NorthWest Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing => Events => Topic started by: polepole on April 04, 2024, 07:56:59 AM
-
Exciting times! You may recognize a few names involved here ...
USA, April 4, 2024
USAngling is proud to announce an exciting new sports team, Saltwater Kayak Fishing, to the USAngling program. USAngling has set up an USA Kayak Fishing Saltwater committee to select America’s best saltwater kayak fishing teams. These teams will represent the USA at the upcoming Costa Rica Pan American Championship in June and the World Championship in Spain this October. These are sanctioned events that will assist in the global effort to gain recognition for sport fishing by the International Olympic committee.
The committee currently consists of: Craig Storms – President, David Elgas – Vice President, Allen Sansano – Secretary, Annie Nagel – Communications Director, Adam Fisk – Team Coach, Robert Field – Gulf Coast Director and Joe Hector – Atlantic SE Director. This committee is establishing a program to build regional qualifiers, national championships, Pan Am events and a path for American athletes to compete in future Saltwater Kayak Fishing World Championships.
...
Full press release here, https://conta.cc/3VOEbHd
-Allen
-
That's a bad ass alternative to the ditch pickle circuit!
-Mark-
-
I recognize most of these names, but never heard of this Allen guy. How did he ever make the list?
You would think he would have at least been a household name in the kayak world, no? ;D
Congrats, my man!
-
I recognize most of these names, but never heard of this Allen guy. How did he ever make the list?
He was brought in for his looks I'm sure.
-Allen
-
Things happen for a reason.
In October, David Elgas (Boogie-D) and I and a few others were in La Paz, Mexico. We met a local kayak angler there name Jonatan. We were supposed to be out to sea for the whole week, but shit happens and we had to pivot to a hotel based week. This allowed us to spend more time with Jonatan. Jonatan is on the Mexican Team. He asked us why the USA didn't have a team at the upcoming PanAm championship. We had no clue. He made a call and introduced us to the Mexican heads, and they introduced us to USAngling. USAngling asked us to figure this out. We made a few phone calls and pulled the rest of the team in, and here we are, moving at the speed of light.
-Allen
-
I recognize most of these names, but never heard of this Allen guy. How did he ever make the list?
He was brought in for his looks I'm sure.
-Allen
We'll go with that. :headbang:
-
We made a few phone calls and pulled the rest of the team in, and here we are, moving at the speed of light.
-Allen
Surprised to not see Howard in that list.
What's he up to these days?
-
We made a few phone calls and pulled the rest of the team in, and here we are, moving at the speed of light.
-Allen
Surprised to not see Howard in that list.
What's he up to these days?
I haven't spoken to Howard in a few years. Now I have to call and see.
You'll be seeing another name on the list soon, that you'll recognize from the NW. ;)
-Allen
-
We made a few phone calls and pulled the rest of the team in, and here we are, moving at the speed of light.
-Allen
Surprised to not see Howard in that list.
What's he up to these days?
I haven't spoken to Howard in a few years. Now I have to call and see.
You'll be seeing another name on the list soon, that you'll recognize from the NW. ;)
-Allen
If you get a good chat going with Howard, have him pop in and say Hi here. Would love to hear what kind of adventures he's been up to.
-
So how does one get selected for a team or is it got to know the right people?
-
So how does one get selected for a team or is it got to know the right people?
The long term goal is to have qualifier tournaments around the country. There are some practicalities to consider for the upcoming PanAm championship in June, as there is no time for qualifiers. In some cases it may be knowing the right people, in other cases, it is anglers that have a presences and are known. The coach and captain are in charge of putting together the best team to smash to competition at the PanAm's.
-Allen
-
Not exactly salmon shark fishing, but, Wow, historical heavy hitters list to get things up and running. Way to go old school crew!..
So, how many countries are involved ???
-
Not exactly salmon shark fishing, but, Wow, historical heavy hitters list to get things up and running. Way to go old school crew!..
So, how many countries are involved ???
For the upcoming PanAm Championship at the end of June ... USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Venezuela.
There is a World Champsionship in Spain in October. We don't know which countries yet.
-Allen
-
So how does one get selected for a team or is it got to know the right people?
The long term goal is to have qualifier tournaments around the country. There are some practicalities to consider for the upcoming PanAm championship in June, as there is no time for qualifiers. In some cases it may be knowing the right people, in other cases, it is anglers that have a presences and are known. The coach and captain are in charge of putting together the best team to smash to competition at the PanAm's.
