BIG Thanks to all the Big Ten Bass Fishing Championship Volunteers

[djkimmel]

Big personal thanks from me to all the persons who volunteered to make the Big Ten bass fishing championship a big success on Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River!!!

They gave me more credit than I deserve considering most of you volunteered as soon as you were called. Regardless of how it transpired it means a lot to me to see you volunteer your time so selflessly to help keep a great thing going.

In no particular order, thanks to tbone, markgoetsch, River Rat, BrianB, MadWags, capt charlie's charters, MikesRx, Bass_Cat, rsaid19fish, WayneC, mjm6, and bassfan586. I know I've forgotten someone and apologize profusely. It's my CRS disease. Please PM me or smack me in the head and I will add you to the list.

Also thanks to Slish1 and 519vx from lakestclair.net, and Frank Lepera, Don McCulla, Mike Wooley, Caleb Peck and Lupe Reyes who helped out as boaters. Thanks to the Michigan BASS federation board members brought over their weigh in trailer and ran that part of the event on Sunday. I also ran into Ron Spitler who was serving as the U of M bass coach. Frank Lepera serves as the MSU bass coach.

[djkimmel]

I stopped to get some ice early Saturday morning at the gas station by Metro Beach and ran into bassfan586 there who was getting some boat gas. Despite the horrible weather conditions, he asked me if we still were short on boats saying since his partner canceled out on him, he could help out if we needed it. Boy, did we! bassfan586 jumped in and took out a team that was going to borrow a ski boat to take out fishing only to find out they did not have the keys for the boat. Instead they got to ride in a nice Ranger Z519 for the day.

I will look at the pictures and rack my brain to add in anyone I have forgotten.

Thanks again to all of you!!!!!

Congratulations to the winning Fighting Illini for overcoming the location change to the St. Clair River (thanks to gale warnings) to hold of very close U of M and MSU bass fishing teams.

What a great bunch of young adults we got to hang out with this weekend. My fishing partners, Arty and Dan from Penn State, drove a long ways with their 6 person team to fish in less than ideal conditions, yet they both made the best of it saying they had a great time and showing they did!!

[MIBassKid]

Huge thanks to everyone. Wasn't sure if we were going to pull this one out or not but  it ended up going great. Dan needs a huge thanks from all of the schools because he went to extreme lengths to help us out finding boats even when his wife has been in and out of the hospital.

Thanks to all of the boat volunteers and the Federation of Michigan for helping out with the weigh in. Lastly, congrats to Illinois for sticking it out and finding a big bag. It was truly tough out there. Nice job to them pesky varmint as well 

[teej]

Thanks to everyone who made this past weekend possible. It's great that you still manage to show up when we have gale force winds and pouring rain, it means alot to us as college anglers.

[bassfan586]

I wish I could have helped on sunday.  I felt bad for the u of m boys with me.  The waves were big and the rain was fat especially with no rain gear.  At least they got a few hours of  canal fishing in.