September 9, 2008
BASS Reporter’s Notebook:
Who Will be the First Woman to Qualify for the Bassmaster Classic?
BASS Reporter’s Notebook:
Who Will be the First Woman to Qualify for the Bassmaster Classic?
Story and Photo Courtesy of BASS Communications
The chance to make history by being the first woman to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic has motivated every pro who’s competing this year on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors.
For the first time, the winner of the Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year points race will receive a qualifying berth into the Classic. As the first woman to qualify for the Classic, the angler will earn a place in the record books, no matter how she fares against the other 50 contenders in the Feb. 20-22 event on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
WBT rookie Kim Bain of Alabaster, Ala., has held the lead in the AOY points race since she pulled off an upset win at the 2008 season opener in Texas. Gunning for her top spot are formidable competitors, including Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, who is just 23 points behind, in second place.
Robinson, a one-time WBT winner who has finished in the top 10 in every event this season, will try her best to overtake Bain at next week’s Clarks Hill Lake tournament in Georgia.
“I’m not paying attention to the numbers, I’m just working as hard as I can,” Robinson said. “I’ve been coming in earlier to events all season, spending a ton of time on the water practicing. I got to Clarks Hill Wednesday night (Sept. 3), and I’ve been out on the water every day since.”
In third place — 65 points behind Bain — is the reigning AOY, Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla., who has a win and 10 other top-10 finishes in her career on the women’s tour. Like Robinson, she isn’t obsessed with crunching numbers to work out possible points scenarios.
“I have a ballpark idea of where everybody’s sitting, but if you allow the points thing to get in your head, you can’t concentrate on fishing, on what you need to be doing at the lake,” Glasgow said. “I keep busy with my job when I’m not fishing, so I don’t even think much about a tournament until I’m physically there. I think there’s an advantage in that because, in the sport of fishing, you can overthink and mess yourself up.
“Don’t get me wrong, I talk to people about it. The Classic spot is as big as it gets for women in fishing.”
And then there’s Patti Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, 92 points behind Bain. Not to mention Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., 94 points out. Martin-Wells’ record could give anyone reason to pause: she has won a multitude of bass tournaments in her career, including three WBT events: the preview event of 2005 before the tour officially kicked off, the 2006 championship, and a 2008 tournament in Alabama.
A new twist to the WBT points system this year — what’s known as “the drop” — might help some and might hurt others.
Here’s how it works: Pros compete in four regular-season tournaments (Clarks Hill being the final one), earning points on a sliding scale according to finishes. After the Sept. 18-20 Clarks Hill event comes “the drop”: Each pro’s lowest tournament finish will be dropped from the points tally. The resulting top 20 in the standings earn the right to compete in the fifth 2008 event, the Women’s Bassmaster Championship presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors on Lake Hamilton out of Hot Springs, Ark.. Points earned at that Oct. 23-25 event will top off each pro’s total.
That’s when one pro will emerge as the points race winner to be the 2008 Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year, and thus the historic Classic qualifier.
About BASS
For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content – from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage – to passionate audiences.
The chance to make history by being the first woman to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic has motivated every pro who’s competing this year on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors.
For the first time, the winner of the Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year points race will receive a qualifying berth into the Classic. As the first woman to qualify for the Classic, the angler will earn a place in the record books, no matter how she fares against the other 50 contenders in the Feb. 20-22 event on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
WBT rookie Kim Bain of Alabaster, Ala., has held the lead in the AOY points race since she pulled off an upset win at the 2008 season opener in Texas. Gunning for her top spot are formidable competitors, including Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas, who is just 23 points behind, in second place.
Robinson, a one-time WBT winner who has finished in the top 10 in every event this season, will try her best to overtake Bain at next week’s Clarks Hill Lake tournament in Georgia.
“I’m not paying attention to the numbers, I’m just working as hard as I can,” Robinson said. “I’ve been coming in earlier to events all season, spending a ton of time on the water practicing. I got to Clarks Hill Wednesday night (Sept. 3), and I’ve been out on the water every day since.”
In third place — 65 points behind Bain — is the reigning AOY, Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla., who has a win and 10 other top-10 finishes in her career on the women’s tour. Like Robinson, she isn’t obsessed with crunching numbers to work out possible points scenarios.
“I have a ballpark idea of where everybody’s sitting, but if you allow the points thing to get in your head, you can’t concentrate on fishing, on what you need to be doing at the lake,” Glasgow said. “I keep busy with my job when I’m not fishing, so I don’t even think much about a tournament until I’m physically there. I think there’s an advantage in that because, in the sport of fishing, you can overthink and mess yourself up.
“Don’t get me wrong, I talk to people about it. The Classic spot is as big as it gets for women in fishing.”
And then there’s Patti Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, 92 points behind Bain. Not to mention Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., 94 points out. Martin-Wells’ record could give anyone reason to pause: she has won a multitude of bass tournaments in her career, including three WBT events: the preview event of 2005 before the tour officially kicked off, the 2006 championship, and a 2008 tournament in Alabama.
A new twist to the WBT points system this year — what’s known as “the drop” — might help some and might hurt others.
Here’s how it works: Pros compete in four regular-season tournaments (Clarks Hill being the final one), earning points on a sliding scale according to finishes. After the Sept. 18-20 Clarks Hill event comes “the drop”: Each pro’s lowest tournament finish will be dropped from the points tally. The resulting top 20 in the standings earn the right to compete in the fifth 2008 event, the Women’s Bassmaster Championship presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors on Lake Hamilton out of Hot Springs, Ark.. Points earned at that Oct. 23-25 event will top off each pro’s total.
That’s when one pro will emerge as the points race winner to be the 2008 Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year, and thus the historic Classic qualifier.
About BASS
For 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content – from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage – to passionate audiences.
No comments:
Post a Comment