-Allen
I hope to see qualifiers sooner then later. Its definitely a who you know game now. Unfortunately, it is not representative of the entire group but more a small circle of friends. Panam champion is a bit misleading at the moment-should be "champion amongst small group of invite only friends" ;).
Currently the state's largest Ocean tournament is the AOTD tournament in Coos Bay- That could be a good qualifier. ORC would have been good but has lacked support and participants for several years and not representative of the kayak community as a whole. Until anyone has a chance to make the team it seems silly to say that this team is represents the skillset across the NW.
If it was based on recent tournaments/skillsets - Evan Merz has had the highest average finishing rate for the last several years. Casey Broyles- had a year recently where he won every tournament (AOTY, AOTD, ORC, Brownlee and others -these were big tourneys pre-covid). Chris Mayes has won several large tournaments. Jed Rivera broke records for AOTY and is constantly on top. If its truly about having a "presences that are known"" in the kayak community then Tyler Hicks should be considered... i am surprised that none of them were named to the team.
Hoping that the leaders from this group/team can have a strong voice and support this for the long term and do it without personal bias. We have had great tournaments in the past, only to see them fall by the wayside-- AOTY and ORC
I hope this is taken as constructive criticism and not just me complaining. Excited to see the series start and look forward to see it growing in the future.
-
So how does one get selected for a team or is it got to know the right people?
The long term goal is to have qualifier tournaments around the country. There are some practicalities to consider for the upcoming PanAm championship in June, as there is no time for qualifiers. In some cases it may be knowing the right people, in other cases, it is anglers that have a presences and are known. The coach and captain are in charge of putting together the best team to smash to competition at the PanAm's.
-Allen
I hope to see qualifiers sooner then later. Its definitely a who you know game now. Unfortunately, it is not representative of the entire group but more a small circle of friends. Panam champion is a bit misleading at the moment-should be "champion amongst small group of invite only friends" ;).
Currently the state's largest Ocean tournament is the AOTD tournament in Coos Bay- That could be a good qualifier. ORC would have been good but has lacked support and participants for several years and not representative of the kayak community as a whole. Until anyone has a chance to make the team it seems silly to say that this team is represents the skillset across the NW.
If it was based on recent tournaments/skillsets - Evan Merz has had the highest average finishing rate for the last several years. Casey Broyles- had a year recently where he won every tournament (AOTY, AOTD, ORC, Brownlee and others -these were big tourneys pre-covid). Chris Mayes has won several large tournaments. Jed Rivera broke records for AOTY and is constantly on top. If its truly about having a "presences that are known"" in the kayak community then Tyler Hicks should be considered... i am surprised that none of them were named to the team.
Hoping that the leaders from this group/team can have a strong voice and support this for the long term and do it without personal bias. We have had great tournaments in the past, only to see them fall by the wayside-- AOTY and ORC
I hope this is taken as constructive criticism and not just me complaining. Excited to see the series start and look forward to see it growing in the future.
Good stuff! Thanks for the feedback. There is no right way to approach a tournament that is less than 3 months away. However, it is impossible to hold qualifiers for it in this time frame.
BTW, there is no way to have a qualifier in every coastal state. There are not enough positions in a team.
So while less than ideal, we put together a team for the PanAms that has the capabilities to win it all. Stay tuned for qualifier info for the Worlds in October in Spain. We're scrambling to get this in place.
-Allen
-
So Zach, you saying I'm not qualified to represent the PNW? ;)
-Mark-
-
Thank you for taking my feedback. I understand the situation you guys are in and hope that it works out well.
I look forward to hearing more about the future events and their qualifiers. I hope to see that the team expands past a group of core friends (or at least look at this website[and NCKA]/tournaments to determine current active heavy hitters-- not just the OG crew). By making qualifiers, you can reinvigorate our local tournaments. Also hope that you and others will make it to more tournaments to properly identify new talent. I have been to several tournaments in the NW and only recognize Mark Veary as an active participator in the NW kayak community that was selected to the team.
-
So Zach, you saying I'm not qualified to represent the PNW? ;)
-Mark-
Yep that's exactly what i am saying.... :D haha you know me better then that.
I think you and others will represent the group well. Just interested in the selection process and how people were chosen or not. And hope that myself and others have a chance to qualify and compete in the future. Not great hearing about a cool new series only to find out that its invite only for a relatively small group of friends
-
Thank you for taking my feedback. I understand the situation you guys are in and hope that it works out well.
