Proceeds From Celebrity Fishing Tournament Benefits Darrell Gwynn Foundation

The Darrell Gwynn Foundation and Outdoor Channel are teaming up to deliver a one-hour charity special for TV.

The program will showcase the foundation’s “Hot Rods & Reels” annual celebrity fishing tournaments, sponsored by Miccosukee Resort and Gaming, which bring together NASCAR drivers and their fans to fish for charity and the chance to win $1 million.

The TV special will capture the action of two Hot Rods & Reels tournaments staged during the Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 15 and the Daytona 500 Weekend at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 14.

Among the participating NASCAR celebrities:  Tony Stewart, Martin Truex, team owner Richard Childress and Darrell Waltrip. These men and other members of NASCAR will partner with an angler to cast  away for the biggest fish in infield lakes stocked with peacock and largemouth bass.

 Proceeds from the events will benefit the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, a Florida-based nonprofit that donates custom wheelchairs to children and young adults and advocates for spinal cord injury causes. The tournaments also benefit the Speediatrics pediatric centers at Homestead Hospital in Homestead, Fla. and Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. Joining Miccosukee Resort & Gaming in sponsoring this event are Bass Pro Shops, Sprint, Hook & Tackle, Bass Online, Plano, and Triumph Headwear.

“This special blends two of our viewers’ favorite pastimes: motorsports and fishing.  It offers them the opportunity to get up close and personal with celebrity NASCAR drivers through our one-on-one interviews,” said Outdoor Channel COO Tom Hornish in a statement. “Additionally, Hot Rods & Reels enables us to expand our brand in the realm of motor sports and raise awareness for a remarkable non-profit organization.”

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….

From Staff and Wire Reports

BassOnline.com

Leading Network for Outdoor Enthusiasts and Darrell Gwynn Foundation Partner for One-Hour Program Featuring NASCAR Drivers and Their Fans Fishing for Charity

HOMESTEAD, Fla., Nov 14, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The Darrell Gwynn Foundation and Outdoor Channel, America’s Leader in Outdoor TV, have teamed up to deliver a one-hour special for TV. The program will feature the Foundation’s Hot Rods & Reels annual celebrity fishing tournaments, sponsored by Miccosukee Resort and Gaming, which bring together NASCAR drivers and their fans to fish for charity and the chance to win $1 million.

The TV special will capture the action of two Hot Rods & Reels tournaments staged during the Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 15 and the Daytona 500 Weekend at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 14. NASCAR celebrity participants include Tony Stewart, Martin Truex, team owner Richard Childress, Darrell Waltrip and many others, who will partner with an everyday angler to cast away for the biggest fish in infield lakes stocked with peacock and largemouth bass.

“The special on Outdoor Channel will draw a national audience to these worthwhile charity events,” said Darrell Gwynn, the Foundation’s president who is paralyzed from a 1990 racing accident. “I am grateful to Outdoor Channel for taking this event to the next level.”

Outdoor Channel will go behind-the-scenes to capture interviews with NASCAR celebrities and other event participants. Darrell and his wife, Lisa, will also take part in the special in an in-depth interview offering their emotional story of the launch of the Darrell Gwynn Foundation and the foundation’s many success stories.

“This special blends two of our viewers’ favorite pastimes: motorsports and fishing. It offers them the opportunity to get up close and personal with celebrity NASCAR drivers through our one-on-one interviews,” said Tom Hornish, COO at Outdoor Channel. “Additionally, Hot Rods & Reels enables us to expand our brand in the realm of motorsports and raise awareness for a remarkable non-profit organization.”

Proceeds from the events will benefit the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, a Florida-based nonprofit that donates custom wheelchairs to children and young adults and advocates for spinal cord injury causes. The tournaments also benefit the “Speediatrics(R)” pediatric centers at Homestead Hospital in Homestead, Fla. and Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. Joining Miccosukee Resort & Gaming in sponsoring this event are Bass Pro Shops, Sprint, Hook & Tackle, Bass Online, Plano, and Triumph Headwear.

The Darrell Gwynn Foundation is a Davie, Fla.-based nonprofit agency formed in 2002 to provide wheelchairs to children and young adults and advocate for people with spinal cord injuries. The Foundation was founded by former NHRA star Darrell Gwynn to prevent, provide for and ultimately cure spinal cord injuries and other debilitating illness.

For more information on the Foundation and the programs it supports, visit www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org or call 954-792-7223.

About Darrell Gwynn Foundation

The Darrell Gwynn Foundation (DGF) is a certified non-profit 501(c) 3 agency. The Foundation exists to prevent, provide for and ultimately cure spinal cord injuries and other debilitating illnesses. To expedite cures, DGF assists in the funding of targeted research. The Foundation also is dedicated to injury prevention, with special emphasis on programs targeting children. The organization helps improve the quality of life for those already afflicted with injury or illness, by providing equipment or special services. DGF is an official charity of the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and has a close affiliation with NASCAR and the NASCAR Foundation. Additional information about DGF can be found at www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org.

About Outdoor Channel

Outdoor Channel is America’s Leader in Outdoor TV, offering programming that captures the excitement of hunting, fishing, shooting, off-road motorsports, adventure and the Western lifestyle. The network can be viewed on multiple platforms including high definition, video-on-demand, as well as on a dynamic new website. Outdoor Channel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc.  For more information about Outdoor Channel, please visit www.outdoorchannel.com.

SOURCE Outdoor Channel

 http://www.outdoorchannel.com

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….

