CELEBRATION, Fla. — For their outstanding efforts in increased participation, four BASS Federation Nation states — Alabama, Kentucky, Texas and Nevada — were awarded with prizes via the "Drive the Nation" incentive program, BASS announced today.
States were split into two divisions with comparable membership numbers to create an even playing field and were charted for highest numerical increase and highest percentage increase during the "Drive the Nation" promotional period, which lasted from Jan. 14 to April 14.
Alabama and Kentucky were the winners in their respective divisions for the top numerical increase in participation. The Alabama Federation Nation received a Toyota Tundra truck valued at $28,000, and the Kentucky Nation took home a Triton boat package valued at $20,000.
"The Federation Nation is a great program," said Eddie Plemons, president of the Alabama Nation. "It has been no problem growing our state as people want to align themselves with BASS and the Federation Nation."
Second place in both divisions — Texas and Nevada — were awarded a special appearance by BASS founder Ray Scott at an official Federation Nation state event.
Nevada, which was added to the Federation Nation in 2006 as a new state, has demonstrated great growth in a short period of time.
"I think our state has great potential to grow even more in the next year," said Tim Meyers, president of the Nevada BASS Federation Nation. "BASS has helped us quite a bit in establishing a presence in Nevada and I really thank our existing membership for help getting the word out."
The presidents from the Federation Nations of Alabama, Kentucky and Texas were presented with the awards Sunday at the Bassmaster American presented by Advance Auto Parts in Greensboro, N.C., by Don Corkran, director of the Federation Nation.
"These states embraced a terrific program and were able to take home some fantastic prizes," said Corkran. "We applaud the loyalty of all of the states in the Federation Nation and thank the support of the Federation Nation sponsors who made this program possible."
Sponsors of the Federation Nation include Toyota, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn and Costa Del Mar.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
