The Brainerd Jaycees are transferring ownership of the “America’s Ice Fishing Tournament,” a virtual ice fishing tournament not to be confused with the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza, to the Confidence Learning Center, which launched in 2020. Reporter Sammy Holladay caught up with Travis Grossman, executive director of the Confidence Learning Center, to find out more.
The Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is well known to people all over the world, and since 2020, the Brainerd Jaycees have also hosted America’s Ice Fishing Tournament, a virtual competition that brings people together to ice fish on their favorite lakes across multiple states. Last week, the Brainerd Jaycees announced they would be transferring ownership of America’s Ice Fishing Tournament to an organization they have always strongly supported: The Confidence Learning Center.
The Confidence Learning Center is open year-round and serves approximately 12,000 campers each year. Because the Confidence Learning Center does not receive any federal or state funding and has a great partnership with the Brainerd Jaycees, it is not uncommon for us to experience generosity from the public, but being entrusted with an opportunity like America’s Ice Fishing Championship takes that level of generosity even further.
Now, serving as coordinator for the American Ice Fishing Tournament gives the Confidence Learning Center the opportunity to expand its mission to a wider audience.
Being able to spread the message is great, but what makes Confidence Learning Center happiest is seeing more people attend their camps.
Preparations are underway for the 2025 America’s Ice Fishing Tournament. The tournament will be held on February 8th of next year, one week after the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza. For more information on America’s Ice Fishing Tournament, click here.
