Bass fishing club get 1,000 dollar scholarship
Bass fishing professional Kevin VanDam awarded the Central Michigan Bass Fishing Club a $1,000 scholarship Thursday night in Kalamazoo for winning the bass fishing "School of the Year."
VanDam, a Kalamazoo native, is ranked the No. 1 angler in professional bass fishing. In 263 career events, VanDam has won 20 times, finished second 13 times and landed in the top ten 100 times.
The club won the award by having the most points at the end of the season with 416. Schools get points based on their top three placed teams in events throughout the season.
The top three of 21 teams are selected by the Michigan College Bass Recruit, three of which are Mid-American Conference schools. CMU, Western Michigan and Bowling Green are each a part of it.
Bass fishing club president Brandon Carman found it hard to believe that the team won the award following its season.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Carman said. “When you put in so much time and effort into something and watch it grow and then finally achieve your goals, it’s almost unbelievable.”
For John Dorosh, a club member who was at the event, the general feeling around the team was good all around.
“There was a feeling of accomplishment and happiness because as a club that was the goal that had been set,” Dorosh said. “All of the members had to put in the work and time to achieve it.”
With the season coming to an end, Dorosh says the team is ready to start planning for next year.
“We really need to start to work on fundraising and contacting sponsors so we can have everything organized and prepared for next year,” he said.
The bass fishing club is officially done for the season with all of its competitions and events.
