Press Releases

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Sept. 27, 2010) – To inspire the next generation of boaters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s (RBFF) Take Me Fishing™ campaign and Discovery Education teamed up to create ExploretheBlue.com. The online initiative, which was officially announced in April 2010, now includes rich, new materials designed to empower teachers and parents to engage youth in a dialogue about the importance of outdoor recreational activities, such as boating and fishing, and the value of clean and healthy natural resources.

“Boating and fishing offer families the perfect opportunity to reconnect,” said RBFF President & CEO Frank Peterson. “Through ExploretheBlue.com, we want to inspire more families to get outside and experience the world around them. And with great resources like lesson plans and multimedia tools, we hope to aid in creating or further enhancing our stakeholders’ own programs that introduce youth to the outdoors.”

New Explore the Blue resources include: 

• A collection of cross-curricular lesson plans, videos, multimedia content, activities and worksheets aligned to national education standards.
• An interactive game for students that will provide them with the tools to develop and care for their own ecosystem called ‘Thrill of the Catch.'

Teachers, parents and kids can use the resources available on ExploretheBlue.com, which are geared towards grades K – 2 and 3 – 5. This month, the materials will be distributed to Discovery Education’s vast network of teachers and classrooms across the country.

“The Explore the Blue campaign is a unique effort to leverage the digital resources today’s kids are so familiar with to encourage them to get outdoors,” said Discovery Education Vice President of Education Partnerships Mary Rollins. “We are pleased to partner with RBFF on this important initiative growing youth participation in outdoor activities and conservation issues.”

To reward those who share stories about their love of the outdoors, Take Me Fishing, Discovery Education and Sports Authority are also launching the Explore the Blue Essay Contest.  By submitting an essay describing their favorite fishing or boating experience, one lucky student will win a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park. The winner will also receive a $250 gift certificate from Sports Authority to purchase outdoor gear and five runners up will receive $100 gift cards.

“The Explore the Blue essay contest is a way to connect with today’s students and encourage them to actively think about the broader benefits of being in the great outdoors,” said Sports Authority Senior Vice President of Marketing Simon MacGibbon. “We are passionate about encouraging the nation’s youth to be healthy and active and are excited to take part in this initiative with RBFF – we hope it will help the next generation realize and appreciate the beauty and recreational pleasure that the outdoors offers all of us.”

Explore the Blue was developed with guidance from RBFF’s Education Task Force, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (AFWA) K – 12 Conservation Education Scope and Sequence, which outlines content standards and performance expectations for what students should know and be able to do related to fish and wildlife.
For more information, visit ExploreTheBlue.com.

About RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources. RBFF helps people discover, share and protect the legacy of boating and fishing through national outreach programs including the Take Me Fishing™ campaign and Anglers’ Legacy™.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) revolutionized television with Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education.  Powered by the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

About Sports Authority
The Sports Authority, Inc. ("Sports Authority") is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado. It operates over 462 stores in 45 U.S. states under Sports Authority. The Company's website, located at sportsauthority.com is currently operated by GSI Commerce, Inc. Sports Authority has a rich history, dating back almost a century, of being an industry leader in providing a wide assortment of quality, brand-name sporting goods.