Rocky Mount, NC – Around 20 participants and their family members gathered at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex on Saturday, July 22 and helped prove a theory of ours: with just a rudimentary framework and basic tips, anyone can increase their casting distance – by 50% or more – and with just over an hour of instruction.
The day began as CSCA president Matt Tuers, vice president Ryan Lambert (#1 all time US distance caster), and former CSCA president and champion Tommy Farmer greeted attendees, advised on gearing up, and immediately put them to the task of throwing a baseline cast. These pre-seminar distances were recorded and then the learning commenced.
And it was effective. The lecture format included hands-on casting exercises directed by all three casting veterans. Participants caught on quickly to this easy-to-follow beginner’s framework and were able to get one-on-one instruction where needed. Tuers, Lambert and Farmer boiled things down to casting set-up (stance, rod position, etc.), body rotation, and the correct punch-pull motion with the arms that finishes any powerful cast.
Having attained a certain comfort level with these casting concepts, participants then competed in a casting contest in the final hour of the event, where it was revealed that the winner would not be he/she who casted the farthest, but rather the person with the greatest percentage of distance improvement from their pre-seminar cast. Small prizes were awarded.
Photo Gallery
Contest Results
Aaron Moore of Rougemont, NC took third place, winning a British-style rig organizer. For his second place position, David Fitch of Louisburg took home an imported Japanese “Ike Jime” kit, while Alan Willard of Oak Ridge earned a copy of Tommy Farmer’s “Comprehensive Guide to Power Casting” DVD (kindly donated by Tommy himself) with the biggest improvement in distance for the group.
Correction: upon more distraction-free number crunching several days after the event, it was found that the actual most improved caster was Charles Greene. Apologies to Charles, and we will be in touch soon to send him a prize of his own.
| Name | Pre-seminar cast | Post-seminar cast | Gain |
| Luke (Junior caster) | 18′ 1″ | 7′ 0″ | – |
| Wade Barnett | 356′ 3″ | 415′ 8″ | 16.7% |
| Stuart Byram | 344′ 3″ | 422′ | 22.6% |
| Allen Casper | 257′ | 285′ 11″ | 11.3% |
| Chuck Coffey | 293′ 11″ | 325′ 7″ | 10.8% |
| David Fitch | 221′ 5″ | 286′ 11″ | 29.6% |
| Charles Greene | 247′ 4″ | 382′ 3″ | 54.6% |
| Bill Gross | 311′ | 323′ | 3.9% |
| Isaac Thomas | 137′ 2″ | 140′ 5″ | 23.7% |
| Jonathan Jordan | 307′ 5″ | (NCR) | – |
| Robert Jordan | 382′ 11″ | 417′ 9″ | 9.1% |
| David Mattocks | 357′ 9″ | 408′ 11″ | 14.3% |
| Aaron Moore | 207′ 2″ | 268′ 4″ | 29.5% |
| Ronnie Morgan | 179′ 5″ | (NCR) | – |
| Robert Stephens | 232′ 4″ | 283′ 3″ | 21.9% |
| Randy Watkins | 190′ 2″ | 245′ 5″ | 29.1% |
| Robert Weaver | 227′ 5″ | 277′ 9″ | 22.1% |
| Alan Willard | 256′ | 281′ 8″ | 49.1% |
Special thanks go out to Al Adam (NCBBA president) for his help promoting the seminar, guest instructor Tommy Farmer, and Lynn Driver (City of Rocky Mount) for graciously providing a top-notch venue… Rocky Mount Sports Complex.