Marine
Capt. Al Flutie’s Over the Hill Sailfish Tournament kicks off 2008 Redbone Celebrity event schedule
ISLAMORADA, Fla. (January 17, 2008) – The 19th annual Capt. Al Flutie's Over the Hill Rip-Off Sailfish Tournament kicks off the 2008 Redbone Celebrity event schedule with a tourney Jan. 21-22. The event is sponsored by the Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF).
Approximately 30 Redbone Celebrity tournaments are held each year, with all proceeds benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Redbone events raised $1,568,000 in 2007 alone, and have raised more than $11 million in 20 years. Capt. Al Flutie's Over the Hill Rip-Off Sailfish Tournament is part of the Redbone @ Large Celebrity Tournament Series.
The Boomer Esiason Foundation is a partnership of leaders in the medical and business communities – joined with a core of volunteers – who provide financial support for research aimed at finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. Esiason is a former Super Bowl quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals. BEF works to heighten education and awareness of cystic fibrosis and to provide a better quality of life for those affected by CF.
BEF has also created a scholarship fund to assist cystic fibrosis patients pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. As therapeutic developments increase the lifespan of patients, the need for a scholarship program for these students has emerged.
Anglers of any age may enter the tournament, but there must be at least one registered angler over the age of 50 on each vessel. The event includes a captain's meeting on Friday evening and an awards banquet and live auction held following the tournament on Saturday.
Financial support from the Redbone events has allowed tournaments such as Capt. Al Flutie's Over the Hill Rip-Off Sailfish Tournament to help CFF make tremendous progress in the field of cystic fibrosis research and care. The median age of survival for a person with CF has improved from early childhood in the 1950s to 36.8 years today. Cystic fibrosis continues to be a critical health matter, however, as most individuals with the disease must battle chronic lung infections for their entire lives. At least one person dies from CF each day.
CFF's mission is to assure the means to cure and control the genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of approximately 30,000 children and young adults in the United States.
Redbone founder Gary Ellis and his wife, Susan, have supported CFF for two decades, not only because of its innovative and effective research efforts, but also for a very personal reason: their daughter, Nicole, was diagnosed with CF as an infant in the mid-1980s. Nicole is now thriving in the corporate world of international marketing, and she has witnessed - first hand - the advances made in the treatment of the disease.
The seeds for Capt. Al Flutie's Over the Hill Rip-off Sailfish Tournament were planted in 1988, when anglers, fishing guides and sports celebrities organized a tournament in this Florida Keys village. The ground rules were simple – to win, the angler must catch and release at least one redfish and one bonefish.
The inaugural Islamorada event was a huge success, and spawned the “redbone” moniker. The current format of the individual tournaments includes freshwater, offshore and flats fishing.
The environments in which the Redbone events take place have played a critical role in their success. The Florida Keys, for instance, contain miles of clear flats with acres of turtle grass and marl, features that create a welcoming habitat and a diverse fishery that includes bonefish, tarpon, permit, redfish and snook. Tournaments are also held in such diverse locations as Massachusetts, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Costa Rica, Pennsylvania, Ohio, the Bahamas, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Louisiana.
Mercury Marine, the official outboard engine of the Redbone events, began its support of the Series in 1992. For two decades, this collection of events has drawn the attention and support of big-name celebrities such as the late baseball great Ted Williams, baseball stars Mike Schmidt and Wade Boggs, football legends Esiason, Jim Kelly and Ken Stabler, and the late broadcasting icon Curt Gowdy.
For more information on the Redbone @ Large Celebrity Tournament Series and/or Capt. Al Flutie's Over the Hill Rip-Off Sailfish Tournament, visit on-line at www.redbone.org or call 305-664-2002 or 1-877-5-FISH-CF.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., is a donor-supported, nonprofit organization committed to finding therapies and ultimately a cure for cystic fibrosis, and to improving the lives of those with the disease. For more information, visit www.cff.org.
WHAT: Capt. Al Flutie's Over the Hill Rip-Off Sailfish Tournament
WHEN: January 21-22, 2008
WHERE: Islamorada, Florida
CONTACT:
Steve Fleming
Communications Director
Mercury Marine
Phone: 920-929-5340
Fax: 920-926-2346
Email: steve_fleming@mercmarine.com
or
Gary Ellis
Redbone Foundation
Phone: 877-5-FISH-CF or 305-664-2002
Email: gredbone@bellsouth.net
