db: An open letter to team Boll Weevil

Toast to times when all things were possible, all dreams probable, all goals reachable.

“I can almost see it that dream I'm dreaming, but…”

Dateline: Natchitoches, Louisiana

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
Milton Berle

When I find myself, adrift.

When I find myself, confused.

When I find myself, broken.

It is to the young where I look for guidance.

Their innocence recharges my batteries, recharges my soul.

This college bass fishing gig, is my elixir, my fountain of youth.

Toast to times when all things were possible, all dreams probable, all goals reachable.

I have to grow old, I don’t have to grow up.

And never have I felt younger, felt hope, felt all things were once again possible than I did yesterday when I sat down in front of four young men, young anglers, young team, and their older team advisor.

The team from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, College of Technology, Crossett.

AKA: UAM/CTC.

AKA:  The Boll Weevils.

Campbell Wilkerson, team advisor, Adjunct in the Math Department, “Us being here shows what a great country this is that an itty bitty little school like us gets the opportunity to come here to this event and compete, wow.”

Team Boll Weevil, welcome, and this open letter, is for you.

“…there's always going to be another mountain…”

The soul of the game, is never about the final score.

The soul of a tournament, is never about the final weight.

The soul of competition, resides in those who play the game.

These four young men, from left to right: Allen Anders, Zach Johnston, Levi King and Jake Funderburg didn’t have the time to get their school name put on their jerseys, and yet they came.

They bought four matching hats from the school book store to make it look like a uniform, all four are staying in a Class “C” motorhome, the only RV in the RV park, and yet, yet:

“I feel like we can compete, the competition is the same we all can fish, we can fish against anyone.”  Zack Johnston.

Look no further for the soul of this game, than right there.

“I’m not worried, this will be good experience, I have never fished a tournament this big, it’s big, big, but I’m here and looking forward to it.”

Look no further for the soul of this game, than right there.

Campbell Wilkerson: “I look around and I see all these other big schools, we may have 300 students in our school, some of these schools I know have more than that in one class, one lecture hall, but you know db, you know db, we are here, we still came.”

Look no further for the soul of this game, than right there.

“…I'm always gonna wanna make it move…”

Team Boll Weevil, the field of play, always, lies within the player. 

There is no game, without you.

In life, there always comes, Goliath.

But the soul of our planet, the soul of our universe, the soul of any challenge you may face, comes in David.

Goliath, is for the taking.

“Experience isn’t just about big fast boats or expensive equipment, experience is knowing how to fish and we do. That’s why we are here.” Levi Kling

Team Boll Weevil, success in life, success in these games we play comes down to two things:

Courage…to take on the giants you face.

Confidence…not in the sling, but in yourself.

“…always gonna be an uphill battle…”

Team Boll Weevil, the easiest way, always turns out to be the hardest.

“You bet I’m excited, I’m not that worried at all because I know we can grind it out, we can GRIND it out there with the best of them.” Allen Anders

Team Boll Weevil, in life, the measure of a man is not found in the glide, but in the grind.

When you four graduate with your degrees in Electrical & Instrumentation (E&I) you will spend the next 40-some years of your life being judged by bosses. Raises, homes, trucks, vacations, kids’ college funds will depend on their judgment.

Some will get mad at this next advice, you won’t find it in those fancy, those the latest, MBA How To Succeed books, but to be totally honest with you I have spent my entire career, for better, for worse, NEVER caring or listening to how I was judged by a boss.

I, will be the only judge of myself.

And I judge much harder than any boss.

Be, your only judge. Don’t grade yourself on a curve, grade tough, real tough, the tougher you grade the less you have to worry about the bosses.

Judge only your boat, judge only your performance, judge tough and you won’t have to worry about what happens in the other boats.

“…ain't about how fast I get there…”

There sat amongst the four, a quiet young man, Jake Funderburg, in my notes I have no quotes from Jake, but it is Jake who calmed my soul, made me smile, rescued a burnt out me.

It was Jake who made me young again.

After I was done doing the interview, Campbell came up to me and whispered in my ear exactly this: “I don’t know if you know, and he didn’t say anything but Jake only brought one rod, one reel to the tournament. It was all he had.”

Jake, I have spent my entire life bringing less than everyone else, because less is all I had.

The looks have hurt.

The comments have hurt.

Laughed at, hurt.

Jake buddy, quantity means nothing, quality means everything.

All I need, all I have ever needed was one good pen to write a story, all you ever need is one good fishing pole, one good reel, to catch a fish.

I could have given you one of the St. Croix rods I have in my truck, but that wouldn’t have made you a better angler, the moment you pick up your one rod and cast it out into the Red River, you will be a better angler because my friend, you have the soul of a champion.

To face what you face, and yet you still came, and yet you still took to the water, Sir, it was my honor to meet you.

“…ain't about what's waiting on the other side…”

Team Boll Weevil, the bass don’t know.

The bass don’t know you don’t have your school’s name on your jersey.

The bass don’t know you are from the smallest school in the tournament.

The bass don’t know if you have one rod or a thousand.

But.

But, the universe, knows.

Knows all that.

And more.

The universe knows you have soul because it gave it to you.

The universe knows that you are using the soul it gave you.

The universe knows, you are the soul of this game.

And are already, champions.

“…it's the climb.”
The Climb

Miley Cyrus

db

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
Maya Angelou