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The Leavenworth Bass Club is hosting its third annual Fishing for Freedom (F3) event at Truman Lake on Oct. 8-9. Fishing for Freedom is modeled after other bass tournaments: Anglers are paired, there is a blast off at a designated start time, competitors fish for a certain amount of time and at the end of the day a weigh-in is conducted to decide the winners. That, however, is where the similarities between F3 and any other bass tournament end. F3 is a volunteer run event which pairs local and regional bass angling boat owners with Global War on Terrorism veterans and Wounded Warrior participants from all over the region.
Volunteers come from all over the Midwest, including Nebraska, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. The American heroes the tournament is for also come from all over the Midwest and the South as well, with warriors participating from Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth in Kansas; Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri; Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Hood in Texas. This event focuses on having a good time in the outdoors in an attempt to show appreciation for service and sacrifice of veterans.
F3 provides an all expenses paid weekend for these warriors that begins with a pre-tournament banquet on Saturday, Oct. 8, and culminates with a buddy bass tournament on Sunday, Oct. 9. The F3 event begins with the banquet and pre-tournament meeting on Saturday afternoon where participants check in and are paired for Sunday’s day of fishing. Other highlights of the evening are a great meal provided by Chuck Wagon BBQ of Warsaw, Mo. and presentation of a rod and reel to every warrior participant, as well as a tackle box full of tackle from event sponsors. After some fellowship and live music Saturday night, participants head off to make their last minute pretournament preparations for the big day.
On Sunday, the warriors and their assigned boaters meet up before daylight for breakfast that is provided by Long Shoal Marina. As dawn breaks, eager anglers take a moment to honor the sacrifices made by American service members of every generation as the national anthem rings across the water. As the parade of boats pass through the launch point and anglers head out for their day of fishing the physical and psychological challenges from multiple combat tours are not the thoughts on the warriors minds this day. F3 provides these heroes an opportunity to forget about the last deployment or next therapy session and focus on catching fish and having fun.
The Leavenworth Bass Club is hosting its third annual Fishing for Freedom (F3) event at Truman Lake on Oct. 8-9. Fishing for Freedom is modeled after other bass tournaments: Anglers are paired, there is a blast off at a designated start time, competitors fish for a certain amount of time and at the end of the day a weigh-in is conducted to decide the winners. That, however, is where the similarities between F3 and any other bass tournament end. F3 is a volunteer run event which pairs local and regional bass angling boat owners with Global War on Terrorism veterans and Wounded Warrior participants from all over the region.
Volunteers come from all over the Midwest, including Nebraska, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. The American heroes the tournament is for also come from all over the Midwest and the South as well, with warriors participating from Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth in Kansas; Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri; Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Hood in Texas. This event focuses on having a good time in the outdoors in an attempt to show appreciation for service and sacrifice of veterans.
F3 provides an all expenses paid weekend for these warriors that begins with a pre-tournament banquet on Saturday, Oct. 8, and culminates with a buddy bass tournament on Sunday, Oct. 9. The F3 event begins with the banquet and pre-tournament meeting on Saturday afternoon where participants check in and are paired for Sunday’s day of fishing. Other highlights of the evening are a great meal provided by Chuck Wagon BBQ of Warsaw, Mo. and presentation of a rod and reel to every warrior participant, as well as a tackle box full of tackle from event sponsors. After some fellowship and live music Saturday night, participants head off to make their last minute pretournament preparations for the big day.
On Sunday, the warriors and their assigned boaters meet up before daylight for breakfast that is provided by Long Shoal Marina. As dawn breaks, eager anglers take a moment to honor the sacrifices made by American service members of every generation as the national anthem rings across the water. As the parade of boats pass through the launch point and anglers head out for their day of fishing the physical and psychological challenges from multiple combat tours are not the thoughts on the warriors minds this day. F3 provides these heroes an opportunity to forget about the last deployment or next therapy session and focus on catching fish and having fun.
After the weigh-in, plaques are presented to the top 10 teams, as well as for big bass honors, and an after weigh-in barbecue is held for all event participants and volunteers. Every warrior’s lodging for the weekend is paid for by sponsorship and donations. The smiles and laughter, cherished memories and new friendships are the true rewards of the event.
These warriors have made enormous sacrifices to defend freedom and the Leavenworth Bass Club members feel that hosting this weekend for these warriors is the least they can do to show gratitude. F3 relies totally on organizations and volunteers to donate their time, money and resources to provide these warriors with this experience.
With more than 125 warriors expected to participate in the 2011 event, finding boat owners in these tough economic times who can dedicate a weekend to take a hero fishing can be challenging. If you are a boat owner and would like to volunteer to take a warrior fishing or you would like to support the Fishing for Freedom event in some other way, please visit their website at http://fishingforfreedom.us for additional information.
