MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 26, 2006) - Wal-Mart, the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing, announced today the members of its professional angling team. In 2006, the Wal-Mart angling team consists of George Cochran, Laura Long and Trevor Jancasz.
Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997. Now, through its partnership with FLW Outdoors, the world's largest retailer will sponsor a three-member angling team that will compete on various FLW Outdoors tournament trails.
George Cochran is a tournament veteran from Hot Springs, Ark., who is well-known as a master of shallow-water bass angling. He has earned three championship titles in his storied career - including a $500,000 victory at the 2005 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship in Hot Springs, Ark. - and has amassed more than $1.7 million in winnings. Fishing in front of his hometown fans on the final day of the 2005 championship, Cochran's 10-pound, 3-ounce limit beat second-place pro Chad Grigsby by over 3 1/2 pounds. "I feel really proud to be one of the chosen anglers on Wal-Mart's first-ever sponsor team," Cochran said. "Wal-Mart is the nation's leading retailer, and I strongly believe in them. I've been buying Wal-Mart stock for many, many years."
Long is an FLW Tour and Stren Series co-angler from Berkley, Mich. She has competed in 28 FLW Outdoors events since 2003, and to date, the highlight of her career was a top-10 finish at the 2003 FLW Tour event on Lake Murray. Long is one angler who has always made a concerted effort to give something back to the community. She and a few other anglers visited Birmingham Children's Hospital in Alabama during the week of the 2004 FLW Tour Championship to brighten the spirits of ill and injured children. Long also participates in many of the Wal-Mart Tire & Lube Express Fishing and Automotive Clinics, where young anglers are introduced to the sport of fishing. "I am really upbeat about being a part of the Wal-Mart team, especially with Wal-Mart being the main sponsor of FLW Outdoors," Long said. "It's great also because I am on the same team with two of the best anglers on tour."
Jancasz also competes as a co-angler on the FLW Tour and as a pro in the Stren Series Midwest Division. At the 2005 FLW Tour event on Lake Tohopekaliga, Jancasz boated a 9-pound, 7-ounce behemoth, which propelled him to a fourth-place finish and earned him the Snickers Big Bass Award. Last July, the White Pigeon, Mich., native won the Co-angler Division of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship on Lake Hamilton thanks to his tournament-winning catch of three bass weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces. To cap off an excellent season, Jancasz walked away with a check for $25,000. "It's great to be on Team Wal-Mart," Jancasz said. "Without Wal-Mart's support, I wouldn't have the opportunity to do things that I am doing now."
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com's sponsor page.
For more information about FLW Outdoors tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
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