South Carolina BASS Federation member collects fishing sponsors, works with outdoor programs at only 12 years old.
Not many women have won both fishing tournaments and turkey calling contests, gathering sponsorships and media appearances along the way. Even fewer have also won beauty pageants and dancing awards.
Danielle Worthen, of Greenville, has done all this and more. And in July she celebrated her 12th birthday.
“She’s quite a unique, vibrant little girl,” South Carolina BASS Federation Youth Director Randy Vaughn said. “She certainly has everything it takes to go a lot farther.”
The young girl juggles competitions and practices with obligations to her sponsors and numerous other activities. In the last few months her activities have included helping teach a week-long youth camp in Mississippi, competing in a three-state archery tour, dancing in a six-day national competition in Myrtle Beach and winning the Ladies Pro Bass Angler’s benefit tournament (12 and under division) at Lake Guntersville, Ala.
Scheduling her activities and obligations is so difficult that she started online home schooling this year to achieve the flexibility she needs.
Her father, Kenny Worthen, said he and wife Katrina had some deep concerns about home schooling. After learning about a state-approved “virtual charter school” called Connections Academy, however, they were satisfied she’d receive a high-quality education.
“It’s just like she’s going to public school, except she does it on a computer,” Worthen said.
Danielle said her classes involve reading assigned material, watching online videos, and taking online quizzes.
“I think this’ll be the first time I ever get to say I actually like school,” Danielle said. “And, I’m doing pretty good in it.”
She also ended seven years of dance competitions and stopped competing in beauty pageants so she could focus on outdoor activities.
“I love all this outdoor stuff, so I don’t care if I’m out 24/7 shooting skeet or fishing or something,” Danielle said. “Every time someone sees me doing something like that, they always see me with a smile on my face.”
Danielle’s outdoor career started when she was 4 years old, and her uncle brought a turkey call to Christmas dinner. The fascinated toddler asked him to show her how it worked, and he did.
Within a year, she won a Primos-sponsored calling contest. She also killed her first turkey that year, while sitting in her dad’s lap and holding his shotgun.
In 2010, she won the National Wild Turkey Federation’s North Carolina State Championship calling contest’s poults division. Turkey calling was her first outdoor competition, and is still her favorite even though she’s been successful in archery, fishing and skeet shooting.
Kenny Worthen tried to explain one of the reasons his daughter’s achieved so much.
“Her hand-eye coordination, they say, is just unbelievable,” he said.
Randy Vaughn identified another reason.
“She just has a hunger, a real passion for it,” Vaughn said
Danielle’s outdoor career really took off in the last couple of years, after she started bass fishing. She caught her first fish when she was 9 years old at a hunting lodge in Kentucky. She said her dad loves to fish, but she didn’t have much interest in it until then.
“I thought it was just holding a pole until I caught a fish,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so fun!’ I guess you always have to try something before you judge it.”
Afterward, Danielle joined Carolina Christian Bassmasters, a group in upstate South Carolina. As soon as she was old enough to compete in tournaments, she did.
Vaughn informed the BASS Federation that South Carolina now had its first and still only female Junior Bassmaster. They asked him to write an article for BASS Times magazine.
Since that August 2010 article came out, Danielle and her father both said it has been a tremendous aid to them in meeting people and finding new sponsors, of which she now has 13.
Danielle uses her budding fame to help several charitable causes. She is a youth spokesperson for Hunting for Hope, a South Carolina youth ministry that provides hunting opportunities for children. She also helped design and market a spinnerbait with Fish Stalker Lures to raise money for the breast cancer research foundation Susan G. Komen for the Cure and she tries to raise money and awareness for the Ronald McDonald House.
Father and daughter also revealed that they are involved in discussions with an outdoor TV company. If all goes as hoped, she will co-host an outdoor show soon. Because the show is in the earliest stages of development, the Worthens weren’t able to give more information at this time.
For now, Danielle said she plans to focus on school, continue practicing all her sports, and working toward an eventual career in wildlife photography. And, of course, do a lot of hunting and fishing.
Keeping up her hectic schedule isn’t a big deal to her.
“I’m always so hyper,” Danielle said. “If I’m relaxed I must be really sick. I don’t like to relax. I like to go and do something.”
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