TOURNAMENT NEWS AND UPDATES
Including the Latest From Behind-the-Scenes

Friday
Jul092010

Fox Talks USC with Shark Bros

 After our segment we hi-jacked the news desk.

We were recently invited by Fox's 'Morning Blend' talk show to talk about the tourney. Special thanks to 'Wild' Bill Wood and Carly Wegner for the on-set hospitality and producer, Jennifer Fairfield-Williams for the opportunity.

You can't see it all in this shot, but it was one of the most shark-infested talk show sets around.

We had a real good time with you and the crew -- hope to see you all again sometime soon.

L-R: Sean Paxton, Carley Wegner, 'Wild' Bill Wood and Brooks Paxton II.

View Segment

More photos on Facebook/TheUltimateSharkChallenge

Tuesday
Jun082010

GH-USC Miami Herald Article 

SARASOTA - Theater-goers at this southwest Florida marine attraction and research laboratory (Mote) were attending a rare event: an all catch-and-release, big-money, science-centered shark fishing tournament broadcast from the water.

 Photo: Sue Cocking / Miami Herald Staff

The scientists on the big screen -- Robert Hueter, director of Mote's Center for Shark Research, and colleagues Jack Morris and John Tyminski -- were busy fitting the shark with a satellite tracking tag the size of a large cigar. After they finished drilling and secured the tag, they removed a lasso from around the shark's tail and set it free. It hovered disoriented on the surface for a few seconds, then swam away.

"Outstanding,'' Hueter said later.

Read Full Article ...

Monday
May312010

Tourney Recap & Special Thanks

Hello Everyone,

We'd like to extend our sincere thanks for your support of, and participation in, the 2010 Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge. The successes we're able to enjoy now were only made possible with all your unique contributions of talent, experience, commitment and dedication -- all in the interests of a common, but very important goal. We're proud to have had the opportunity to work with each and every one of you over the past 12 months. It's been a rewarding experience.

In the weeks to come, we'll be planning the next steps, which we'll look forward to sharing with you, in anticipation of the announcement of our expanded plans for 2011. Although, the competitive portion of the tournament is over, we are, in many ways, just beginning so be sure and stay tuned to the website for highlight video, lots of photos and plenty of behind-the-scenes updates.

Congratulations, once again, to all our teams, the championship contendors and 1st place anglers of Team Pole Dancer. To all our observers, research personnel, sponsors, host locations, supporters and volunteers go our sincere appreciation for your important role in making this all possible. Extra special thanks to our families, and last, but not least, we'd like to extend our gratitude to all the journalists, reporters, press and media that shared our story with the world.

All the best to you and yours ... Cheers & Tight Lines,
Sean Paxton
Brooks Paxton II
Capt. Robert Moore
Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Directors & Producers

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE. L-R: Bob Hueter, Sean Paxton, 1st Place Winners of Team Pole Dancer (Zack Gerzeny & Capt. Wayne Nichols), Brooks Paxton II, Capt. Robert Moore

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE. L-R: Capt. Robert Moore, 2nd Place Winners of Team Red Zone (Capt. Jay Withers & Capt. Mike Manis), Brooks Paxton II, Sean Paxton.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE. L-R: Brooks Paxton II, 3rd Place Winners of Team Peter's Restaurant: (Capt. Jimmy Willis & Capt. Bucky Dennis), Capt. Robert Moore, Sean Paxton.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE. L-R: 4th Place Winner of Team Chubby'z (William Deluna), Capt. Robert Moore, 4th Place Winner of Team Chubby'z (Richard Proceszyn), Sean Paxton, Brooks Paxton II.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE. L-R: Capt. Robert Moore, 5th Place Winners of Team Liquid Assets (Thomas Burt & David McQuade), Brooks Paxton II.

L-R Front: Bob Hueter, Capt. Mike Manis, Capt. Jay Withers, Zack Gerzeny, Sean Paxton, Capt. Wayne Nichols, Brooks Paxton II, Capt. Robert Moore. L-R Back: Thomas Burt, David McQuade, Capt. Jimmy Willis, Capt. Bucky Dennis, William Deluna, Richard Proceszyn.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE. The 2010 GH-USC Certified Observers & Instructors.

