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5/10/2001
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Article/Press
Release
Mothers’
Help Bring Fishing to New Generation of Anglers
ASA’s
Future Fisherman Foundation offers the tools
(Alexandria,
VA) - A message to mothers and daughters out there – fishing
isn’t just for the guys anymore.
In increasing numbers, mothers are realizing that fishing is
great fun not only for themselves, but for the family as well.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, the Future Fisherman
Foundation would like to recognize those moms that are raising the
new generation of anglers.
Statistics
show that only about a third of all anglers are women.
However, the perception that fishing is a male-dominated
sport appears to be changing. Roughly
13 million women now fish, a five percent increase from 1998 to 1999
according to the National Sporting Goods Association.
“Fishing
is the least discriminating sport in the world,” says Kathy Magers,
a 20-year professional angler.
“No one is prevented from doing it.
Most of all, we can still be ‘ladies’ and enjoy this
sport.”
While
Magers credits her grandfather for teaching her the fishing basics,
it was Magers’ mother that fostered her interest and kept her
committed to the sport. “Fishing
was always the time that mom and I spent alone together,
uninterrupted by the daily demands of life - no ringing phone,
barking dogs, or meals to cook,” explained Magers.
What
has kept Magers involved with fishing is at the core of what has
made fishing among the most popular outdoor sports for decades. The benefits of fishing are found not just in the thrill of
the catch (and more often than not, the release), but also in the
time spent together on the water with friends and family.
As
the demands of daily life increase, many families find it difficult
to keep in touch. The
problem is exacerbated by an increasing number of working parents or
single-parent households. For
the exhausted, over-burdened family, the easiest recreational
“activities” are often going to the movies or plopping down in
front of the TV. Unfortunately,
these sources are not often the most appropriate influences for
young people.
Heather
Hoyer sees fishing as a way to help bring families together while
teaching valuable life lessons to her kids.
Hoyer is a 7th grade science teacher at Paris
Gibson Middle School in Great Falls, Montana and a mother of two
young girls. “Fishing
gives us a base, a shared experience.
Talking about the importance of respecting nature and each
other just comes naturally when we’re out there by the water.”
Hoyer
believes so strongly in the power of fishing that she sponsors a
fishing club in her school that utilizes the Hooked on Fishing - Not
of Drugs curriculum. The
award-winning curriculum is developed and administered by the
non-profit Future Fisherman Foundation, the recruitment and
education arm of the American Sportfishing Association.
The program provides all the basics of how and where to go
fishing. In addition,
while they’re having fun and developing a lifelong activity, kids
going through the program learn self-confidence and the importance
of treating the environment, other people, and themselves with
respect.
Hoyer’s
father, a teacher and Hooked on Fishing instructor in the small town
of Trego, Montana, alerted her to the program two years ago. “Fishing has just always been a part of my family and
teaching philosophy. It
just seemed logical to utilize the Hooked on Fishing curriculum with
my students.”
This
year, Hoyer signed up twenty-four students for the fishing club,
seven of which are girls. “All
seven girls are new to the club this year.
I think we’re really getting to the younger girls and
catching them before they get conditioned to think fishing is
somehow icky.”
Hoyer
has never thought fishing was anything but fun. Maybe that’s because her grandmother taught her that
fishing was for everyone, especially little girls.
With the help of the Hooked on Fishing - Not on Drugs
program, Hoyer is making sure that today’s kids have the
opportunity and the encouragement to become the next generation of
anglers.
Hoyer
practices what she preaches. This
mother’s day, Heather, her two little girls, and her mother-in law
will stroll down to the trout creek running through their property
to have a some fun, share some stories and maybe catch a few fish.
The
Future Fisherman Foundation is the recruitment and education arm of
the American Sportfishing Association (ASA).
For more information on the Future Fisherman Foundation or
the Hooked on Fishing - Not on Drugs program, visit us on the web at
www.asafishing.org <http://www.asafishing.org>,
e-mail us at aglick@asafishing.org
<mailto:aglick@asafishing.org>,
or call (703) 519-9691.
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