Standings Sanctioned Tournaments Rules
The InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup consists of five divisions—Florida, Gulf Coast, East Coast, Hawaii, and International. It is the world’s only objective, points-based system for comparing tournament success among professional sportfishing captains. Winning an InTheBite Captain of the Year Award is widely recognized as a major professional achievement within the sport.
Scoring is administered through a global schedule of ITB COTY Cup Sanctioned Tournaments spanning the sportfishing world. The point system is straightforward: 500 points are awarded for First Place, 300 points for Second Place, and 100 points for Third Place in the primary competitive (release) divisions of sanctioned tournaments.
In events that recognize Overall Largest Billfish categories, 500 points are awarded for each qualifying category (for example, Largest White Marlin and Largest Blue Marlin), in addition to release-division placement points where applicable. Captains who win designated Championship Series are awarded an additional 250 points.
The Captain of the Year Cup operates as an annual competition, with the season running from January 1 through December 31. The Florida Division follows a modified seasonal calendar to reflect the Florida sailfish season, running from November 1 through October 31.
The InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup was established in 2003. From 2003 through 2013, the award recognized a single overall winner. In 2014, the program expanded into its current five-division format, allowing captains to be evaluated within the context of the fisheries and competitive environments in which they operate. By utilizing verified tournament results as the sole basis for recognition, the InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup remains the only fully objective and quantifiable system for honoring excellence among professional sportfishing captains worldwide.
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