 L-R: John Tyminski, Andy Eggebrecht, Jack Morris, Sean Paxton, Bob Hueter, Nick Whitney, Jayne Gardiner, Luke Tipple (in water). The research and production team on board the Andros Boatworks / Mote Research Vessel working together to satellite tag a 6 foot, 6 inch bull shark, while filming the procedure and streaming it all LIVE on a 40-foot screen for tournament spectators inside Mote's Immersion Cinema.

Photo Courtesy: NBC Nightly News. For the first time ever in a shark fishing tournament, spectators watch the tournament action as it is broadcast LIVE on a 40 foot screen in Mote's 'Immersion Cinema'. Jayne Gardiner of Mote's Center for Shark Research provides informative commentary about the angling and research procedures for attending audiences during both days of the Grand Championship. Photo from video.

L-R: Brooks Paxton II films the action, as Luke Tipple of Shark Free Marinas pilots one of the Andros Boatworks camera chase boats and Vince Genova of NBC captures even more action.

Team Pole Dancer's Zack Gerzeny (lower left) and Wayne Nichols (lower right) work to control one of 2 great hammerheads they caught on Day 1 of the Grand Championship, while USC Certified Observer, Bob Leonard, watches over the procedure. Both sharks would also be satellite tagged and would help Team Pole Dancer advance to win the series. Photo from video.

L-R: Observer, Bob Leonard, Zack Gerzeny and Wayne Nichols measure the great hammerhead shark at 7 feet, 5 inches, before conventionally tagging it and handing it off to the Mote Research team for satellite tagging. It would be named, 'Shirley' by Wayne Nichols. Photo from video.

Team Red Zone. L - R: Jay Withers, preparing to conventionally tag a 6 foot, 6" male bull shark, while Mike Manis secures the fish with an Aftco tail snare, and USC Certified Observer, Robert Lugiewicz maintains control of the head. This catch & release would help Team Red Zone land 2nd Place overall. Named 'Red Zone' by the team, it would also be successfully satellite tagged by the Mote Center for Shark Research. Photo from video.

Photo Courtesy: NBC Nightly News. More tournament spectators glued to the action, as it's streamed live from the water. The shark on the cinema screen in this photo is Team Red Zone's bull shark from Day 2 of the Grand Championship. A special thanks to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium's Audio / Visual Mastermind, Jack Nickelson, for his role in making this groundbreaking broadcast possible. Photo from video.

Stay tuned for more updates, video highlights and photos.

Wednesday
May262010

GH-USC Washington Post

We were joined on the water, during the qualifying round, by Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post Staff Writer. We'd like to thank her for making the trip down from Washington to cover the tournament and share this story with the many Washington Post readers around the world.

L-R: Brooks Paxton II, Sean Paxton, Juliet Eilperin, Bob Hueter

PUNTA GORDA, FLA. -- Most shark tournaments follow a similar ritual: Contestants haul up sharks and bring them back to the dock, where the by now dead animals are weighed and measured so judges can declare a winner. But in the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge, which had a qualifying competition earlier this month and will culminate in a final round of fishing this weekend, the sharks get away with their lives.

The idea of catching sharks and freeing them for entertainment is a new twist on the old sport -- the latest effort by conservationists and scientists to protect dwindling shark populations.

Read Entire Article ...

Monday
May242010

NBC Nightly News Tourney Story

Kerry Sanders, long-time featured anchor for the NBC Nightly News, spent all day weekend on the water with us, filming the tournament action on board the Mote research vessel Provided by Andy Eggebrecht of Andros Boatworks. Vince Genova, NBC editor and cameraman, shot on another one of the Andros camera chase boats. 

L-R: Brooks Paxton II, Kerry Sanders, Producer/Cameraman-Vince Genova, Sean Paxton

As the tournament creators and producers, it was a memorable experience working with both of them; they're total pros and a couple of great guys. Amazingly, they were able to shoot, edit and upload this featured piece in enough time to air last night at 6:30 pm across the US and abroad.

Thanks, guys. We really appreciate you making the trip and sharing our story with the world.

View Story Below ...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Page 1 ... 5 6 7 8 9 ... 13 Next 5 Entries »