Winners All
By: Butch Sickler
Northern Virginia Event Coordinator
"Daddy, I win!" Little did 10-year old Cristina know when she exclaimed those words to her father, John, that she was expressing the sentiments of everyone else who was fortunate enough to have attended the first C.A.S.T. for Kids event to be held in the State of Virginia. On September 30, 2006, at beautiful Pohick Bay Park located on the Potomac River about 20 miles south of the nation's Capitol, Cristina was joined by over 300 other "winners" -42 other children with special needs, 110 family members, 45 Boat Captains and Rig Valets, and approximately 117 volunteers-for a memorable day of excitement and fun. As with all C.A.S.T. for Kids events, the Virginia event was entirely about helping the participating children to "Catch a Special Thrill." To the delight of everyone, this was accomplished beautifully, but in the process, not only the children but everyone else, including myself received so much more in return from the event than they had ever dreamed possible.
At 5:30 a.m., on Saturday morning, September 30, the day started out very dark and chilly for the Volunteer Coordinators who met with me in the upper Boat Staging Area to get their 2-way radios, clipboards, and any last minute instructions. Fortunately, Grace and Michael from Starbucks were there with piping hot coffee, donuts, muffins and bagels to warm everyone's hands and souls. Also among the early risers were 18 Scouts and adults representing Boy Scout Troop 1577 from Herndon, who, under Troop Leader and Parking / Traffic Volunteer Coordinator, Dan Null, would generously be providing parking and traffic control assistance for the day.
Right on schedule, at about 6:00 a.m. the bass fishermen and boats started arriving and staging in the upper parking lot. When all was said and done, we had a grand total of 37 boat rigs lined up, stem-to-stern. Talk about a very impressive (and expensive) sight! Fishermen representing major bass fishing organizations from the Northern Virginia Area, as well as some independent bass fishermen, donated their fishing expertise and the use of their boats for the day. Also, many fishermen who did not bring their boats volunteered onshore as Boat Rig Valets to assist in the boat launching and recovery process. Because most, if not all, C.A.ST. for Kids events in the country revolve around the boat fishing experience, as opposed to shore fishing, it is crucial that local boat fishermen become involved in the event planning process early on.
From my very first meeting with the bass fishing organizations, until the final outcome of the event, the fishermen continued to provide overwhelming support. It is because of their generous contributions that we were able to expand the number of child participants in the event from the original 30 to 43. On behalf of the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation and each of the 43 children that they helped to "Catch A Special Thrill," we want to thank President, Arnold Aspelin, and members of the Potomac Bass Masters of Virginia @ www.potomacbassmasters.com ; President Bill Haire, and the members of Virginia Bass Federation, Region 1 @ www.vabass.com; President Russ Shetley and the members of Virginia Bass Federation, Region 9; and, Chairman Bruce Lee, and the membership of the Concerned Bass Anglers of Virginia @ www.cbava.org. Our gratitude also goes out to the independent bass boat fishermen as well as to Pontoon Boat Captains Chip Owens and Jerry Allman who contributed their pontoon boats for our children who use wheelchairs.
Following coffee and pastries, at around 7:45 a.m., our Boat Captain Coordinator Bruce Lee, provided the morning Boat Captain briefing, to which C.A.S.T. for Kids Eastern Regional Director, Art Pasley, added his input and down-home Texas humor. Before heading back to their boats and in preparation for the big fishing day ahead, each Boat Captain grabbed a rod/reel combo and tackle box, provided by the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation, a bag of tackle, courtesy of Bass Pro Shops in Arundel Mills, MD @ www.basspro.com, and a container of night crawlers, donated by Mike's Baits also from Maryland.
With the sun finally starting to rise, about 7:00 a.m., volunteers began arriving at the park and were shuttled from the parking lot down to the main event area in vans rented for that purpose. There, the volunteers, too, were able to warm their hands and bodies with a cup of steaming hot coffee courtesy of Starbucks. We are very grateful for the nearly 120 volunteers-from all over the DC metro area-who offered their time and expertise for the day. Many of the volunteers learned of the event from the Greater DC Cares website @ www.dc-cares.org, and one such group-the PAC 10 Alumni Associations-were out in full force and did a wonderful job of helping wherever they were needed.
