A LETTER FROM THE
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MUSKY CLASSIC
What
started off as a way for North Lakeland Elementary School to
help the area’s economic condition in the late 1970s, turned
into 43 years of competition, comradery, and community. The WCMC
has been supported by local businesses, clubs, and the chambers
of commerce in Boulder Junction, Manitowish Waters, Presque
Isle, and Winchester since its creation. Over the years
thousands of fishermen, fisherwomen and their families have
spent the weekend after Labor Day weekend hunting for the
elusive musky in local lakes. This brought in much needed
economic relief into the communities that supported the WCMC.
This year,
after much consideration and discussion, the World Championship
Musky Classic board has made the difficult decision to dissolve
the WCMC. President Beth Kebl, along with the standing members
of the board shared that it has been difficult to find
volunteers and due to the pandemic, a place to hold the event
and social distance has not been possible. Local businesses
that were contacted were not able to sponsor the event this
year. The scholarship funds, that were set aside for the Ben
Bendrick Memorial fund, will be distributed to the current
selected recipients.
In a time
when comradery and connections are so important to us, this is a
huge loss for the communities and businesses alike. Fishermen
for the tournament used to stay at the resorts, shop at the
stores, and visit the local restaurants. On average, one
fisherman would spend $400 in a weekend. With the average around
800 registered fishermen, that is a loss of about $320,000.00
that the local communities will miss this year.
“The hope
was that we would have been able to find people that were
interested in serving in board positions that would take over
and continue the program as it has been set up. We have not had
any luck obtaining any interest from the community to fill those
positions. We had potentials, but nothing concrete and solid,”
shared Jim Nelson, Board Member.
“The thing
I will miss the most about the WCMC are the smiles and the
people. It was like a family reunion where the fishermen became
friends and they looked forward to this every year. Some of them
have been coming for years. It is with a heavy heart that we
made these decisions. The community should know that they were
not made lightly,” said Beth Kebl.
“I was
involved in every tournament since 1977. We won the classic in
1978. When I retired, I became the representative from the town
of Winchester. I am disappointed that the tournament has ended.
It would have been nice to get younger people involved to carry
on the legacy. It takes a lot of man hours to run a tournament
like that. I will miss the comradery. Every Friday morning when
you see 300-400 people gather at the Manitowish Waters Community
Center to register, it was fun. When the tournament was over,
there were so many stories to be shared and listened to. It was
an unbelievable experience for everyone involved. It will be
missed very much,” Leo Crawley stated.
“I was on
the WCMC board for the past 19 years. It was an honor to serve
on the board as I was born and raised in the same community
where Ben Bendrick was from. I looked up to him and that was one
of the reasons I wanted to be a conservation warden. It is
difficult to see this tournament end. It has done so much for
our communities. The volunteers were special people and without
them the tournament would not have functioned. Beth Kebl
deserves much recognition. Her dedication, strength and
character and tremendous amount of time, effort and leadership
made this tournament work. The WCMC tournament has provided over
$200,000 in scholarships to local students during its history.
That’s something everyone should be proud of. God bless you
all!” wrote Mike Mackenzie in a letter to the paper.
The World
Champion Musky Classic was a cornerstone in the community for 40
years. The board would like to thank the many businesses and
clubs that supported this tournament. They would also like to
thank the many volunteers that helped to make this event
possible. To the families and fishermen and women who became
like family, thank you. To all of you who helped to create a
community of fishing, friendships, and healthy competition,
thank you for making this event worth every moment. We will miss
you all so much and are grateful for the time and memories that
we all shared. Until we meet again, fish on and fish often.
|