BHC TeamWork or Lack thereof-the GOOD,the BAD & the UGLY

Teamwork is defined in the dictionary as 'organized cooperation'

There are big differences between Good teams and Mediocre ones.The good teams learn to work together while in the crappy mediocre ones you will see an unwillingness to cooperate with one another;they haven't a clue what the word 'teamwork' means .They buck the hard work of catching or tracking down bait,or they don't want to drive 40 minutes to try a new spot and then they can't understand when there other team mates get mad so they argue and don't get much accomplished.A team captain should be the one with the most experience and the other anglers should be open minded to suggestions by the captain and ALL should have positive input when coordinating a shark fishing trip. Choose who will be on your team very carefully because you will be stuck with them for the entire month of the BHC tournament.Fish with the your team weeks before the start of the competition and get a feel for the other anglers, there personalities before you commit to a month long effort.Good friends at work does not equal good team mates on a beach at 2 am.Fishing this tournament requires hard work ,dedication and a willingness to help out your buddies with no expectation of an immediate payback only the complete faith that you or your buddy may hook a monster that will be the winning shark ;all because you worked hard and got the bait that made it possible.Sometimes I have to laugh at the way some of the fishermen on same teams act towards one another.One or a few are fired up ready to go fishing, but the other one or two are not up to it and make up outlandish excuses or tell little white lies to stay home watching TV.The winners are in the site the next morning showing there catches while the slackers watch on the computer-they may never taste Victory if they don't first try and change a losing attitude.

Fishing a new spot because the same old one have not been producing should be an option that all anglers in a team should consider with an open mind.If you have a few that don't believe what good solid research is telling you on a certain spot that is 150 miles away well then it's time to leave that team member at home with mommy.The saying goes"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink it" and it's the same with stubborn and sometimes ignorant fishermen unwilling to believe what a team captain has gone out of there way to research and confirm about a new hot spot or an old one that's on fire because large schools of bait has moved in----let them stay home if they don't want to go .Find other anglers that have THE EYE OF THE TIGER and are hungry to tangle with a big shark and are willing to put forth the effort.I personally have been accused of taking it too seriously and blowing up on people because they are less then honest or lazy or unwilling to work together and I will take that criticism but understand that i drive my team mates as hard as I drive myself and don't expect anything that I am not willing to give myself.In competitive fishing there must be a push and sometimes that push is misinterpreted and or is completely misunderstood.I say if a team member is not willing to work hard then that team member can stay behind and fish with a softer crew and over the years I have seen big men fall off my teams because they cannot understand the PASSION,FOCUS AND COMPLETE DEDICATION with which I fish for sharks.Find those fishermen to call your team mates who have equal drive and Pupose or suffer disappointment after disappointment with a less then hardcore sharker by your side.

People have families and responsibilities and it's understandable if one cannot go fishing on a particular night because of previous obligations but be HONEST to each other.Another pet peeve I have is CHANGED PLANS WITHOUT NOTIFICATION- you have a plan set in motion to fish a spot and you're traveling close to 100 miles or so to that spot and no one is there and you just spent a 1/2 tank of gas at $3.60 a gallon and you call the other anglers and they are set up on the other side of 3 counties,,,,,,,WTF?? Worst yet guys in the same team purposely giving false information or being evasive towards each other because a few team mates want to fish alone or with girlfriends ,or with a case of beer or don't want one team mate to know a new spot ,it's totally ABSURD and Ridiculous grown men lying to each other to throw off someone in there own team--that's shameful.I have seen it all and am working on changing attitudes and creating a spirit of Team Work and cooperation all important lessons that will benefit the anglers in life.

The worst is when people from the same team just don't want to put forth any effort while the others are willing and wanting to fish hard and compete.Some team members promise to fish then come tournament time they find every excuse why they can not fish .Some don't realize the effort needed to fish and stay competitive in a tournament with teams fishing hard against one another. Others get lazy and are just not willing to put forth the effort,and some weak hearted just give up at the first sign of tough competition.The crappiest of team mates won't answer there cel phones or return a text message when it's not convenient and then they use the the excuse that the phone had a dead battery.Others can't keep there word to their own families so forget about them being truthful to fishing buddies it isn't happening.Some can't pull there own weigh and are inconsiderate of there team mates and expect the others to catch or buy the bait to be used .Others say they are going at lunchtime break and at 7 pm have not been heard from or they just don't show up at the fishing spot and don't bother to make a call to say 'they can't make it' for whatever reason.It's frustrating for a team trying to make some big catches when you have other team mates that are dragging everyone backwards.It's upsetting when expectations are dashed.

In any fishing tournament where different groups of anglers compete against each other in teams it is very important for each individual to understand the concept of TEAM WORKand become involved to help in the effort ..It is extremely important that teams be made of people who are well acquainted with each other because after the competition begins it is sad to find out that some in your team just don't have the same desire to work hard to win at something.Your so called friends may have no intention of being out on a cold desolate beach on a Friday night when they would much rather be at the local bar or out on a date . In a competitive event sometimes people get ruthless too the point of lying or creating rumors to throw off there adversaries.In shark fishing hot spots are often guarded as top secret and some fight for the right to claim a beach with ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT TO IT.In tournaments fishermen get very mad sometimes when someone else is in there 'supposed spot' before they get there and things can turn ugly as we have seen in old tournaments .Although not a good thing it is understandable since everyone wants to win but fishermen should remind themselves first and foremost that fishing should be always be FUN.Anglers on the same team should understand that they should WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE A COMMON GOAL.In an environment of competition those that learn to help there teams distinguish themselves as the best , and many times by there willingness to work hard and sacrifice for the COMMON GOOD ,become the leaders of those teams.

It is my personal goal to create in the BHC tournaments and environment of cooperation and brotherly love among the anglers competing.I know that I am swimming against the current and it's very difficult to get opponents to help each other but we can agree to try.The goal may be attained by remembering the 'golden rule "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".Through diligent efforts our tournament has grown and continues to attract more anglers each passing year and so we hope to foster a spirit of friendly competition without the ruthless tactics displayed by some teams or individuals.Learn to work together ,and learn to Love one another because it's the way it is meant to be.