Finally, at approximately 8:00 a.m., as the sun began to chase away the chill, the participating children and their parents began to arrive, driving to a parking lot near the event sight reserved just for them. The child participants, ranging in age from 5 to 18, were children with special needs from many Northern Virginia and Maryland communities. The children were invited, on a first come-first serve basis, via many organizations that cater to children with disabilities, including the ARC of Northern Virginia @ www.arcofnova.org, the ARC of Loudoun County @ www.loudoun-arc.org, Parents of Autistic Children of Northern Virginia @ www.poac-nova.org, and the Downs Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia @ www.dsanv.org, Fairfax County Public Schools, and Eddies Club in Springfield @ www.eddiesclub.org , a recreational program run by Eddie Garretson for children with special needs With each passing minute and with each arriving child, everyone present felt the excitement building in the air. Thanks to the great looking directional signs and banners created by R&D Stamp & Sign Co. in Lorton @ www.rdstamps.com not one person got lost along the way. All the while, our Event Photographers Craig and his wife Sherry, and Nate, began capturing the many sights and the essence of the event through the lenses of their cameras.
Our General Assistance Volunteer Coordinator, Nina, and her group of PAC-10 volunteers, met all participating families in the parking lot and escorted the special guests to the Registration Area. Buddies were assigned to each child whose parent requested one and especially to the six children using wheel chairs. Once at the registration table, our Registration Volunteer Coordinators Joanne and Melissa greeted the children and parents, checked them in, and sent them to the next stop. There, Kathy, our Awards Preparation Coordinator, and Aimee, our C.A.S.T. Gear Coordinator, continued processing the children and provided them with their C.A.S.T. for Kids T-shirts, caps, and nametags. In just five minutes, each family was out from under the registration tent and entered the main event area where they soon found that a very happy and colorful world was awaiting their arrival.
Pohick Bay Park is a large public nature park run by the Northern Virginia Park Authority @ www.nvrpa.org, and it proved to be a very beautiful and functional venue for the inaugural C.A.S.T. for Kids event in Virginia. The Park Manager, Beth Borostovik, graciously accommodated almost every request made of her and she thought nothing of waiving park entry and ramp fees, reserving a staging area for the boats as well as a boat ramp and vehicle and boat rig parking spots. She also contributed a very large and scenic, treed picnic circle that turned out to be the perfect setting for the main event activities and lunch.
In the main event area, everyone had an opportunity to mingle and talk while drinking Starbucks or orange juice, pastries in hand. Surrounding the main event area, bright yellow and white 'circus-style' canopies, donated by A-Plus Rental in Springfield @ www.aplusrental.com (along with tables, chairs, the stage, sound system and boat steps), were decorated from top to bottom with a fun nautical theme. The entire area was alive with colorful flags, blow-up fish, and plastic crabs, lobsters, and other water creatures of all sizes, shapes and colors, many of them unluckily "snagged" in unforgiving nets suspended from the tent poles. Donett and her company, Qurent Systems @ www.qurent.com not only generously donated all of the decorations for the event and coordinated the decorating, but she made sure that every last blow-up fish or plastic water creature went home with a child at the conclusion of the event. Special thanks to Donett for her very special contributions.
At about 8:30 a.m., right on cue, our Boat Loading and Unloading Coordinator, Terry, called up to Bruce and asked him to dispatch 6 bass boats to the passenger loading area adjacent to the main event area. It was an impressive sight to see those rigs rolling down the hill and falling in line. And, believe you me, the sight was not lost on the many excited little eyes that happened to catch a glimpse of boats assembling just for them. With 43 of the 44 invited children and their families registered and everyone gathered in the main event area under the tents, at about 8:45 a.m., I had the pleasure of welcoming all attendees to Virginia's first C.A.S.T. for Kids event. That we had actually brought the event to Virginia elicited deafening whistles, applause and screams when I mentioned it at the podium.
After brief remarks and introductions of guests and Volunteer Coordinators, Captain Chinn of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue provided a short boating safety talk for the benefit of the kids and parents. As with all C.A.S.T. for Kids events, EMTs must be present for the duration and Captain Chinn and his many firemen and EMTs from Fire Station 20 were elated to provide coverage for the event. They also brought their fire truck so that the kids could see it up close and they deployed a Zodiac boat into the water to patrol the areas in which our Boat Captains would be fishing. We can't thank them enough for their support. Following the Opening Ceremonies and everyone counting "1," "2,"" 3," and in unison yelling "Catch A Special Thrill," the entire crowd dispersed with the bulk of the families and volunteers making their way to the Bass Boat Loading Area. The 6 children using wheel chairs and their families were escorted by the volunteers on a 5-minute walk to the piers and ultimately to the two pontoon boats awaiting their arrival.
