Sponsorships

2020 was a tough year for all of us.  Harder for some, depending on where you worked.  2021 hasn't started-out as good as we might have hoped with some prices - gasoline for one - rising making it harder to recoup from the past year.

Drifter2007 received a cash donation from Hook Rash (www.hookrash.com) and asked for suggestions on how best to use it.  Nobaddays idea was to sponsor any NWKA members who would like to compete in AOTY but couldn't justify the entry fee at this time.

It was such a good idea I pledged a matching donation so the NWKA family can enroll four folks in AOTY.

Drifter asked for people to step forward - as privately as he can arrange it - in the thread https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=22912.0.

My understanding is no one has stepped forward to claim a gift, and I wish you would.  As a group, we seldom have a chance to pay-it-forward for our members.  Beyond getting some folks on the water chasing species this year, it would be nice if we could find a way to do something similar every year.  But it has to work, and this year that means we need to figure out how to draw folks to take Drifter's offer.

Think of it as a sponsorship.

You always wondered what it would be like to have a sponsor?  Here's your chance.  If you have any desire to compete in AOTY but are prioritizing your expenses after the year we've had, contact any member of the AOTY steering committee with whom you feel comfortable.

Not me - I have nothing to do with AOTY.

One thought -- if someone is so strapped for cash that the 50$ to enroll in AOTY is hard to come by, maybe they're also a bit too strapped to afford the license/gas/gear/bait that is required to get on the water?

Just spitballing, but if you're unable to get 4 folks to sign up, maybe you could try getting two to enroll... 50 bucks for AOTY sign up, 50 bucks for license, gas, & gear. Not sure how you'd ensure the latter went to gas & gear, if folks care about that. You could just trust 'em, but these days that seems like it's getting harder and harder to do

I realize that only 100 would go to AOTY, so that's at least one drawback to the above idea.

One thought -- if someone is so strapped for cash that the 50$ to enroll in AOTY is hard to come by, maybe they're also a bit too strapped to afford the license/gas/gear/bait that is required to get on the water?

Just spitballing, but if you're unable to get 4 folks to sign up, maybe you could try getting two to enroll... 50 bucks for AOTY sign up, 50 bucks for license, gas, & gear. Not sure how you'd ensure the latter went to gas & gear, if folks care about that. You could just trust 'em, but these days that seems like it's getting harder and harder to do

I realize that only 100 would go to AOTY, so that's at least one drawback to the above idea.

Being on SSI I totally get that, when I can fish I’m very limited on how far I can go and what I can spend on tackle. Fixed income unfortunately doesn’t go up when they raise minimum wage to $13+ dollars an hour, but the cost of everything I need to survive goes up. I’m not a diverse enough fisherman to even be competitive.

I’m not a diverse enough fisherman to even be competitive.

That’s one of the great things about AOTY.  You don’t have to compete to win it all.  You can just get the best score you can with where you can fish.  It has got me trying for new species of fish, some of which I had no idea how to catch when it started.  I think you should do it.  If you do, I bet you win a prize.

One thought -- if someone is so strapped for cash that the 50$ to enroll in AOTY is hard to come by, maybe they're also a bit too strapped to afford the license/gas/gear/bait that is required to get on the water?

I realize that only 100 would go to AOTY, so that's at least one drawback to the above idea.

I cannot speak for the AOTY organizers, but how much in additional entry fees were to go to HOW didn't enter my thoughts.

You raise a very valid point about expenses other than just the entry fee.  Perhaps you could make the same comment on Drifter's thread where it might be noticed?  Thanks for the input.  It helps.

Continuing the spitball on this thread, where reasons for spitball are manifest in earlier posts.

Maybe AOTY could create another category, one for folks who for whatever reason stick pretty close to home? Might make AOTY more accessible for a wider range of folks. Something like...

(Points for given fish)=(standard AOTY score)-{(distance traveled¹)*(multiplier that makes sense to folks smarter than me)}

¹ - using a categorical variable that represents ranges might make more sense... 0-10 miles, 11-20 miles, etc.

Also. This is coming from a probably over-caffeinated dude who knows very little about AOTY. So, biggo grain of salt

Maybe AOTY could create another category, one for folks who for whatever reason stick pretty close to home? Might make AOTY more accessible for a wider range of folks. Something like...

(Points for given fish)=(standard AOTY score)-{(distance traveled¹)*(multiplier that makes sense to folks smarter than me)}

Yeah, I don't see that happening, and if I might add: this is not the thread for that discussion - but caffeine overdosing is an acceptable excuse .

Thanks Tinker for bringing this up, and thank you to all of the spitballing suggestions.

Everyone who signs up for AOTY will be receiving a prize pack. I don't know exactly how it will pan out, but probably the top half of entries will receive more than $50 worth of prizes. I was looking over the sponsor lists earlier today. We have 3 guided fishing trips. I believe we have 6 fishing poles (3 fly, 3 reg), we have a bunch of lures and gear from a wide variety of sponsors. We have art work and gift certificates. We have 25 different sponsors, that is 4 more than we have contestants, and I know of a couple more that will be coming on board. We are very close to $5,000 in donation value so far.

In my own narrow minded vision, I believe the main purpose of AOTY is to build comradery as well as to test our selves at catching a wide variety of fish. I also feel that our benefitting group (Heroes on the Water) is an amazing organization. HOW is where it all started for me, and I am very grateful for it! My very first time on a kayak I caught 7 sturgeon on the Gilbert River with Anthony and the Portland HOW crew. I will never feel that I have done enough to repay them for what they have shown me. For the changes in my life that have happened since then. I was still in the Military at that time, but have since retired.

Anyway, I really like to see the donations to HOW add up!

Ok, enough rambling. If you know of someone who could use a AOTY sponsorship, please let me know.

 

So … several people reached out to me via pm asking me to accept one of the “scholarship’s” for AOTY. I’m not a diverse fisherman as I don’t travel too far from home due to economics. I’m not going to place high but I’ll accept a place on AOTY for the sake of trial on my part and hopefully someone else who is in my situation as far as fishing expenses being on the bottom of the budget goes, also takes the advantage.
  Don’t expect a slew of different species from this old fart but I’ll put my best fame on for fish in my local. So drifter put me down.