Full Circle

On the way home, contemplating what had transpired that day, I realized that the time of investment has yielded results in ways I never planned for or anticipated, but am indeed grateful for.

I’ve been organizing fishing tournaments for our high school students for nearly a decade now. Before the BASS and FLW had their now-super-popular high school tournament circuits, we had what we simply call “The Outdoor Club” at Oakdale High School – sort of a homegrown school bass club if you will. Born out of a desire to put students into God’s great outdoors with a spirit of competition and bragging rights on the line, our Outdoor Club has been a consistent source of involvement for students that enjoy hunting and fishing and, for the most part, don’t dig the traditional organized sports. It gives those students a chance to be superstars at the school level and be a part of a team even if they don’t run a 40 yard dash faster than most. It is what it is – a small scale operation designed to serve a certain niche of students – and for us, it works.

We’ve now gotten to the point that the elite fishermen of our Outdoor Club from a few years ago have graduated and now have careers and families of their own. But some of them are coming back in order to give back to the little school club that gave them so many memories during their time in high school. The recent tournament held at Toledo Bend provided a shining example of how the investment in students over nearly a decade has come full circle and is bearing fruit.

With about two hours of fishing remaining, my boat, occupied by two students that were having a blast fishing, smack talking, and all the other high schoolish things that high schoolers do, from somewhere nearby, I heard a voice call out my name, “Mr. Robbie!”. After a moment of looking around at the handful of other boats in the area, my eyes met a familiar face – a face that now provided a home to a full beard and eyeglasses – it was one of my former students and Outdoor Club members enjoying a few days of fishing with another former student in the waters that we had explored and made so many memories in the past when he was the guy in my boat competing for bragging rights come weigh in time.

Their boat pulled up beside mine, a few old stories from the good old days were told to the boys in my boat, some laughs ensued, and then something unexpected… My former student (who by the way never had his own fishing gear, never had a snack to eat or a drink to drink, never had his own entry fee, and always slept to and from whatever lake we were going to) asked what time the weigh in was, and said he wanted to go by and watch just for old time sake. He did, and it was fun having the old and new generation of our little Outdoor Club present for a weigh in that nobody will read about in the next issue of Bassmaster. Just some guys and gals that enjoy fishing and enjoy the outdoors.

That day will leave a mark in my mind for some time. Already I had two former students hosting a now-students in their boats so those students could participate in the tournament, and now a chance meeting on the water provided something like a reunion at the scales. A handshake and congratulations along with a donation from my former tournament partner to give back to the ones that had given so much to him, and too quickly, the nostalgia was over. On the way home, contemplating what had transpired that day, I realized that the time of investment has yielded results in ways I never planned for or anticipated, but am indeed grateful for. It has come full circle! And that’s what it’s all about. One of these days, I’ll be just a memory, and someone else will have to keep the tournaments scheduled and happening. I’ve often wondered who would take up that mantle and whether or not it would even continue. I have more confidence now than ever that it will be in good hands long after I’m gone, because we’ve been able to teach those who are able to teach others. (2Timothy 2:1-2)

I encourage you to seek your own younger-than-you person to mentor in whatever field you call your specialty. The experience will not be without its frustrations and hardships, but when it comes full circle, it will provide a gratification that is well worth the investment. And later down the road, perhaps on a lake in a chance encounter or gathered around a little school club weigh in to see who gets bragging rights, we can talk about all the ups and downs along the way – In the Great Outdoors!