Under the guidance of our Life Vest Coordinator Geoff Walsh, volunteers from the BLM fitted the children and parents at the bass boat loading area with flotation devices that the BLM contributed for the day. With everyone's life vests secure, the families formed a line to await their turn in boarding the boats. The scene that followed could have been taken straight out of a movie. Cristina and her dad, John, were among the 36 other children and their parents that climbed the steps and boarded the bass boats with the help of the Boat Captains and volunteers. Posing for pictures and waving as the beaming children and their parents headed down the hill to the water, the crowd cheered and wished them "good luck" as if each boat that departed was the QE2 leaving for a trans-oceanic voyage. Smokey the Bear, also compliments of the BLM, was right smack in the middle of things posing for pictures with the kids and waving "good bye" as the kids and their parents departed on their respective journeys.
Ultimately, all bass boats were safely loaded and proceeded to the ramp area, where our Ramp Coordinator Bob, was orchestrating the launching process. Bass fishermen without boats served as boat rig valets for the day and assisted with the launching and recovery processes, using the C.A.S.T. for Kids key board strategy to keep things running smoothly. Meanwhile, at the pier, under the watchful eye of Bud, our Pontoon Boat Coordinator, the six children using wheelchairs and their parents were fitted with life vests and safely loaded onto two pontoon boats generously donated by skippers, Chip Owens and Jerry Allman. One by one, the bass and pontoon boats departed the ramp / pier area and headed out to Pohick Bay, an almost lake-like body of water on the Potomac River that forms much of the Virginia / Maryland border. Vic, a bass fisherman and photographer, also headed out with his boat and camera to take photos of the children and their Boat Captains fishing on the water.
With all of the participating children and parents now in the experienced hands of their Boat Captains, things really got hopping with the on-shore program. Bill, our On-shore Activities Coordinator, ensured that the scheduled program kept the large group of family members and volunteers busy and entertained for the next couple of hours. Under one tent, Rebecca was helping boys, girls, and adults create arts and crafts with beads and small ceramic figurines of turtles and fish. Beneath another canopy, Aleta from the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia @ www.raptorsva.org provided a riveting exhibition of birds of prey, including injured, ill, or orphaned owls and hawks that are being rehabilitated by the Conservancy for release back into the wild. Not far away, Donett was putting removable tattoos of fish, frogs, and other creatures on the faces and arms of any takers.
It was also impossible to miss the constant noise of banging hammers as Donna and Yvonne from The Home Depot in Manassas and many volunteers helped the many orange-apron-clad children create fun and colorful birdhouse masterpieces in a Birdhouse Building Workshop. On the other side of the main event area, Sgt. Brandon Jeremiah, and Spc. Spring Acoff-Reese of the HHC 249 Engineers Battalion at nearby Ft. Belvoir, kept very busy helping curious little children and adults into and out of the Humvee that the U.S. Army contributed for the day's activities. Later in the day, for the benefit of the children and families who had been fishing earlier on the boats, the Raptor Conservancy put on another exhibition, as did the Canine Enforcement Program from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Canine Officers Kelly and Sherry, along with their working dog Yuma and puppy Yaz, delivered a very educational and entertaining show for the large crowd. Also available for anyone so inclined, was extra fishing tackle, donated by the BLM, which the family members and / or volunteers could use to fish from shore. Our sincere appreciation goes out to each of these sponsors and exhibitors for volunteering their time, services, animals, and equipment for the benefit of so many people at the event.
At approximately 11:30 a.m., the first bass boat made its journey back to shore. After the boat was reloaded onto the trailer and as it drove by the main event area, it did so to yells and clapping as the families and volunteers greeted its return. Realizing that all of the boats would soon be returning with their valuable cargo, most of the family members and many of the volunteers migrated to the bass boat unloading area to welcome the children and to witness the scene. Similarly, volunteers and family members greeted the children and parents down on the pier as the pontoon boats returned from their expeditions. When bass boat #1 pulled up to the unloading steps, no one but Boat Captain Kris, parent Bill, participant Luke and sister Isabelle, knew what was in store for the waiting crowd. It was only after Luke, Isabelle, and Bill were positioned on the steps for a photo that Kris pulled the fish out of the live well. Instantly, at the sight of the fish, everyone cheered loudly and erupted into a round of applause. One would have thought that Luke had pitched and won the deciding game of the World Series. In a manner of speaking, he had. But, he was not alone. He was joined by his 42 fellow participants, aged 5 to 18, who were victorious whether or not they had caught any fish. The smiles on the faces of the participants and their parents said it all, and it is these precious moments of excitement and joy that the C.A.S.T. for Kids events are all about.
