 Austin Clark, 11, a cancer survivor, releases a walleye Saturday at Starvation Reservoir. (Brett Prettyman/The Salt Lake Tribune) |
By Brett Prettyman
The Salt Lake Tribune
DUCHESNE -- Austin Clark may not know the difference
between a smallmouth bass and a walleye, but he has found a new
appreciation for the fish and, more importantly, the anglers who pursue
them.
"They are awesome," said Clark, an 11-year-old cancer survivor from West Jordan, as the Catch A Cure For Cancer fishing tournament ended Saturday at Starvation State Park.
The top 10 teams and big fish winners created a new twist in catch-and-release fishing by handing back $1,485 in prize money.
"There is a tradition here to give back the money," said Karen Stein of Bountiful after earning $150 for catching the biggest walleye -- an 8.32-pound behemoth, and another $125 for finishing first with teammate Will Jefferies.
"A lot of people say anglers just go to these tournaments for the money, but this proves them wrong."
When it was over, Catch A Cure tournament organizers Jerry and Carri Schlief wrote a check for $9,400 to Camp Hobe, a summer camp for youth with cancer and their siblings.
Registration fees provided the bulk of the money raised, but anglers continued to open their wallets to purchase a tackle box's worth of raffle tickets.
Sam's Club, a major sponsor since the tournament was created three years ago, also contributed its annual $1,000 check.
"This is my favorite tournament of the year," said Gary Winterton, who joined Eric Inman to finish second in the bass division. "You get to come out and be competitive, but it is not about winning money. It is about getting money to people who need it a lot more than we do."
Chris Beckwith, director of Camp Hobe, says she never imagined catching fish could spread so much happiness. "These anglers are out on the water all day. They come in hot, sweaty and tired and then they turn around and give us their prize money. It shows they are really doing this for the kids and not just paying lip service to it," she said.
Beckwith said the Catch A Cure tournament provides about 15 percent of the annual budget for Camp Hobe, a nonprofit organization. "It makes a huge difference for us," she said. "For them to be able to pull in money like this for such a young program is phenomenal. We charge the families a nominal fee to attend camp so everyone can come and this money makes it possible to do that."
Austin Clark, who was diagnosed with a form of lymph node cancer in 1999, and his brother Jackson, 9, said they like the activities at Camp Hobe, but their favorite part was being able to do things they would not be able to at home.
Their parents, John and Merit, say the cancer camp located in Settlement Canyon near Tooele provides a lot more than the average summer getaway. "Without people like you, Camp Hobe wouldn't be here," John Clark told the anglers in an emotional thank you before the awards were handed out.
He later described how important Camp Hobe is for the families of youngsters with cancer. "You can leave your kids in a safe and fun environment and rest easy. That is important because parents can get a little bit of a break from the battle with cancer," John Clark said. "It is also important for the brothers and sisters of kids with cancer to be able to share their feelings with each other and feel just as special. Camp Hobe does all of that and more. You would be amazed at the things these kids talk about. Not the stuff you would hear at a traditional summer camp."
The Catch a Cure event also provides anglers on the bass and walleye competition circuits a chance to spend time with family members. Among the record 43 teams at this year's tournament were husbands and wives, fathers and sons and fathers and daughters.
"We fish together quite a bit and she wanted to give a competition a try," Rick Miller said of his daughter Amerie, 14. "She did really, really well. I'm proud of her and I couldn't think of a better cause for us to fish for."
The Millers finished third in the walleye division with 6.68 pounds. Amerie promises to be back next year.Family bonding of anglers and helping cancer patients get the most out of their lives is exactly what the Schliefs were hoping for when they conceived of the Catch a Cure tournament.
Jerry Schlief, a member of the Utah B.A.S.S. Federation state team, was talking to Carri, the Federation's information officer, about how fun a tournament would be that wasn't about money or qualification points.Carri Schlief had lost her brother Wayne to stomach cancer several years earlier and quickly suggested they make it a charity tournament. More than $22,000 has been raised for Camp Hobe since the first Catch a Cure event three years ago and the interest continued to rise.
"Everybody has been affected by cancer in one way or another so that is what we decided to raise money for. Carri called the next day and got a list of cancer charities," Jerry Schlief said. "We have been blown away by the support of the anglers and the hard work of the camp counselors ever since. I've been competing against these other anglers for years and I have always known they were great people, but every year they continue to prove it to me by showing up to this tournament and opening their wallets."
bretty@sltrib.com
Results of the Third Annual Catch A Cure For Cancer charity fishing tournament held Saturday at Starvation Reservoir.
Walleye Division
1 Will Jefferies-Karen Stein, 10.70 pounds
2 Eric Inman-Gary Winterton, 9.24
3 Rick Miller-Amerie Miller, 6.68
4 Ray Schelbe-John Tomich, 5.30
5 Rod Thompson-Kevin Lund, 5.04
6 Bill Bailey-Heath Montensen, 4.36
7 Paul Reutlinger-Sherry Reutlinger, 4.24
8 Ron Morgas-Loretta Morgas, 4.22
Bass Division
1 Wayne Crowder-Jason Jensen, 6.70 pounds
2 Dave Marchello-Aaron Walker, 6.46
3 Richard Spencer-Kahlad Alhamdany, 6.42
4 Kevin Dawson-Steve Porter, 6.26
5 Ted Gardiner-Cody Gardiner, 5.92
6 (tie) Jim Rewis-Brawnson Rewis, Mike Risen-John Heugly, 5.38
8 Mike Isbell-Susie Robertson, 4.80