CANTON -- Michael Cummings of Madrid will be the grand marshal of the upcoming St. Lawrence International Junior Carp Tournament – the same tournament he won twice.

The 22-year-old, who graduated from Madrid-Waddington Central School in 2014, fished in the carp tournament from 2009 until he “aged out” of the contest after turning 18. In 2011 and again in 2013 he pulled in enough big fish to win the Grand Champion title.

Cummings began carp fishing at age 14, and quickly realized “it’s completely different than any other sport fishing. They’re normally bigger than just about any other fish.”

The son of Patty Wagner of Madrid and Mike Cummings of Theresa, he lives in Madrid and travels across the state as an apprentice lineman for IBEW Local 1249.

The 2018 Junior Carp Tournament takes place Aug. 9-11 and is open to boys and girls ages 11 to 18. The young anglers fish a roughly 30-mile stretch of the St. Lawrence from Ogdensburg to Massena and vie for cash awards and prizes.

It’s not too late to sign up: registration is $125 per angler. Contestants register to fish individually and may also register as part of a two- to four-person team. Parents or guardians can sign up to fish, too. All carp caught during the catch-and-release tournament are returned live to the St. Lawrence River.

Registration covers participation in all tournament-related events during the three days, including a pre-tournament fishing school sponsored by Mort Backus & Sons and a closing ceremony pizza party.

For more information, call Jo Ann Roberts at 315-244-1909 or email her at jo@slcchamber.org; or contact Bob Giordano, barrongd@aol.com, 315-323-4632.