For Immediate Release
Media Contacts:
Tucker Horne
Team Manager
704-904-6646
thorne@usangling.org
Josh Miller
Captain/Coach
412-805-5970
US Youth Fly Fishing Team wins gold at the World Youth Fly Fishing Championship in Bosnia & Herzegovina
Six American teens, from five different states, eclipse the competition with three medals at the World Youth Fly Fishing Championship
The 20th annual Cortland World Youth Fly Fishing Championship was held in the historic town of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina from July 16th through July 23rd where 66 teenagers from 13 countries competed for a week in river and lake angling. The US Youth Fly Fishing Team of six American teens worked tirelessly together, both training beforehand in the US and in Bosnia, and also during the week of competition, to bring the team gold back home to the USA. On this trip the team was led by the wisdom and experience of the Captain/Coach, Josh Miller, and the energy and coordination of the Team Manager, Tucker Horne, to stand on the top of the podium.
Competing for three hours a day for five days straight in 100+ degree heat, The US Youth Fly Fishing Team started out day one in the lead and remained the “team to beat” this year by maintaining their lead each day and ending with a substantial 28-point lead over second place France and a 67-point lead over Slovakia, who took third place.
The young men worked into the wee hours of the mornings tying hundreds of flies in an assembly line, sharing supplies, rods, ideas, and maximizing their edge by focusing on the team medal over the individual medals. The team went to Bosnia 2 weeks early to train with 2 local guides on local rivers to hone-in on tactics used to take the team gold medal.
Although they focused on Team Gold, the USA also boasted two anglers top the individual medal podium: Drew Bone, age 19, of Bernalillo, NM, took Gold and is the current World Champion, and Kage Kossler, 17, of Bend, OR, took Silver.
Other team members include: Lawson Braun, 16, of Waynesville, NC, Blake Hall, 14, of Marion, VA, Max Logan, 17, of Boulder, CO, and Noah Shapiro, 19, also of Boulder, CO.
These six exceptional anglers, and their coaches and manager, are a part of the US Youth Fly Fishing Team(USYFFT) and the US Angling Confederation (USAngling).
The US Youth Fly Fishing Team is a 501c3 Non-Profit dedicated to the development of a distinguished and skilled fly-fishing team that proudly represents the United States in FIPS-Mouche sanctioned international championships each year.
Just as important as the fishing, is the camaraderie and the cross-cultural connections that are made through the events. Team members are also involved in a number of other areas of fly fishing such as guiding, offering fly fishing tying clinics, participating in watershed preservation projects, and promoting environmental stewardship.
Contact Tucker Horne for corporate sponsorship or donation information.