First of all, I want to say Congrats to Edwin and his family. To say he deserves it, is a huge understatement.
He will be a great representative for the sport.
I want to tell everyone what it feels like to finish 2nd in the Classic.......
On the way in the BOK on the final day I was aware that Edwin had a big bag and I was probably not going to win. And, honestly I was "ok". As I enter the arena, thousands of fans were waving, cheering, and throwing things for me to autograph. This was the moment when I started to think about having a big lead and getting beat. What did I do wrong?, what excuses am I going to give the crowd and media?
I am in my boat moving 100 feet every time someone weighs in. I'm getting closer and closer from getting on the stage.
Then, with the last person to weigh, my boat is placed directly in front of my family ON THE FRONT ROW. I can literally hold their hand.
My daughters, saying "great job Dad". My wife, mom, dad, sister, and surprisingly my good friend Jonathan Henry (pictured above). All of them smiling, and they knew I wasn't going to win.
I have to give you a little background on Jonathan.
A few years ago, I was staying in Florida at an FLW event. There was a co-angler staying in the same house, Jonathan Henry. We have all met people that instantly, you have a special friendship. We became close friends.
The next year I had the opportunity to fish both Tours, but I knew with the demands of travel, I couldn't do it alone. He said, "if you will let me practice with you on FLW, I will help with the driving and you don't even have to pay me. I just want to learn, I want to be a pro someday. I will be the one benefitting from this, learning from you."
I took him up on his offer. I want to say that during our year of traveling, I learned a lot from him about fishing. I learned more from him than he learned from me. He is one of the best fisherman I have ever been in the boat with. His energy was contagious. It made me excited to go fishing, and I was successful that year because of him. I heard him say hundreds of times, "when I start fishing on Tour".......
Last year, at the age of 32, Jonathan was diagnosed with a very rare cancer that has moved his "pro career" back a couple years. He is very positive and the future is looking bright. He is a fighter!
Back to the Classic, I was completely surprised to see him there sitting with my family. Against everyone's advice, he drove himself to the airport Sunday morning, got on a plane and headed to surprise me at the final weigh in. He had no excuses for not being there to watch his friend weigh in on the final day. He wanted to be there for ME!
He was right, he was there for me. When I seen him, I couldn't think of any excuses. I could only think of the things that matter on the front row!
We postponed his flight so we could hang out a couple days. I was happy to get a photo of us together when I dropped him off at the airport.
I look forward to competing against Jonathan soon!
So, how does it feel to finish 2nd in the Classic?
I don't know, because I haven't thought about it!!!!!
What a stand up Guy...cool
He will be a great representative for the sport.
I want to tell everyone what it feels like to finish 2nd in the Classic.......
On the way in the BOK on the final day I was aware that Edwin had a big bag and I was probably not going to win. And, honestly I was "ok". As I enter the arena, thousands of fans were waving, cheering, and throwing things for me to autograph. This was the moment when I started to think about having a big lead and getting beat. What did I do wrong?, what excuses am I going to give the crowd and media?
I am in my boat moving 100 feet every time someone weighs in. I'm getting closer and closer from getting on the stage.
Then, with the last person to weigh, my boat is placed directly in front of my family ON THE FRONT ROW. I can literally hold their hand.
My daughters, saying "great job Dad". My wife, mom, dad, sister, and surprisingly my good friend Jonathan Henry (pictured above). All of them smiling, and they knew I wasn't going to win.
I have to give you a little background on Jonathan.
A few years ago, I was staying in Florida at an FLW event. There was a co-angler staying in the same house, Jonathan Henry. We have all met people that instantly, you have a special friendship. We became close friends.
The next year I had the opportunity to fish both Tours, but I knew with the demands of travel, I couldn't do it alone. He said, "if you will let me practice with you on FLW, I will help with the driving and you don't even have to pay me. I just want to learn, I want to be a pro someday. I will be the one benefitting from this, learning from you."
I took him up on his offer. I want to say that during our year of traveling, I learned a lot from him about fishing. I learned more from him than he learned from me. He is one of the best fisherman I have ever been in the boat with. His energy was contagious. It made me excited to go fishing, and I was successful that year because of him. I heard him say hundreds of times, "when I start fishing on Tour".......
Last year, at the age of 32, Jonathan was diagnosed with a very rare cancer that has moved his "pro career" back a couple years. He is very positive and the future is looking bright. He is a fighter!
Back to the Classic, I was completely surprised to see him there sitting with my family. Against everyone's advice, he drove himself to the airport Sunday morning, got on a plane and headed to surprise me at the final weigh in. He had no excuses for not being there to watch his friend weigh in on the final day. He wanted to be there for ME!
He was right, he was there for me. When I seen him, I couldn't think of any excuses. I could only think of the things that matter on the front row!
We postponed his flight so we could hang out a couple days. I was happy to get a photo of us together when I dropped him off at the airport.
I look forward to competing against Jonathan soon!
So, how does it feel to finish 2nd in the Classic?
I don't know, because I haven't thought about it!!!!!
What a stand up Guy...cool