Rookie Reflections - by Ashlee Just & Kristina Ringold
Whew, where do we start. This has been one of the most eye-opening journeys that Ringold and I have been on. From the start, Ringold called me and asked if I wanted to partner up and fish this league. I thought she was crazy! We don’t typically target panfish but the availability of knowledge that would present itself through each tournament was hard to turn down. We pulled the trigger on registration and the rest is history even before knowing we would be the first all-female team to fish the league.
Ringold and I talked about our goals from the beginning. As rookies, these goals were very simple – have fun, learn, and never come to the scales with an empty bucket. For us, it was much more than just following people around on the lake, dropping bait, and hoping to get lucky. It was getting over the intimidation (yes, this was a real struggle, have you seen this leagues line up? How can you not be intimidated?) It was learning how to break down a lake, specifically 4 new lakes that neither of us had ever stepped foot on. It was about figuring out the right equipment and appropriate times to use it. #TeamIon turned to #TeamDrill quickly after seeing these guys run circles around us drilling holes. But above all of this, we were going to go out, have fun and give it our best attempt.
We’re happy to report, of the tournaments we took part in, we never came to the scale empty handed. Goal achieved. The endless amount of fun that we had surpassed any expectation we had going into this and have met some of the nicest people that have helped us along the way. We won’t talk about where we ended up on the official team standings because ahhhem, that wasn’t our goal. These guys are the real deal. They have welcomed us, showed us the ropes, and answered our endless amount of questions. Most of our equipment has now been upgraded (wheeler, storage racks, augers, rods, cameras and confidence too) to prepare for the next battle. We can’t wait to come back next year with new goals and crush them!
Jake and Paul – thank you and your team of helpers for creating this awesome opportunity for us! Your hard work, dedication and passion for having a good time shows! To our new friends, thank you for taking us under your wings and showing us the ropes. You guys truly are an awesome group to be apart of!
Ringold and I talked about our goals from the beginning. As rookies, these goals were very simple – have fun, learn, and never come to the scales with an empty bucket. For us, it was much more than just following people around on the lake, dropping bait, and hoping to get lucky. It was getting over the intimidation (yes, this was a real struggle, have you seen this leagues line up? How can you not be intimidated?) It was learning how to break down a lake, specifically 4 new lakes that neither of us had ever stepped foot on. It was about figuring out the right equipment and appropriate times to use it. #TeamIon turned to #TeamDrill quickly after seeing these guys run circles around us drilling holes. But above all of this, we were going to go out, have fun and give it our best attempt.
We’re happy to report, of the tournaments we took part in, we never came to the scale empty handed. Goal achieved. The endless amount of fun that we had surpassed any expectation we had going into this and have met some of the nicest people that have helped us along the way. We won’t talk about where we ended up on the official team standings because ahhhem, that wasn’t our goal. These guys are the real deal. They have welcomed us, showed us the ropes, and answered our endless amount of questions. Most of our equipment has now been upgraded (wheeler, storage racks, augers, rods, cameras and confidence too) to prepare for the next battle. We can’t wait to come back next year with new goals and crush them!
Jake and Paul – thank you and your team of helpers for creating this awesome opportunity for us! Your hard work, dedication and passion for having a good time shows! To our new friends, thank you for taking us under your wings and showing us the ropes. You guys truly are an awesome group to be apart of!