Starting with a S.L.A.M.
Wade Boggs, celebrities go for grand slam during Saltwater Series opener
KEY WEST, Fla. — The conclusion of the Bassmaster Elite Series won't spell the end of top-flight competitive angling this year.
In just a few weeks, a new tournament circuit will debut: the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series.
"We are always looking to provide fans with unique and compelling content," said Jamie Wilkinson, senior director of event operations and business development for ESPN Outdoors. "We are excited about the potential of this new series."
The first of the six events gets kicks off when anglers and celebrities team up to fish for tarpon, permit and bonefish in the 2008 Mercury Outboards' Southernmost Light-Tackle Anglers Masters (S.L.A.M.) tournament scheduled Friday through Sunday, Sept. 5-7.
The popular S.L.A.M. is the first in an annual Florida Keys autumn trilogy of Mercury Redbone angling challenges. Proceeds from the trilogy and other Redbone celebrity tournaments benefit cystic fibrosis research and the fight against the disease.
The tournament also is the first ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series shows to be broadcast on ESPN2 during the first half of 2009, and event coverage will appear in a new ESPN annual magazine.
Celebrity competitors expected to participate in the 2008 S.L.A.M. include Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, lauded for his career with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees; NASA space shuttle astronaut Bruce Melnick, who participated in both the Endeavor and Discovery missions; former Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Jon Giesler; Mark Cooper, formerly with the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers; investigative reporter Carmel Cafiero of Miami's Channel 7 News and Jose Wejebe, acclaimed for his long-running ESPN2 television series "The Spanish Fly."
Participants in the acclaimed catch-and-release tournament earn points by releasing fish from the three wily flats species. The eagerly sought "flats grand slam" is scored when an angler releases a fish from each target species.
The Superfly, a one-day, one-fly tournament, is to precede the S.L.A.M. with registration set for at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, at Conch Republic Seafood Co., 631 Greene St. Fishing is scheduled Friday, Sept. 5, until 3 p.m., with a 5 p.m. awards ceremony at Conch Republic Seafood Co.
Registration for the S.L.A.M. is slated for 2-6 p.m. Friday in the Truman Ballroom of the Westin Key West Resort, 245 Front St. Registration is to be followed by a cocktail reception, rules meeting for anglers and guides, kick-off dinner and live auction in the Truman Ballroom.
Fishing is set for 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, and 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7. The awards banquet is scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday at the Westin Resort following a 7 p.m. cocktail hour.
The public is invited to meet celebrity anglers and the Redbone family at dockside parties 3-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Conch Republic Seafood Co.
In addition, the tournament's boutique and silent auction in the Westin's Truman Ballroom are open to the public. Items can be viewed 2-6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6. A silent auction cocktail party, also open to the public, is set for 5 p.m. Saturday.
Members of the public also can attend the tournament kick-off dinner and auction, and the celebrity awards banquet, for a $350 per person social fee.
Prizes are to be awarded to the champion anglers, teams and guides — as well as the top anglers and guides in the spin/plug and fly divisions. Awards also are to be presented for the largest fish caught and released in each target species and the largest number of fish released in each species.
The grand champion angler will qualify for the 2009 Florida Keys Outfitters International Game Fish Association Inshore World Championship.
The S.L.A.M.'s $3,000 individual entry fee includes two days of guided fishing with a celebrity and access to all tournament social functions for the angler and a guest. For a team of two anglers, the entry fee is $3,500.
For more information about the S.L.A.M., tournament registration forms or the Mercury Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series, call (305) 664-2002 or visit www.redbone.org.
For lodging information in Key West, contact the Key West Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-LAST-KEY (800-527-8539), or visit the Florida Keys Key West Web site at www.fla-keys.com.
