Green Country Teacher Headed To Bassmaster Classic

It's every amateur anglers dream come true, a shot at the Bassmasters Classic. One Green Country school teacher has reeled in a spot at the exclusive tournament. News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims went

Friday, January 26th 2007, 8:25 pm

By: News On 6

It's every amateur anglers dream come true, a shot at the Bassmasters Classic. One Green Country school teacher has reeled in a spot at the exclusive tournament. News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims went to Barnsdall to talk with the new BASS Federation National Champion.

Royce Dennington says he loves his job teaching chemistry and biology at Barnsdall High School. But when the bell rings and the students spill out, he indulges in another passion, fishing.

He cast his first line when he was just five years old. And for as long as he can remember he's dreamed of fishing in the Bassmaster Classic.

"You're reading it in magazines, you watch it on TV and all the television coverage of it. It's the Super Bowl!â€ Royce Dennington said. â€œAnd you dream of going to the Super Bowl but you know that the reality is you're probably not going to get there."

This year Dennington got a shot, he made it to the BASS Federation's National Championship. Heading into the last day, he was about 12 pounds away from his dream.

"It just started building up and building up, and they started telling me what the weights were and I thought to myself, 'Man I could really win this.' I ended up winning it by two ounces, which is basically what those fish had for dinner," Dennington said.

Two ounces earned Dennington a ticket to the Classic, $15,000 and a certificate for a new boat. He's been so busy courting sponsorships and making his own tackle, he hasn't had a moment to really take it all in. And at school, he's become more than just a science teacher.

â€œI kinda make an expression when I was winning, and I see that down in the halls,â€ said Dennington. â€œSo they keep making that expression walking down the halls.â€

Dennington is not only an expert angler; he also designs his own tackle. In fact, he designed and made the bait he used to catch his tournament winning fish.

ESPN-2 is airing the National Championship Tournament; you can catch Dennington in action Saturday morning.