This has been one crazy week. Winning the Classic really didn’t sink in until around Noon last Friday. Ever since Sunday I’ve had things to do every minute of the day, and they needed to be done right. I’ve never won anything like this so I didn’t know what to expect. You just kind of go along doing whatever they tell you to do without much thought about anything. Then it hits you. You won the Bassmaster Classic.
That happened when I was in Connecticut doing Mike & Mike in the Morning for ESPN. I heard on the news that I was the 2012 Bassmaster Classic champion. It was a sports story. It was like they were talking about somebody else but then I thought about it for a minute or two and realized they were talking about me.
Out on the water during the tournament, it was sort of the same thing. I knew I was in contention weight wise on Saturday but I didn’t really feel it in my heart. It was all in my head. But then, late in the afternoon, I caught a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass. After I got it in the boat, it hit me. I might win this thing. All of a sudden something strange rolled over me. I felt confident. I’ve never felt that way before.
I’m not saying I knew I had it won or anything like that. It was just that I felt like I could actually do it. You know, me. Chris Lane. On Sunday I fished with more confidence than I can ever remember having in a tournament.
Now the challenge is to accomplish something that matters while we’re — this is a family win — in a position to get something done. We want to be in the same group as Kevin VanDam, Alton Jones and Mike Iaconelli when it comes to that. They made a difference.
All those guys were able to expand our sport by getting more kids and families involved. That’s what the Lane family wants to do. I can’t tell you how much fun we all had fishing when we were kids. The memories will never go away. I want someone else to have that much fun. That’s our goal. If we can do that, we’ll be a success.
What I’m trying to say is that we’ll do everything we can to make this a success for all of fishing, not just for me and my family. I really love bass fishing and want to do everything I can to make it better. This is my chance, and with help from my family, it’ll get done.
Another thing I want to do right away is say thanks to every member of my family for all they’ve done for me. Without them, I couldn’t have made it this far. They’re the whole world to me. I love every one of you.
Next week we’ll talk about something else. Maybe by then I’ll have things more together. I’ll tell you what, it’s been a wild ride.
Editor’s Note: Chris Lane traveled to ESPN last Friday to do a series of interviews on the heels of his 2012 Bassmaster Classic win. He appeared on SportsCenter, SportsNation online chat and the Mike and Mike in the Morning radio show.