Summer 2023
®
Of course, he loves to win – true competitors wouldn’t have it any other way; but it’s much more than that for Ken.
The Western Bass Shootout was an opportunity – an opportunity for growth in the West, a chance for change in the usual way of doing tournament business on the West Coast, a step onto the long winding path of evolving the sport of bass fishing into a national sport with paid athletes as opposed to self-funded competitors trading bankrolls with fellow competitors each week – a concept much more like that of an NFL player.
For Ken, the Western Bass Shootout was the first of an unfathomable number of hurdles to leave a legacy to improve the sport for the future.
If you know or follow Ken, you see he says it often #WhatsYourLegacy and again, if you know or follow Ken, he is leading us all into a new legacy as Madden led the Raiders.
When you talk to Ken, you know, the Western Bass Shootout win didn’t change his life – it was a great win among great anglers from several circuits of the West, but it didn’t change his life.
The money was
super-fun, money always
is, but fishing winnings
aren’t bread and meat for
Ken Mah, so the money
also didn’t change his
life and although he was
caught up in emotion
at the final weigh-in
and the crowning of his
accomplishment with his
family present, that W
wasn’t the sole objective
of his tournament.
Hoisting the trophy
at the actual execution
of the Western Bass
Shootout as that first
step to evolve western
bass fishing. It may not
have been smooth as
silk, or go off without a
hitch, but it was the first
step and that became
part of Ken Mah’s legacy. In time, we can only assume he will take more steps and add more wins to his list on the way, because when he asks what’s your legacy, he is always working on his own.
We know what John Madden left as his legacy, and we can see Ken evolving his, while attempting to lead the change within the western industry, but the question is will we follow - what is our legacy?
Follow Ken Mah at Ken Mah Promotions on Facebook and IG or at KenMah.net•
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