The Assignment is what in sports impacted you and how did it effect you?
Q: What in sports impacted my life?
Bass Fishing means the world to me, what am I saying, bass fishing is my world. I spend all my time trying to learn as much as I can from my own trial and error, from friends, and from looking up to those who have persevered and pushed themselves to the top. Gerald Swindle stands out to me because of his long journey. He started fishing professionally in 1995, won Angler of the Year (kind of like Driver of the year in Nascar) in 2004, has countless top 10 finishes but, he only has one win which just came recently on Lake Toho in Florida.. This may not seem as a huge accomplishment but in actuality this is a hard feat to accomplish.
There is anywhere between 8 to 15 tournaments a year per circuit, 95 to 160 in a pro Circuit, and estimated 95 anglers per tournament. In B.A.S.S. Elite series tournament an angler only has a 9% chance of winning. Compared to football and basketball, where there is 50/50 chance of winning each game, it makes it very hard to make a living. These anglers fish to make money to feed their families. They don't have a set amount of money they make each year. Also fishing isn't cheap because no one is financing the anglers fully. An angler can spend anywhere around 200K a year where only a few make more than that. I'm saying this to put in perspective how hard this sport is.
Gerald Swindle, even though it took him this long, finally got his first win because he never let up. He used pure skill and determination to accomplish something 15 years in the making. How does this relate to me you wonder? The list above should be something that would turn anyone away but, why doesn't it? It makes me want to achieve greater things because of how hard it is to accomplish. Gerald Swindle gives me a prime example that it can be done and to give up would waste everything that I had done to even start. When I'm told to either slow down or give up all this does is makes me go harder than I already was. I want to someday make it to where these top pros are today and I know it will be a long, hard, and miserable road to follow but all it will do is make me stronger and hungrier for more.
Let me know how it is. I want feedback on this so don't be afraid to say it's crap or not.