Joe Drennan
Sports EditorMark Tipler couldnít have asked for a better day for his celebrity bass tournament last Tuesday. The tournament raised $10,000 for the Regions Hospital Burn Unit.
ìEverything went beautifully and it was a really fun time,î Tipler said.
The tournament featured 18 pro anglers and 17 co-anglers. Pro angler John Stevenson Sr. and his co-angler Matt Schwietz were the big winners of the day. Stevenson and Schwietz were the last team to weigh in on the day and they brought in 15.1 lbs. of bass to the scales.
Last yearís second place finisher, pro angler Jeff Bosshadt finished second again this year along with co-angler Rich Siebenaler. Bosshadt and Siebenaler had a combined weight of 13.96 lbs.
ìNext year Iím going for first place,î Bosshadt said.
U.S. womenís Olympic hockey player Karin Bye was among the co-anglers as she and pro angler Jeff Vitali finished seventh with a weight of 12.06 lbs. Bye says she and Vitali caught 12 fish on the day so they had the luxury of choosing which fish got weighed. It was also her first time fishing with a pro.
ìWe caught the fish in shallow water, in the weeds, near the docks, pretty much everywhere,î Bye said. ìJeff really showed me a lot of techniques out there.î
Bye, an avid fisherwoman, says she enjoyed the day and is going to try and convince some of her teammates to fish in the tournament with her next year.
ìItís such a great tournament for a great cause,î Bye said.
The pro anglers and co-anglers werenít the focus of the day though. Several children from the Regions Hospital Burn Unit were at Lakeside Park last Tuesday as well to enjoy the day. Tipler demonstrated some fishing techniques for the kids and their families and each child had the opportunity to try the techniques themselves. All the kids received a rod and reel provided by Berkley and tackle provided by Sportsman Warehouse, and VooDoo.
ìI just love seeing the smiles on the kids faces,î Tipler said. ìI got to spend some time with the kids and teach them how to cast. I really enjoyed doing that.î
After the weigh in, the kids got to spend some time on the lake with the pro anglers. Some of the kids wanted to test out their new fishing supplies, and others just wanted to speed around the lake in a fishing boat.
Frankie Dusenka of Frankies Live Bait and Marine in Chisago City was one of the pro anglers who took kids out. Samantha Majerus and her step-brother Oakley McLain rode with Dusenka.
Majerusí step-brother, McLainís brother was burnt and treated at the Regions Hospital Burn Unit. Both thought the day was wonderful and they hoped the tournament would continue to raise money for the burn unit.
ìThese kids were just unbelievably happy with the day,î Tipler said.
Dusenka, a long time friend of Tipler and sponsor of the tournament stated, ìA day like this is a day well spent. Iíll sure be back next year.î
Next year
With the second annual tournament barely over, Tipler is already planning for the Third Annual Mark Tipler Celebrity Bass Tournament.
The tournament got some new local sponsors and one of this years co-anglers, Jeff Porter, wants to work with Tipler to help the tournament grow. Porter wants to work to get more companies involved with the tournament and spending more money to benefit the Regions Hospital Burn Unit.
ìWeíre doing fine right now,î Tipler said, ìbut he [Porter] wants to help the tournament grow.î
This years tournament would have been close to last years $5000 total if not for Tiplerís friend Mike McDonald. McDonald called Tipler mid way through the tournament and asked how things were going and to let him know he was going to stop by Lakeside Park to say hi. Little did Tipler know that McDonald was bringing a $5000 check with him.
More money was raised at a banquet following the tournament at the Upper Deck Bar and Grill where a silent auction brought in some money. The hot items in the auction were signed Daunte Culpepper, Chris Hovan and Marion GaborikÝÝ jerseys.
Top of Page
