The sights, sounds and memories of the 1st Annual ESPN Great Outdoor Games in Lake Placid
ESPN Great Outdoor Games
Bass Fishing Championship
Lake Placid, N.Y.
July 22-23
Mr. T makes the A-Team … After the final bass fishing weigh-in July 23 at the Olympic Oval in Lake Placid, N.Y., FLW angler Peter Thliveros (or Peter “T” as the good-natured Jacksonville, Fla. native is commonly known) couldn’t keep that big smile from crossing his face. And why not? Not only did Peter “T” win the first-ever ESPN Great Outdoor Games Bass Fishing Championship by reeling in a catch of 14 pounds, 6 ounces, he also finished with the highest two-day total of any angler at 26 pounds, 3 ounces – demonstrating once again the importance of consistency on the professional bass fishing circuit.
Lucky 13 … Scott Martin used a rather “lucky” catch of 13 pounds, 13 ounces to vault into second place in the championship round of the ESPN professional bass fishing tournament.
Rumor has it … that the ESPN Great Outdoor Games was so successful that the event will be returning to Lake Placid, N.Y. in 2001. However, ESPN officials hinted that next year’s Games might be held in June in an attempt to avoid future scheduling conflicts with the Bassmaster Classic.
Reversal of fortune … Although FLW angler Carl Svebek III of Sam Rayburn, Texas, finished first in the qualifying round – which reduced the field of championship contenders from 10 to five anglers – the gregarious angler only managed a fifth-place finish during the final weigh-in with a catch of 9 pounds, 12 ounces.
The sky’s the limit … Only one angler – Keith Green of Arkadelphia, Ark. – failed to catch his five-fish limit throughout the entire tournament. The remarkable string of five-fish limits seemed to indicate that Lake Placid and the surrounding area will remain a viable and healthy bass-fishing environment for the foreseeable future.
Exposure vs. payday … Although the payday wasn’t particularly lucrative for the anglers who fished in the Great Outdoor Games when compared to the FLW Tour – Thliveros received $5,000 for his first-place finish while Martin took home $4,000 for second – many anglers said they were more than happy to attend the event. Why? Most of the anglers cited the invaluable exposure that ESPN programming brings to themselves and their sponsors. The beautiful vista of Lake Placid and the surrounding area didn’t hurt either.
I missed what? … Because the anglers spent the majority of their time out on the water, many were unable to witness the other intriguing events that took place throughout the Games. While many of the other timber, sport dog and target shooting events were interesting, to say the least, nothing really quite compared to the nail-biting timber climbing contests. In those events, two climbers would race up a huge telephone pole-like structure – approximately 70 feet high – and then freefall to the ground with only a support harness and cleated spikes to slow them down. A small padded area was placed at the bottom of the pole to cushion the fall of the climbers. However, the freefall speeds that some of the climbers achieved was nothing short of breathtaking.
Quick numbers:
0: The public price of admission for attending any of the ESPN events.
21: The number of total events featured at the Games.
10: The number of professional anglers invited to the bass fishing tournament.
93: The percent of five-fish limits caught by the anglers.
4,000: The average number of people who attended the ESPN Great Outdoor Games in person.
5,000: The amount of money awarded to the first prize angler of the bass fishing competition.
Sound bites:
“It was just one of those days. I lost a 4-pounder. I even had a pike eat one of my bass.
– Guido Hibdon, describing his tough fishing luck while trying to qualify for the championship round.
“I love these smallmouths. Can I borrow these and transplant them in Florida?”
– Scott Martin, describing the relative lack of smallmouth bass fishing near his hometown of Clewiston, Fla.
“I never really figured it out here the whole week.”
– 2000 FLW Land O’ Lakes Angler of the Year Clark Wendlandt on the difficulty he had finding the proper bass fishing pattern at Lake Placid.
“This was really the worst day I had all week. And what a bad day to have it.”
– Keith Green on his struggles during the qualifying round.
“I had a wonderful day. You dream of having these days when everything goes right. It’s been great. There’s no other place that I’d rather be except right here.”
– Carl Svebek III after placing first in the qualifying round.
“Are you trying to get a rock out of there?”
– ESPN announcer Mark Malone joking to Svebek, who was having difficulty pulling a particularly feisty fish out of his bag during the filming of the qualifying round weigh-in.
“And then this largemouth comes up and tries to grab it. I couldn’t believe it.”
– Randy Blaukat on the fish that tried to grab his jig that got stuck in a tree branch approximately two inches of above the water while fishing in the qualifying round.
“Rule number one: If you have a net, use it.” – Blaukat on the ESPN video showing himself falling down in his boat while trying to land a fish without a net. Blaukat eventually lost the fish.