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| I can picture this little guy standing next to his father in a few years slinging a surf rod. |
Surf
fishermen tend to be a compassionate group.
I found that out first hand several years ago when my son, Chris, was in
a devastating fire in Boston. The kid
lost his apartment as well as every possession and article of clothing that he
owned. A fund was set up for him to help
him get back on his feet, and countless
fellow fishermen (many I didn’t even know) donated to his cause. It was a remarkable show of support that our
family will never forget.
Another
fellow fisherman and his family are in need right now, and the Fisherman
magazine has some plans in the works.
The effort is spearheaded by Toby Lapinski and Dave Anderson who are planning a fundraising event and
tournament to help out the Hanecak family. John Hanecak is a well known and
respected surf fisherman and he is the RI field editor for the Fisherman
magazine.
Back in early July, Owen Hanecak, his son, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic
Leukemia (ALL.) Owen was about 14 months old at the time of the diagnosis. For the first 6 or so weeks following the
diagnosis, Owen was being treated at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in
Hartford, CT. Both John and his wife, Karyn, “lived” at the hospital along with
Owen for this time with both missing a good amount of work. And while insurance covers a good portion of the treatment,
there will be some major expenses along the way above and beyond standard
medical costs. In light of this, a group of fishermen have banded together to
produce two fundraisers this fall to help the Hanecak family.
THE #OWENSTRONG FISHING TOURNAMENT
First up, Dave Anderson is going to be running a catch and release striped bass surf fishing tournament with all of the proceeds going towards Owen’s treatment expenses. The tournament is set to run from September 22 through October 21 and will follow the rules that Dave established through his GoTight.net tournaments. There are no boundaries dictating where an angler can or cannot fish, as long as migratory stripers swim in your chosen waters and you hold all necessary permits to make fishing in said location legal, fish caught in that area are eligible. So this means that anywhere that migratory striped bass can be found, from Canada to Florida and everywhere in between and beyond is open for anglers to participate. An angler’s combined total length of their five longest fish will comprise their score at the end of the tournament, with the angler compiling the greatest length being deemed the winner. A complete look at all of the rules can be found at outflowfishing.com.
First up, Dave Anderson is going to be running a catch and release striped bass surf fishing tournament with all of the proceeds going towards Owen’s treatment expenses. The tournament is set to run from September 22 through October 21 and will follow the rules that Dave established through his GoTight.net tournaments. There are no boundaries dictating where an angler can or cannot fish, as long as migratory stripers swim in your chosen waters and you hold all necessary permits to make fishing in said location legal, fish caught in that area are eligible. So this means that anywhere that migratory striped bass can be found, from Canada to Florida and everywhere in between and beyond is open for anglers to participate. An angler’s combined total length of their five longest fish will comprise their score at the end of the tournament, with the angler compiling the greatest length being deemed the winner. A complete look at all of the rules can be found at outflowfishing.com.
The
cost to participate in the tournament is just $30, and all participants in the
tournament will receive free entry into the Awards Ceremony and Fundraiser (see
below) being held in Clinton, CT on October 21. The hope is that this can
become an annual event so that we can continue to assist throughout all of
Owen’s treatment. If you’d like additional information on the tournament, or if
you’d like to sign up, please visit outflowfishing.com.
THE #OWENSTRONG FUNDRAISER
Immediately following the tournament there will be a fundraiser/awards presentation which is being produced by the combined efforts of Greg McNamara, Jared Clairmont, Chris Blouin, Dave Anderson, Toby Lapinski and members of the Connecticut Surfcasters Association.
Immediately following the tournament there will be a fundraiser/awards presentation which is being produced by the combined efforts of Greg McNamara, Jared Clairmont, Chris Blouin, Dave Anderson, Toby Lapinski and members of the Connecticut Surfcasters Association.
On Saturday, October 21, at the Clinton (CT) Town Hall, we will
have a full afternoon of seminars, raffles, auctions, food and more with all
proceeds going to benefit Owen’s treatment. Festivities kick-off at noon and
will conclude around 4:30 p.m. A $10 donation will be requested at the door,
but be sure to bring some extra cash as we already have a lengthy list of items
that will be up for grabs in the raffles and silent auctions.
There will be two big-time speakers—one discussing surf fishing
and the other talking about boat fishing—so there will be something for
everyone regardless of your fishing preferences. On the boat side, Capt. Jack
Sprengel has agreed to speak. Capt. Jack is a well-rounded angler targeting
everything from tuna to carp. He is an engaging speaker and is sure to deliver
an awesome presentation!
The Town Hall has a large theatre upstairs where the
presentations will take place, and then downstairs we will have some awesome
catered food as well as all of the items that will be offered up for auction
and raffles.
We
have launched an event page on Facebook to track the details of this event,
announce raffle and auction items and just generally keep attendees up to speed
as to what we have planned for the day. The event can be found here.
MOVING FORWARD
On August 16, Owen, John and Karyn left the hospital and returned to their home as Owen has been making substantial improvements in his health. His condition was considered “in remission” by the 29th day of treatment and he was cleared shortly thereafter, a huge relief for all of us! There is still a long road ahead for the Hanecak family, but the outlook is positive and Owen is a strong little kid who will undoubtedly overcome this bump in the road.
On August 16, Owen, John and Karyn left the hospital and returned to their home as Owen has been making substantial improvements in his health. His condition was considered “in remission” by the 29th day of treatment and he was cleared shortly thereafter, a huge relief for all of us! There is still a long road ahead for the Hanecak family, but the outlook is positive and Owen is a strong little kid who will undoubtedly overcome this bump in the road.
If
you’d like to make a donation either directly to the Hanecak family, or with
raffle/auction items for the fundraiser, please contact Toby Lapinski at tlapinski@thefisherman.com for
more information on how to donate.
Though I am not a tournament type of guy, I will be signing up
for this just to lend my support to a very good cause. Please consider doing
the same. While most surf fishermen are
passionate about their sport, most I know rank the family first and foremost.
In this case we wish the Hanecak family all the best.
