Robin Howell: Fishing for trophies … or is there more?

'The trophy we hold or display in fishing pales in comparison to the walking trophies that are the result of the love and care that the King’s Home house parents and social workers provide daily.'

As always, at the end of the fishing season, we try to reflect back on the season as a whole. We look at the highs and the lows and evaluate what could have been done better or where things could have been improved upon. We also compare our goals that were written down at the beginning of the season to see if those goals were reached. As a fisherman’s wife, a lot of responsibility is on my shoulders when achieving these yearly goals.

Of course, we first look at all the tangible goals and if they were attained. There is always the goal of winning a tournament or two and a goal of making the Classic. It is with grateful hearts that we are able to say both of these goals were reached this past year.

However, I think many times, from the outside looking in, winning and qualifying for the Classic looks like an easy feat or something that is just expected of many of the guys. This expectation is felt on the shoulders of every Elite fisherman out here. I believe it is the ones that can block that expectation out of their minds every day of every tournament that ends up having the successful seasons. As we have always heard, this game and many others are 10 percent ability and skill and 90 percent between the ears.

As a wife reflecting on the past season, I also try to look back and improve on what I could have done better to make the season flow smoother. There is a “between the ears” task that we as wives/girlfriends are responsible for as well. On this subject I think there would be many wives that would agree with me. Yes, we try to make every day easy for the guys whether we are with them at the tournament or at home with the kids. There is a sense of relief in their minds when they know the family is well taken care of and happy. I know for a fact Randy fishes best when his family is with him, all are well and there are no distractions. 

But what is probably not seen are the stressful days of the tournaments when the wife or girlfriend spends the day glued to BASStrakk or Twitter just hoping and praying she will see “her guy’s” name next, or for that matter over and over again. I can truly say I have a love/hate relationship with BASStrakk and its crazy ability to hold me captive for hours on end. Maybe captive isn’t the word, maybe more like holds me prisoner! Can I get an AMEN, girls!

There are days I wake up, have my quiet time and feel completely relaxed and determined to not be “sucked in” that day to watching it. Then, just like an addict’s addiction to a drug, I talk myself into looking just once. You know what comes next, it’s over. I’m hooked, and I’m back to stressing.

At the end of the day, or the end of the tournament for that matter, did any of the stressing do me any good? Of course the answer is “no,” however human nature tends to intervene if we aren’t continuously working on our negative tendencies and trying to keep them positive. So now you know, when you ask that Elite wife/girlfriend what they do each day during the tournament, that the answer is not going to be shopping or eating Bon Bons … we are actually trying not to be a BASStrakk prisoner.

Another way we evaluate our season is did we do everything we could to use the platform of fishing that God has blessed us with to make a difference in our sphere of influence? Could we have done a better job? I believe that fishing is so much more than the trophy. It is an avenue to make a difference in the lives of others. The ways are endless, and everyone who finds their purpose through their passion will find fulfillment whether they have a trophy in hand or not.

For me as Randy’s wife, I am here to support him and make the fishing life flow easily. However, as an individual, if I don’t connect with my purpose in life as well, the fishing life won’t reach its full potential. Lucky for us, our passion for helping others is what drives both of us daily.  Sometimes though I find myself going through the motions with no connection to the actual person. Let me explain.

By now, you all know that our charity we love and support is King’s Home. Randy gives his boat away at the end of the season to raise funds for the women and children of King’s Home. And like anything else, we work hard to make it a success. Personally for me, I can get caught up in the “work” of the fundraiser and forget the “purpose” or the “people” of the fundraiser. I am always amazed how a quick reminder will just happen to bring me back to that purpose.

Just two nights ago, we were in the local Walmart near the King’s Home campus. Since this week is the final week of our upcoming boat giveaway, we decided to stay near the area so that we would not have to travel back and forth from Guntersville. We “happened” to run into one of the King’s Home house parents. In case you didn’t know, there are homes with house parents who have six to eight youth that they take care of. This particular couple has been house parents for 18 years now, which is truly amazing. They were grocery shopping on their once-a-week date night. We chatted with them a few minutes, and I was completely blown away by the conversation.

They had 6 gallons of milk in their basket, and of course Randy made a funny comment about the milk. We learned that they have eight boys between the ages of 15-18 as well as their youngest biological son who is 19. Imagine the milk they go through! She said they go through 2 gallons per day, and that is after they try to limit consumption. Then, the conversation led to a typical day in the life of a house parent. To say that I was enlightened is an understatement. The amount of work, both physical and mental, is unimaginable! The responsibility they have to lead and nurture these young men is huge. But, the trophy they receive when that young man graduates, goes to college, gets married and contributes to society as a good citizen and person has to be priceless.

The light bulb in my head was turned on Tuesday night. The fundraiser that we work so hard on all year has way more attached to it than just the name of a charity. It has young boys and girls, abused women and children, house parents and social workers attached to it. It brought to light the day in and day out life of each of these named and the challenges they are each faced with. It made my stressful days of being attached to BASStrakk and the worry of if Randy is catching fish seem obsolete and petty. 

In closing, the trophy we hold or display in fishing pales in comparison to the walking trophies that are the result of the love and care that the King’s Home house parents and social workers provide daily. We are blessed to be a small part of the puzzle that helps the King’s Home continue producing trophies.

I will end this story with a quote and a verse that are important to the Howells:

“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle.” – Vince Lombardi

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9

If you would like to learn more about our charity, you can click here.