Keep coming with your opinions, suggestions and offers....I'm reading them all.
First off Rollie I would like to thank you for your leadership and huge amount of work you and some others put in last year. For a first year Derby it was amazing and 150 participants was a huge first time achievement.
Regardless of what it is called, I think it would be a great loss not to continue in a progressive manner with the development of an annual Derby on South Vancouver Island, especially if the JDF Derby is not coming back; although having the JDF Derby back would be many anglers preference I am sure.
The JDF Derby was one of the largest in North America with around 700 participants and could likely have gone over a thousand had participation not been limited for years to keep it manageable. Clearly the demand and interest is here.
Further, the JDF Derby over many years and thousands of man hours developed a huge diversified sponsor base of over 150 largely local sponsors, which despite the success of the Banana Challenge Derby last year only a small percentage of which were utilized.
In my opinion it would be a tragic loss to let that sponsor base atrophy, especially when one considers the desperate and increasing need for fund raising for salmon habitat restoration, enhancement and salmon and angler advocacy. If the South VI Angling community does not re-engage and utilize these local sponsors quickly, that funding base will be lost. We still have a window of opportunity but it is closing.
I would like to think that with the advantage of our large and concentrated angler population base on SVI that we do have sufficient numbers of anglers willing to volunteer the thousands of man hours necessary to put on and build up over a few years, a large quality Derby like the JDF. It would also be nice if an organizing corporate sponsor could be found to fill the role that the Alpine Group had filled all those years with the JDF Derby.
I also think there is a role here for SVIAC. It does not matter who’s name is associated with a new SVI Fundraiser Derby. What matters is that the funds are raised.
So I guess it is up to us and talk is cheap. The question is are there sufficient anglers willing to step up to the plate and give something back, or do we let this opportunity to support salmon and the great sport of fishing, slip through our fingers.
None of this is meant to discourage those in other areas with the development of local SFBC Derby Fundraisers and I wish them great success. The more fundraising events to support Pacific salmon and BC coastal sport fishing, the better.
There is more than enough volunteer work to do out there to keep us all busy everywhere on the coast.
One would think that in terms of available volunteer manpower, numbers of possible participants and sponsors, that the Vancouver area would certainly have potential for Derby Fundraising and also the mid Island. Not sure how good the salmon fishing is around Vancouver now, but I know years ago they had some pretty big Derbys.
. As for me...this is what is on my mind when pondering this. Most important is that the derby builds and raises badly needed funds for a salmon or sport fishing project. So will that most likely happen if the derby moves or stays? If it moves there is more risk in taking steps backwards and loosing momentum built here. The upside is I would be off the hook for all the work that goes hand in hand with any derby. If it stays here I know we would double last years attendance , prize pool and most importantly the donation. Obviously It also means I have to put in some time again. So there is a peak inside my head.