I look forward to hearing more about the future events and their qualifiers. I hope to see that the team expands past a group of core friends (or at least look at this website[and NCKA]/tournaments to determine current active heavy hitters-- not just the OG crew). By making qualifiers, you can reinvigorate our local tournaments. Also hope that you and others will make it to more tournaments to properly identify new talent. I have been to several tournaments in the NW and only recognize Mark Veary as an active participator in the NW kayak community that was selected to the team.
If there was a 200+ person saltwater event in the NW, it for sure would be considered for a qualifier. Anyone want to make it happen?
-Allen
-
Thank you for taking my feedback. I understand the situation you guys are in and hope that it works out well.
I look forward to hearing more about the future events and their qualifiers. I hope to see that the team expands past a group of core friends (or at least look at this website[and NCKA]/tournaments to determine current active heavy hitters-- not just the OG crew). By making qualifiers, you can reinvigorate our local tournaments. Also hope that you and others will make it to more tournaments to properly identify new talent. I have been to several tournaments in the NW and only recognize Mark Veary as an active participator in the NW kayak community that was selected to the team.
If there was a 200+ person saltwater event in the NW, it for sure would be considered for a qualifier. Anyone want to make it happen?
-Allen
Not sure if you’re serious or sarcastic but either way this is why I worry that it will continue to be politics and who you know. There are realistic ways of going about selecting a team. Qualifiers don’t need to be big—having a standard on how teams are selected and transparency would give the team validity. Right now it’s a group of friends entering a tournament together calling themselves National representatives.
-
So Zach, you saying I'm not qualified to represent the PNW? ;)
-Mark-
Yep that's exactly what i am saying.... :D haha you know me better then that.
I think you and others will represent the group well. Just interested in the selection process and how people were chosen or not. And hope that myself and others have a chance to qualify and compete in the future. Not great hearing about a cool new series only to find out that its invite only for a relatively small group of friends
I'm glad you got my sarcasm. :D
I hope for a good PNW qualifier also. Those big contests require a champion though and I think you're just the man to bring this to life Zach.
-Mark-
-
So Zach, you saying I'm not qualified to represent the PNW? ;)
-Mark-
Yep that's exactly what i am saying.... :D haha you know me better then that.
I think you and others will represent the group well. Just interested in the selection process and how people were chosen or not. And hope that myself and others have a chance to qualify and compete in the future. Not great hearing about a cool new series only to find out that its invite only for a relatively small group of friends
I'm glad you got my sarcasm. :D
I hope for a good PNW qualifier also. Those big contests require a champion though and I think you're just the man to bring this to life Zach.
-Mark-
You have been around me long enough to know that I have stepped in and volunteered to help (recall my efforts to make orc tax exempt- fell on deaf ears). I have volunteered and assisted with the kayak community for years and don’t plan on stopping
I think our current tournaments are not well supported by this website- look at AOTY website issues. Hard to want to join when you can’t access the website. Same with ORC and the other tournaments- hard to advertise when no calendars are updated and pinned posts in tournaments show the last tournament being ORC 2021
Again- qualifiers don’t need to be big. But not having anything available for others to join makes it a challenge between friends- not a Panam champ. . Right now the only way for me to make a team in the future is to befriend certain people. Not something I am willing to do. I bet me asking questions on how to qualify has annoyed Allen enough to keep me off the team… ;)
-
Thank you for taking my feedback. I understand the situation you guys are in and hope that it works out well.
I look forward to hearing more about the future events and their qualifiers. I hope to see that the team expands past a group of core friends (or at least look at this website[and NCKA]/tournaments to determine current active heavy hitters-- not just the OG crew). By making qualifiers, you can reinvigorate our local tournaments. Also hope that you and others will make it to more tournaments to properly identify new talent. I have been to several tournaments in the NW and only recognize Mark Veary as an active participator in the NW kayak community that was selected to the team.
If there was a 200+ person saltwater event in the NW, it for sure would be considered for a qualifier. Anyone want to make it happen?
-Allen
Not sure if you’re serious or sarcastic but either way this is why I worry that it will continue to be politics and who you know. There are realistic ways of going about selecting a team. Qualifiers don’t need to be big—having a standard on how teams are selected and transparency would give the team validity. Right now it’s a group of friends entering a tournament together calling themselves National representatives.
Why would that be sarcastic? How is opening up the opportunity to as many people as possible being political?
