By Wayne Brady, TKAA Tournament Director

With almost 200 registered anglers from 12 states, the 6th Annual TKAA Fish for Charity Kayak Fishing Tournament was held September 25th in Norfolk, Virginia. For once, the weather cooperated, the fishing was decent, and the event was a tribute to the sacrifices made by members of our armed forces. As in past years, the primary beneficiaries of the tournament were two groups who use fishing related activities to help in the rehabilitation process of men and women wounded in comba.

Heroes on the Water, whose new motto is "Paddle. Fish. Heal," is a relatively new group that promotes rehabilitation through kayak fishing. Project Healing Waters uses fly fishing and fly tying to accomplish the same goal. Eighteen members of these organizations attended the event and, on Saturday morning, went out with TKAA volunteers for several hours of successful fishing. Several sponsors contributed items just for these individuals and it was apparent that they were appreciative of the special efforts.

The event raised enough money to fully fund a new chapter of Heroes on the Water. Jim & Tina Shank will head up this effort and many winners of raffle items donated their winnings to their new chapter. One division winner, who won a kayak, donated it to the new chapter. One of the highlights of the event was the speech made by Jim indicating why he was so involved in this project. As a former Marine, he stressed that "the armed forces take care of their own". The tournament is our way of giving back and taking care of the men and women who have sacrificed so much. Being based in a large military-rich area, we certainly know the meaning of taking care of our own. That is what the event is all about.

Another impassioned speech was made by Chad Hoover of KayakBassFishing.com. As an active duty naval officer, Chad related his first-hand experience in Bahrain as transport planes brought in both caskets and the wounded over a period of several months. He realized that the thousands of wounded warriors that passed through the base were not only changed for life, but so were the lives of their families and friends. He vowed, as those who participated in the event did, to try to do something to help these men and women and "give a little back" to them. One HOW member I spoke with remarked that it was the first time in four years that he had been in a kayak, having formerly been very active in the sport. He remarked at how relaxing it was and, even though he didn’t catch any fish, it made him feel "normal" again. That is what the event is all about.

While the fishing was not red-hot, the size of the fish easily surpassed last year’s tournament. Hobie Fishing provided a Hobie Mirage Pro Angler kayak (valued at $2400) as the first place prize. It was won by Ben Swenson of Williamsburg, VA. The highlight in the species divisions was a 45" redfish that easily took the redfish honors. Another angler landed a citation-size speckled trout to take that division. Another highlight was 15-year old Emma Johnson of Virginia Beach, VA, placing first in the female angler division and taking home a brand new Malibu kayak from Old Dominion Kayaks. In the raffles that took place during the awards ceremony, one of the staff members of the hotel had asked about the 52 card raffle that was conducted for a kayak donated by Blue Ridge Mountain Sports. It was explained that anyone could enter and she indicated that she really wanted to get a kayak for her grandson, whom she had raised as her own son. When the last card was called out and it belonged to her, she was simply overcome with emotion. That is what the event is all about.