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Team
Fountain Wins Back-to-Back
Season Openers on 2006
SKA Tournament Trail
- Proof That Fountain
Powerboat's New Fishing
Strategy Is Paying Off
March
17, 2006 - WASHINGTON,
NC - The $10,000 first
prize for the Southern
Kingfish Association's
Division 11 season opener
wasn't the main draw
for winner Chris Thomas.
He and his team on Fountain
34 Center Console Hold'em
Hook entered the Marco
Island Contender King
Fling on March 11 seeking
the rich first-place
incentives offered by
the new Team Fountain
SKA Tournament Reward
Program - including
a gold-and-stainless
steel Rolex watch personalized
by Reggie Fountain,
CEO of Fountain Powerboats.
Until now, the Hold'em
Hook team only fished
Division 10 events on
the SKA's Mercury Tournament
Trail. "We decided
to fish an extra division
to try to get some of
those incentives,"
Thomas said. "Fountain
has really stepped up.
That's created some
excitement out there."
The
Hold'em Hook team caught
the winning 39.9-pound
fish 130 miles off Marco
Island, FL, in four-
to six-foot seas thanks
to the speed and seakeeping
abilities of the Fountain
34CC equipped with triple
225-hp Mercury Optimax
outboards. The team,
which also includes
anglers Greg Haskins
and Marc Wilson, hooked
up after running an
extra 20 miles out to
a third location because
they knew the boat could
get them back to the
weigh-in by the closing
bell. "We had a
distinct advantage because
we were able to fish
far and fish multiple
spots," Thomas
said.
Last
week, Team Fountain
also took home the $40,000
top prize and scored
five out of the first
15 places overall in
the SKA Pro Tour season
opener in Key West,
FL. Like Thomas, tournament
winner John Griffin
on the 80-mph Fountain
38 Tournament Edition
Line One, powered by
four 250-hp Mercury
Optimax motors, received
a Rolex Submariner watch
and other lucrative
prizes through the Team
Fountain SKA Tournament
Reward Program.
"This
year, we completely
reorganized our strategy
for the 2006 fishing
season. Instead of just
supporting a few pro
teams, we have launched
a grassroots effort
to include and encourage
all Fountain owners
who want to fish the
SKA or ASA tournaments.
This gives everyone
an equal chance to be
on our team - the only
requirement is to own
a Fountain fishing boat.
So far, the strategy
has paid off extremely
well. We've won back-to-back
SKA season openers,"
said Alden Thornton,
Fountain's Fishing Team
Manager.
As
part of Fountain's strategy
to increase fishing
boat sales from North
Carolina to Maine, the
company also is targeting
striper fishermen as
the next emerging market
for its products. Thanks
to the recovery and
growth of the striped
bass population on the
Eastern Seaboard, striper
fishing is becoming
extremely popular. This
year, Fountain will
be taking an active
role in the American
Striper Association
to help increase its
membership, improve
dealer participation
and bolster sponsorship
dollars.
"Back
in the late 1980s, we
co-founded the Southern
Kingfish Association
with Jack Holmes. At
that time, kingfishing
was a little-known sport
with a fairly small
following. Now the SKA
has become one of the
largest saltwater fishing
organizations in the
world," said Reggie
Fountain. "It is
our goal to help build
the ASA the same way,
because we believe that
striper fishing is the
next emerging market
in saltwater angling.
It will provide an excellent
venue for fishing boat
companies and marine
suppliers to showcase
their products on the
U.S. East Coast. We
want to get all boat
and marine manufacturers
involved in order to
grow the sport."
"This
strategy falls right
in line with our objective
of growing the saltwater
fishing segment of our
business," said
David Knight, Executive
VP of Fountain Powerboats.
"By next year,
we plan for fishing
boats to be over fifty
percent of our yearly
production and we believe
that marketing through
the ASA and SKA will
be a key components
to achieving this goal."
Fountain's
ASA and SKA Tournament
Reward Program offers
lucrative prizes for
winning first place
in a Divisional or Pro
SKA or ASA tournament.
The incentives include:
- A Rolex
stainless steel and
gold Submariner watch
personalized by Reggie
Fountain
- $5,000
off your next Fountain
Center Console
- $1,500
off your next Myco
Trailer
- $500
cash from TR-1 Autopilot
Systems
- 50
% off a Sign Zoo Marine
Wrap (or $1,500 cash
if you already have
one)
- $500
Gift Certificate for
C&H Lures
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