And please don't confuse lack of information (because we haven't figured it all out yet) with lack of transparency. Trying to be fully transparent.
Group of friends? I know less than half the people involved in this. Hardly a group of friends.
Happy to follow up in a phone call. DM me your number and I'll reach out.
-Allen
-
Again- qualifiers don’t need to be big. But not having anything available for others to join makes it a challenge between friends- not a Panam champ. . Right now the only way for me to make a team in the future is to befriend certain people. Not something I am willing to do. I bet me asking questions on how to qualify has annoyed Allen enough to keep me off the team… ;)
I'm not annoyed. I share the same concerns on legitimacy. However, we need to start somewhere and if we didn't start like this, frankly there would be no team going. And we felt it best to have immediate representation rather than not be there.
Completely open to your feedback and ideas.
-Allen
-
Again- qualifiers don’t need to be big. But not having anything available for others to join makes it a challenge between friends- not a Panam champ. . Right now the only way for me to make a team in the future is to befriend certain people. Not something I am willing to do. I bet me asking questions on how to qualify has annoyed Allen enough to keep me off the team… ;)
I'm not annoyed. I share the same concerns on legitimacy. However, we need to start somewhere and if we didn't start like this, frankly there would be no team going. And we felt it best to have immediate representation rather than not be there.
Completely open to your feedback and ideas.
-Allen
You’ve been great Allen and I hope you guys do well and win it all. You and Mark have done a lot for the community and I don’t want my questioning to distract from the amount of effort you put into this. You both have grown the community and deserve to represent the community.
-
I'd have to talk with the other organizers, but I'd be interested in making the SBAOTD a qualifying event.
https://fb.me/e/45qNBHr5n
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/medium_412-170424154325.png) (https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=6026)
-
Allen - Not sure, but this might be worth looking into as a resource.
https://www.extremekayakfishingtournament.org/#/
-
I'd have to talk with the other organizers, but I'd be interested in making the SBAOTD a qualifying event.
https://fb.me/e/45qNBHr5n
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/medium_412-170424154325.png) (https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=6026)
Let's chat at some point Paul.
-Allen
-
Allen - Not sure, but this might be worth looking into as a resource.
https://www.extremekayakfishingtournament.org/#/
Joe Hector, who runs those tournies, is a regional director for us.
-Allen
-
Allen - Not sure, but this might be worth looking into as a resource.
https://www.extremekayakfishingtournament.org/#/
Joe Hector, who runs those tournies, is a regional director for us.
-Allen
:icon_thumleft: :icon_thumleft:
-
So Zach, you saying I'm not qualified to represent the PNW? ;)
-Mark-
Yep that's exactly what i am saying.... :D haha you know me better then that.
I think you and others will represent the group well. Just interested in the selection process and how people were chosen or not. And hope that myself and others have a chance to qualify and compete in the future. Not great hearing about a cool new series only to find out that its invite only for a relatively small group of friends
I'm glad you got my sarcasm. :D
I hope for a good PNW qualifier also. Those big contests require a champion though and I think you're just the man to bring this to life Zach.
-Mark-
You have been around me long enough to know that I have stepped in and volunteered to help (recall my efforts to make orc tax exempt- fell on deaf ears). I have volunteered and assisted with the kayak community for years and don’t plan on stopping
I think our current tournaments are not well supported by this website- look at AOTY website issues. Hard to want to join when you can’t access the website. Same with ORC and the other tournaments- hard to advertise when no calendars are updated and pinned posts in tournaments show the last tournament being ORC 2021
Again- qualifiers don’t need to be big. But not having anything available for others to join makes it a challenge between friends- not a Panam champ. . Right now the only way for me to make a team in the future is to befriend certain people. Not something I am willing to do. I bet me asking questions on how to qualify has annoyed Allen enough to keep me off the team… ;)
So, Zach - you willing to help out with the SBAOTD? I'm sure we could find a spot for you. ;D
-
So, Zach - you willing to help out with the SBAOTD? I'm sure we could find a spot for you. ;D
Id definitely be open to chatting to see how i can help. I may be restricted with some aspects as i am not local to your area but if there are options for me to assist day of the tournament or background prep such as making a shit ton of phone calls- then i would be happy to assist. Lets chat and see where i can jump in
-
Really great discussion going on here. I think these chats are what can fuel something bigger. There is SO MUCH potential in the PNW to build the community larger.