FFCBC an awarding experience for many

The spotlight always shines on the best anglers at the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship—and rightfully so.
But the big stories involving the big winners aren’t necessarily the best stories.
And while there are awards for the deserving winners, others who may have missed out on the money are equally deserving of their own set of awards for those humorous and heartwarming achievements not recognized as part of the normal competition.
Here’s a selection of the best of the rest that was on display during the three days of the tournament:
•Best NFL prospect
Littlefork, Mn. resident Ted Olson, who flashed his defensive lineman’s skills while corralling an unco-operative bass last Thursday morning.
“One came off the hook just as we got it in the boat,” said Olson. “I had to put down the net to get it. In the end, I had to tackle it. We got it, but I ended up getting a charleyhorse out of it.”
The worst part? “It was too small, and we ended up throwing it back,” he noted.
•Best nicknamed angler
There certainly were plenty to choose from—from Rod “Rocket” Kitchingman of Winnipeg to James “Splash” Asplund from Emo and Bruce “Seagull” Ness out of International Falls.
But there was no contesting the most memorable character of the tournament—Joe “The Friendly Giant” Pritchett of Sioux Narrows, all 6’8” of him.
“Nobody really looks at me funny,” said the mountain-sized but good-natured fisherman. “Wherever I go for a tournament, they’re all my friends and family.”
•Best Pete Townshend impression
The Saturday afternoon crowd crammed underneath and around the big tent at the Sorting Gap Marina to watch the final weigh-in session already were energized.
But then along came Kitchingman, exuberantly showcasing his air guitar skills as Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart” blared over the speakers.
His performance was complete with full-arm rotations on the more juicy guitar riffs as partner Bryan Lapointe, from Lake Elmo, Mn., and the rest of the throng raucously cheered him on.
•Best reason to invest in a Timex
Baxter, Mn. angler Al Lindner and son, Troy, a personal trainer in Los Angeles who works with Hollywood celebrities, were considered possible contenders for the FFCBC title coming into the week, with Al holding previous second- and third-place finishes in the tournament.
But after a tough opening day with only 10.38 pounds to their credit, the Lindners found themselves disqualified at the end of Day 2 on Friday after the older Lindner had his watch stop while out on the water, thereby making the duo lose track of time and get back to the check-in point eight minutes past the allotted return time for the fifth flight.
Al’s perspective on the matter? “The way I look at it, I was six minutes early for the sixth flight,” he joked on stage. Talk about keeping a positive attitude.
•Best fish story
Every angler has his tale about the one that got away, but few have ever described the experience as simply and yet in such classic fisherman fictional form than Bernie Zutter of Chippewa Falls, Wis.
“I did catch one that I almost had a heart attack over,” Zutter relayed with devilish zeal. “It was big enough that you had to look at it twice to see it all.”
•Best excuse for banging one’s head against the wall
James (Burton) Grissom and partner Pat Greene travelled all the way from Rock Island and McMinnville, Tenn., respectively, to compete in the FFCBC.
So what do the fishing gods do in return? They relegate the southerners to the dreaded 91st-place finish—one spot out of earning an automatic return to the FFCBC next year.
Life, truly, is not fair.
•Best act of putting others before yourself
An almost dead-even tie between Todd Hesse of Maple Grove, Mn. and the team of Brian Christian and Mark Kellar from Fort Frances.
Hesse’s rescue of partner Mark Allen from certain death Friday after Allen had collapsed into the water with what doctors diagnosed as heat exhaustion was a heroic act that should always be remembered in the annals of FFCBC history.
Christian and Kellar, who were the youngest team in the tournament at 16 and 17 years old, respectively, happened to be in the vicinity at the time of the accident.
Disregarding their own standing in the tournament, the pair gave up 3.5 hours of fishing time to help guide Hesse and Allen back to shore.
All three proved with their selfless acts that no competition is more important than preserving life—and helping your fellow man.