Here’s
a great story that involves some of our readers that I want to
share with you.
The plan from the start was to be very simple……get some high
school kids on the water in some competitive bass fishing. Jan
Swaim of Auburn University had been instrumental in helping
develop the colligate bass club tournament series in Alabama,
and Illinois had been the first state in the nation to sanction
bass fishing in their high schools in 2008. Why should Alabama
not be the second state to develop bass fishing as an activity
or sanctioned sport in our high schools?
Tim Tidwell, a Bass Club Digest reader, ardent bass angler,
member of a bass club in Birmingham, and Tournament Director of
Fishers of Men saw the need and opportunity to bring the fun
sport of fishing to the kids in the high schools and in 2009
made a trip to Illinois to observe that state’s Championship
High School Tournament. He came away with the vision,
enthusiasm, and energy to bring a top grade fun activity and
sport to our Alabama high schools.
Some interested individuals stepped up-to-the-plate to put the
vision into action – Rose Ellis, a former touring PRO from the
Women’s Bass Tournament Series and Karen Stewart, who has been
heavily involved in the Junior Bassmaster Program joined in the
early discussions to help Tim spread the word and formulate the
initial planning and organization. They started spreading the
word by creating a Web site (www.alhsbf.ning.com) and talking to
local news papers, and Tim traveling to various schools to get
the word on the street. It did not take long for his phone to
start ringing off the hook. It was a natural to develop
competitive bass fishing in the high schools of Alabama with all
of is great talent, great lakes and rivers. Unlike some of the
northern states, Alabama kids could fish almost the entire year
in the South. From the start it obvious that this new
development was going to be a hit with the high school kids all
over the state.
With diligent planning, the founding committee formulated the
initial rules, regulations, and a tournament schedule to get the
inaugural high school bass fishing club tournament series in
action. There were to be three qualifying tournaments in 2010
and a State Championship Tournament to be held in May. It was
determined that each school could field two teams of two anglers
per boat with a coach/boat captain. In each qualifier, a school
could earn a third boat entry for invitation to the State
Championship Tournament by team placement of combined weight at
each qualifying event. With the growing number of participants
becoming involved with the new bass clubs, the format would
allow a club to earn a slot for two more anglers that did not
get a chance to fish in the qualifying tournaments. Member clubs
of the state organization could hold in-club tournaments and/or
compete against other high school clubs in Alabama.
The initial qualifying state tournaments proved to be tough
competition and each place was earned as these new anglers
learned that the concepts of study, discipline, practice,
determination, and consistency applied also to the sport of bass
fishing. They learned that their competitors were as serious
about the high school tournaments as the touring PROS are in the
Elite or FLW series of bass tournaments. They dressed like the
PROS and they “walked-the-talk” like the PROS.
Our hats are off to these dedicated people that are truly
building a future for the sport of bass fishing. I think all of
our member clubs should take note.
Here’s
a great story that involves some of our readers that I want to
share with you.