during breaks and you will need that good support system to be successful and keep your club going. always remember you are representing your university and your team’s reputation, because you are! You need to know what collegiate circuits are in existence and choosing which circuits are best for your club to fish is important. locality is everything, especially to us who are full time students and have to making a living as well. locality decides time management, success and most importantly finances. if a tournament is far away, it will cost more to participate, you may not have pre-fishing time and managing studies is more difficult, which essentially decreases your possibilities of success. Success is vital to your club, because the more successful the team is the more financial backing there is which increases the longevity of the club. Basically, if you’re in the western U.S., FlW College is the way to go. They put on awesome tournaments, and give your club just as much support and opportunities as the other circuits if not more.
InVoLVEmEnt
So now that you’ve got your club set up and decided which tournaments to participate in, what’s next? Well, sponsorships and gaining local support is not a must, but it does go a long way. The most important piece of information i can provide is to always keep in mind you are the future of this sport. respect this because others will too, don’t take it for granted. because bad relationships will ruin your career. local support comes in many forms, it is important to take into consideration all opportunities that approach you and always look for ways to return the favor. Joining a local bass club is a great form of
Issue 3
June 2012
support. From these local anglers, you will get in practice time, experience in tournament situations and support you wouldn’t expect. The people in the tackle shops and those you bump into fishing local lakes enjoy the sport just as much as you do and are usually willing to help out college kids because we are the future of this sport. a word on getting sponsored. everybody wants to be sponsored, yet only about 10 percent actually know what it means to have a sponsorship and use it correctly. a sponsorship is a tool, a valuable relationship, and is vital to your success and reputation. don’t go out and get so many sponsors you don’t know what to do with and don’t immediately accept any offer given to you. Network with people, build relationships and most importantly be smart. i only want to represent a company and product i use and believe in. i believe strongly in quality over quantity. Sponsorships are hard work, you might as well be putting forth the effort for something that benefits both you and your sponsor. This article is written to help you get a successful start in a collegiate bass fishing career. remember it is still a growing sport and every year circuits add something new and improved, so keep a lookout. don’t forget to get out this summer and get ready for some good old college fishing!
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