NEWBERRY — Newberry College now has a fishing team, which will debut in the 2018 season in collegiate tournaments.
The teams mission statement is to represent Newberry College to the best of their ability, while fishing in collegiate tournaments. The organization also strives to participate in and enjoy fishing, while obtaining a quality education.
At the end of 2017 the group of fishermen had dreams of one day becoming a large fishing group that could compete along the top fishing programs in the country. This dream will soon be a reality, the team plans to participate in a Feb. 10 tournament.
Joe Cook, president of the group, and Tucker Johnson, vice president, will lead the team in the tournament at Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. The team will compete for a $2,000 club scholarship and an invitation to compete in the 2019 College Fishing National Championship on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Cook and Johnson have been fishing for many years. Cook said he grew up fishing with his father and grandfather, and has enjoyed the activity for man years. Johnson’s experience with the sport is similar.
“I’ve been fishing my whole life, and the fishing team brought me to Newberry,” he said.
The two leaders brought their lifetime experience to the first tournament for the Newberry team, but fell short due to early boat issues in the water. Although the team faced early adversity, they placed 134 out of 193 teams.
“It wasn’t a great day for the team, but it wasn’t too bad for the first tournament ever,” Cook said.
Cook remains focused on the bigger picture, to get anglers a scholarship to fish in the future. The results are second to building the foundation for the team in the future. The team will be back in action in a couple weeks in Alabama.
The Newberry College Fishing Team Facebook page is the main source for information on the team, along with pictures of the anglers with their fish. The page also provides contact information of the members on the team. The team welcomes any faculty members and students that want to participate on the team, no matter their skill level.