From Staff and Wire Reports

BassOnline.com

HOMESTEAD-MIAMI

CONTACT:

Leon Fooksman/Jeff Bray

O’Connell & Goldberg

(954) 964-9098 / cell: (954) 599-7613                                 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 “HOT RODS & REELS™”

CHARITY FISHING TOURNAMENT TO FEATURE NASCAR DRIVERS & FANS COMPETING FOR A MILLION DOLLARS

Proceeds of Championship Weekend Event at Homestead-Miami Speedway

to Benefit the Darrell Gwynn Foundation

DAVIE, Fla. – (Nov. 6, 2008) – Fishing for a cause – “Hot Rods & Reels™,” which benefits the Darrell Gwynn Foundation – returns to the infield lake at Homestead-Miami Speedway at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15.

The annual Miccosukee Resort & Gaming “Hot Rods & Reels™” NASCAR drivers’ charity fishing tournament will be staged on the Speedway’s 18-acre infield lake stocked with peacock bass.  A hugely successful event since it first launched at Homestead-Miami Speedway seven years ago, “Hot Rods & Reels™” provides a unique combination of fun and excitement – fishing for trophy bass alongside NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and other racing celebrities as well as a chance to win “The Miccosukee Million”. 

The angler who catches the largest bass will select one of 250 envelopes, one of which contains $1 million from Miccosukee Resort & Gaming.

“Hot Rods & Reels™” attracts some of the biggest names in NASCAR, including drivers, owners and TV personalities.  Among the NASCAR drivers and celebrities scheduled to participate in this year’s tournament are Martin Truex, Ryan Newman, team owner Richard Childress, Tony Stewart, Darrell Waltrip and many others.

            “We are thrilled to be back at Homestead-Miami Speedway for our seventh ‘Hot Rods & Reels™’ fishing tournament.  What an exciting way to cap off the 2008 NASCAR season,” said Darrell Gwynn, president of the Darrell Gwynn Foundation (DGF) and event founder.

The tournament is a fundraiser for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, which uses proceeds to purchase custom wheelchairs for children and young adults suffering from spinal cord injuries or debilitating diseases.  A portion of the proceeds also is donated to the “Speediatrics” unit at Homestead Hospital.  The special unit, which is brightly decked out in a racing theme, helps children and families feel more comfortable amid beeping medical equipment and the constant parade of doctors and nurses

“The tournament is a terrific opportunity for fans and sponsors to fish with a NASCAR pro and enjoy the thrill of a lifetime,” Gwynn notes.  “My deepest thanks to the Miccosukee Resorts & Gaming, Homestead-Miami Speedway, our sponsors and all the celebrity participants who make this such a special event.”

The Miccosukee Resort & Gaming “Hot Rods & Reels™” tournament is the culmination of Florida Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week, a Darrell Gwynn Foundation initiative.  Events throughout The Week (Nov. 10-16) help educate Floridians about common ways spinal cord injuries occur and how they might be prevented. 

#     #    #

The Darrell Gwynn Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to preventing paralysis, providing support for individual’s living with paralysis and ultimately finding a cure for paralysis.  To expedite specific cures, the Foundation assists in the funding of targeted research.

Florida Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week is being observed November 10-16, 2008.  Spurred by the Foundation, the Florida Legislature began recognizing Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week in 2006 and re-adopted The Week in 2007 and 2008.  Florida is the first, and only, state to officially observe Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week. The Foundation places public service announcements on radio, sends paraplegic and quadriplegic speakers into high schools, donates wheelchairs to children and young adults, and takes other actions to reduce spinal cord injuries during The Week in addition to its year-round activities and programs.

The Betty Jane France Pediatric Center “Speediatrics®” at Homestead Hospital and Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach is a pediatrics unit designed with a motorsports theme thanks to the vision of Betty Jane France, NASCAR Foundation chairwoman and founder of Speediatrics.  Speediatrics’ cheerful atmosphere can make a difference in the spirit and recovery of sick children as documented at the Halifax Medical Center, which launched the first unit in 1999 with the backing of Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR.

Joining Miccosukee Resort & Gaming in sponsoring this event are Bass Pro Shops, Sprint, Hook & Tackle, Bass Online, Plano and Triumph Headwear.  For more information on registration or sponsorship, visit www.hotrodsandreels.com or call 954-792-7223 ext. 112.

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….

From Staff and Wire Reports

BassOnline.com

(Sep. 29, 2008 - Okeechobee, FL)… Boater Alex Picos of Davie, Fla., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Everglades Division Super Tournament on Lake Okeechobee with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 38 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned Picos $3,560 plus a $628 Ranger bonus.

Picos said he used a shad-colored soft-plastic jerkbait to target bass hugging isolated grass on the main lake.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Brandon McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla. (10 bass, 38-08, $2,095); Rene Gonzales of Lauderhill, Fla. (10 bass, 37-14, $1,396); Steve Fairtrace of Okeechobee, Fla. (10 bass, 36-10, $978) and Bryan Honnerlaw of Moore Haven, Fla. (10 bass, 35-10, $838).

Greg Sorrell of Fort Myers, Fla., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $465 for an 8-pound, 8-ounce bass that he caught on a trick worm on an 18-foot ledge.

Raymond Riendeau of Saint Cloud, Fla., earned $2,095 as the co-angler winner thanks to 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 1 ounce that he caught while fishing a soft plastic frog near isolated grass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Brock Stanaland of Jupiter, Fla. (seven bass, 24-14, $1,047); William Wood of West Palm Beach, Fla. (10 bass, 24-02, $700); Robert Wood of Jupiter (nine bass, 23-11, $489) and Ernie Johnson of Okeechobee, Fla. (nine bass, 22-10, $419).

Stanaland earned $116 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass that he caught on a white soft-plastic frog.

It’s so great to see really good catch results on lake Okeechobee once again, the lake is on it way back!

From Staff and Wire Reports
BassOnline.com
888-629-BASS (2277)
www.hawghunter.net
www.bassauthority.com
www.flpeacockbass.com
www.basson-line.com