Each and every boat that rolled by and stopped for unloading, photos, and a display of the catch (or not), received the equivalent of a hero's welcome from the waiting crowd. The excitement in the air was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Thanks to the wonderful and patient instruction of the many Boat Captains who showed the inexperienced children and parents how to fish, many of the children did return with some wonderful (and sizeable) catches of bass, panfish, and catfish. Others came back with no fish, but instead bagged their limit of special thrills. Fishing being what it is-and as all of the Boat Captains will admit-will sometimes "skunk" you no matter what you do. But the fishermen will also tell you that it is the constant hope of "landing the big one" that keeps them going back for more. This may have been the first fishing and boating experience for most of these children, but, thanks to the many Boat Captains and their parents, it hopefully will not be their last.
Behind the scenes, while the excitement of the boat unloading was taking place, our Food and Lunch Coordinator, Jim, along with King Lion Dave of the Mason Neck Lions Club (www.valions.org/mason/) and their many volunteers, were making preparations for the lunchtime meal. With a menu of four entrees, salad, and breadsticks from the Olive Garden and bread pudding from Polo Grill @ www.pologrill.com for dessert, it didn't take long for the participants and their families, the Boat Captains, the volunteers, the sponsors, and the exhibitors to make their way through the serving lines and sit down for the tasty feast. The food was delicious and the conversation was exciting as the participating children and their families sat and talked fish stories with the Boat Captains, the volunteers and anyone who happened to be sitting nearby. Very special thanks again to Jim, Dave, the Lions, and the food volunteers for pulling together such a wonderful lunch meal and one that ran very smoothly.
About an hour into lunch, after everyone had had an opportunity to partake of the terrific food and conversation, it became time for one of the most important proceedings of the day: the Awards Ceremony. Art Pasley started things off by speaking to the large crowd and congratulating all present for having such a wonderful first-time event in Virginia. Following Art's kind words, the Award Ceremony commenced during which each Boat Captain and child came to the stage and the Boat Captain presented the child with an award plaque, a participation certificate, and a FunPack goody bag, all prepared by Awards Coordinator Kathy and her volunteers. Beginning with the Pontoon Boat Captains and the children that used wheel chairs, and continuing with the 37 kids who fished from bass boats, each child was beaming with pride and smiling with joy as they came forward to be recognized for their participation, amid the cameras and applause. Once again, it is for these moments of joy and the acknowledgement of the children that C.A.S.T. for Kids events are held and why everyone becomes a winner, no matter what.
Following the heartwarming awards ceremony, a "Thank You" raffle was held for the Boat Captains and volunteers who had so generously given of themselves for the day. Lucky Boat Captains received prizes donated by Boaters World Marine Centers @ www.boatersworld.com and winning volunteers were treated to free meal certificates courtesy of Red Lobster, Macaroni Grill, Silver Diner, and Uno's Chicago Style Pizza. With the ceremony and raffle complete, I delivered closing remarks to the large crowd and provided final 'Thank Yous' on behalf of the Foundation and myself to all of the Volunteer Coordinators, the many Boat Captains and volunteers, and the sponsors and exhibitors who took time out of their lives to help 43 very special children and their families "Catch A Special Thrill." I also offered sincere appreciation to the major financial sponsors of the event, The Centech Group @ www.centechgroup.com , and all of the Northern Virginia Wal-Mart stores, without whose generous monetary donations the event would not have been possible.
What all of these giving people, businesses, and organizations did as a community on one beautiful September day at Pohick Bay Park, Virginia, will linger as wonderful memories in everyone's minds for the rest of their lives. Perhaps Steve, father of 6-year old Alison, captured the essence of the event best when, afterwards, he said to me, "I eventually convinced Alison to go out on the boat. It was her first time fishing and she caught 9 little Perch. Captain Les even let her drive the boat back in. Neither one of us will ever forget that. Thank You."
Cristina could not have been more correct. She did win, and for that matter, so did everyone else.
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