(Oct. 13, 2005 - Atlanta, GA.) Redfish Nation, LLC is one of four finalists for the Horizon Awards Emerging Sports Property of the Year, it was announced this month by the Horizon Awards Voting Academy. Additionally, nominees in 10 other categories were announced for the 2005 Horizon Awards for Sports Business, the nation’s only national recognition forum celebrating excellence in sports business. This year, Redfish Nation’s signature properties, the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup presented by frogg toggs and the Redfish Nation Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, include 14 scheduled professional and grassroots fishing tournaments across the Gulf region involving more than 100 teams at each stop. Redfish Nation started as a one-hour television special for ESPN in 2002 but has grown into a full-fledged sports property with multiple series and team sponsorships and will garner more than 14 hours of programming on ESPN2 in 2006 and reach 11 million viewers. It has developed into the flagship program of ESPN’s Saltwater Sunday programming initiative. “This nomination is evidence of how fast the sport of redfish angling is growing both as a participant sport and as desirable multimedia content,” said Mike McKinnis, president of Redfish Nation. “The enthusiasm of our members, the passion of our tournament anglers, the involvement of our host cities and the support of our sponsors and TV partners has all been incredible. The foundation is in place to grow Redfish Nation even more in the coming years.” While the magazine offers in-depth news on Redfish Cup anglers, fishing gear and travel destinations, the sites offer redfish enthusiasts active message boards, live tournament weigh-ins and real-time news related to the tours, anglers and tournaments. Currently, Redfish Nation boasts over 1,200 members from 27 states and three countries. “This was another very strong year for submissions,” said Dave St. Peter, president of the Minnesota Twins and Horizon Awards Voting Academy member. “I don’t envy our position. Selecting overall winners will be very difficult. There’s a lot of cutting-edge work being done and I think this nominee list is a great example.” Final nominees were chosen by the Voting Academy from hundreds of entrees and will now be voted on to see who will establish themselves as a leader in their field. An awards ceremony honoring the nominees for this year’s Horizon Awards will be held on November 2, 2005, in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center's Georgia Ballroom. Additionally, the event will occur in conjunction with the 2005 TOUR Championship in Atlanta, drawing additional athletes, celebrities and exposure. Following is a list of final nominees for Emerging Sports Property of the Year, which is awarded to the sports property or event that had significant attendance, media coverage and public awareness in 2005. Redfish Nation Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam Tour de Georgia National Dodgeball Association Past winners include ESPN, for Sports Media Company of the Year; NASCAR, for Professional Sports Organization of the Year; Cingular Wireless and the Special Olympics for Sports Philanthropic Partnership of the Year; the Atlantic Coast Conference, for Amateur Sports Organization of the Year; Coca Cola, the NCAA and CBS for Sports Business Impact Partnership of the Year; Nike, for Sports-Themed Advertising Campaign of the Year; the United Parcel Service, for Sports Theme Advertising Campaign of the Year; and Anheuser Busch, Inc. for Legendary Corporate Impact on Sports. The Horizon Awards is the only national sports business awards forum celebrating excellence in sales, promotions, advertising, marketing, technology and media within the sports industry.

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