beach, Fla., 104 5 17 59 45 JB
Kyle Wrenn, 11, Cape Coral, Fla., 96 6 18 62 34 JB
Amanda Quain, 12, Sunny Isles, Fla., 92 5 12 17 75 JG
Amanda Vallejo, 13, Plantation, Fla., 85 5 12 5 80 JG

Small Fry

Joe Merritt, 10, Key West, Fla., 352 11 47 126 226 SB
Tyler Sage, 6, Weston, Fla., 329 9 39 150 179 SB
Jamie Claire Gunthner, 5, Tavernier, Fla., 272 9 32 112 160 SG
Colton Gallops, 10, Naples, Fla., 245 9 34 73 172 SB
Charles Porter, 9, Islamorada, Fla., 200 9 19 40 160 SB
Brittany Wilem, 9, Gulfport, MS, 116 7 18 79 37 SG
Joshua Shevlin, 8, Bay Harbor Island, Fla., 86 7 15 7 79 SB
Daniel Hammond, 7, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 77 6 13 7 70 SB
Adam Lambeth, 9, Vero Beach, Fla., 76 4 11 19 57 SB


JB: Junior Boy
JG: Junior Girl
SB: Small Fry Boy
SG: Small Fry Girl

Total Fish caught and released: 819 in 27 species categories and also one misc. category