For Immediate Release:


GRAND RAPIDS - There are many ways to measure the true size of a sport show. Attendance, of course, comes to mind. The number of exhibitors and variety of features are other standards.

Another clue is the breadth and depth of the seminar schedule. At the 65th Annual Ultimate Sport Show, March 18 to 21 at DeVos Place, 303 Monroe NW in downtown Grand Rapids, patrons can take advantage of more than 100 hour-long seminars. Except for a pair of intensive weekend Super Clinics, all are free with paid admission of only $9 for adults and $4 for children aged 6 to 14.

The non-stop instruction by more than 30 local and national experts occurs on five separate stages, including Lake Ultimate, a 110,000-gallon indoor lake stocked with live trout. Lake Ultimate speakers will deliver real-time, on-the-water instruction from fully rigged fishing boats floating on the lake.

The five seminar platforms provide show producers with scheduling flexibility and show patrons with a huge spectrum of choice. On average, a new seminar begins every 30 minutes over the four-day event, Michigan's oldest sport show, which began in 1946 and has occurred every year since.

No outdoor sport show in American can boast a larger or more diverse range of seminar topics.

New speakers and subjects coming to GR

• Ed Spinnazola, a Quality Deer Management spokesman, is also an expert at growing food plots for deer.  He will use drawings and materials from his book to help other deer hunters enjoy success on their property.  

• Paul “Doc” Morrow, owner of Back Forty Habitat Solutions, offers tips and techniques for attracting wildlife to private property in his “Habitat 101” seminars. Morrow earned national reputation from Field & Stream magazine as a “Hero in Conservation.”  

• Michigan outdoor writer Dan Donarkski, author of 21 Days in Africa, will share his success formula for an African big game safari.  

• Ed McCain, owner of Mik Lurch tackle outlet in suburban Chicago, will speak on “The Medicinal Effects of Fishing.”

• Richard Holm, a Lake Michigan charter captain from Indiana, offers a new PowerPoint demonstration called “Explaining Lure Color Above and Below Water.”   

Favorite fishing experts return

Tommy Skarlis will use Lake Ultimate to demonstrate the vertical jigging secrets that have propelled him to elite status among the nation’s professional walleye anglers.   The Wisconsin native knows Michigan waters intimately with a PWT tournament win on the Detroit River and Top Ten finishes on Saginaw Bay, the St. Clair River and the Bays de Noc.  

Jonathon VanDam, 21, is one of the nation's youngest bass fishing professionals, entering his third year of competition.  The nephew of Kevin VanDam— America's hottest bass angler who has amassed more than $3 million in tournament earnings—Jonathon will speak on "Spring Bass Fishing in Michigan" and "Sight Fishing for Bass."

Mark Romanack presents dog training demonstrations with his black Lab, Mason.  Topics include teaching marked and blind retrieves, whistle commands and hand signals as well as a brief discussion on understanding hunting dog behavior.

Expert meat cutters from Country Smoke House in Almont are bringing a whole deer to the Main Stage at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday to show patrons how to properly dress, skin and process the animal.

The speakers join many other long-time favorites on the seminar stages.  On the Fishing Academy stage, the heavy hitters include Mark Romanack and Mark Martin on walleye, sonar and GPS expert Lance Valentine, and bass specialist Wayne Carpenter.  At least 10 pro staffers from the National Bass Anglers Association offer tips, secrets and tactics from a stage dedicated solely to their seminars.

Salmon and steelhead seminars are led by charter captains Bill Bale, Jerry Lee, Chip Cartwright, Willis Kerridge and Jay Frolenko, each of whom has honed specialized trolling techniques for key regions of the Great Lakes. Combined, these speakers have more than 75 years of on-the-water experience. Attendees often bring notebooks so they miss nothing.

Other fishing seminars are led by Glen Blackwood (fly fishing), Dan Donarski (Upper Peninsula hotspots), Dan Lipski (catfish), David Rose (panfish), and Chase Klinesteker (structure fishing).

In addition, many of the 300 exhibitors offer in-booth demonstrations such as knife sharpening, fish cleaning and knot tying. These, too, are free. For example, at the Fly Tyer's Corner, fly fishermen get free one-on-one lessons in tying knots and specialty flies. Expert guides from the Great Lakes Fly Fishing Company in Rockford will also teach fly casting techniques from beginning through advanced levels.

Seminars for hunting turkeys and mushrooms

Denny Geurink is one of America's top wild turkey hunting experts. He will speak daily on "Turkey Hunting in Michigan" and will host the annual Turkey Hunting Workshop on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to Noon by the Grand Valley Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

What spring turkey hunter doesn't keep an eye out for morel mushrooms? Team Morel expert Theresa Maybrier returns by popular demand from Missouri to lead daily seminars on how and where to find the delectable fungi in Michigan.  She also shares correct methods for picking and preserving both black and white morels.

Super Clinics are back

Weekend Super Clinics for Walleye (Saturday from Noon to 2:00 p.m.) and Salmon/Steelhead (Sunday from 12:30 to 2:30) charge $25 each and are limited to 100 attendees. The fee is for class materials, the value of which is "refunded" several-fold thanks to goody bags of sponsor products.

Tournament pro Mark Romanack leads the Walleye Super Clinic on Saturday with able assistance from Tommy Skarlis and fellow pro Eric Olson. Great Lakes superstars Dave Engel and Bill Bale host the Salmon and Steelhead Super Clinic on Sunday.

High stakes calling competition

Show patrons can test their skills during two calling competitions. The 15th Annual Grand Rapids Open Turkey Calling Competition, sponsored by the Grand Valley Chapter of the NWTF, is a sanctioned contest with top finalists eligible to compete in the National Calling Competition. Judges, who will award prizes and cash during the Saturday event from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., include some of Michigan's best-known writers and call manufacturers.

The Allegan Chapter of Ducks Unlimited presents the 3rd Annual Duck and Goose Calling Competition on Saturday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Waterfowl hunters from throughout Michigan and beyond will compete for cash and prizes in both duck and goose categories in open and amateur divisions.  For more information, go to www.callingducks.com.  

Earn your ORV Safety Certificate...in only one afternoon

The Kent County Sheriffs Department offers a free ORV Certification class on Saturday, March 18, from Noon to 5:00 p.m. For details, call 616-632-6223 or go to www.accesskent.org.  Pre-registration is not required, and there is no charge. Participants should check in at the main entrance exhibitor table near the box office. The class will be held in the Third Level Meeting Rooms.  After the class, participants can enjoy the show, which is open until 9 p.m., free of charge.

For times and more seminar details, go to www.UtimateSportShow.com and click on Seminars. Or call 800-328-6550.

Show hours are Thursday, from 3:00 to 9:30; Friday, from 11:00 to 9:30; Saturday from 9:00 to 9:00; and Sunday from 10:00 to 5:00.  Admission is $9 for adults and $4 for children 6 to 14.  Kids 5 and under get in free.