Brewer High School has a plethora of clubs and extracurricular activities for those looking to join them. Coach Ray is looking to add another club to Brewer’s wide variety of clubs, the fishing club.
With his experience and passion for the hobby, Ray has a great resume to be the head of the club.
“I love fishing,” Ray said. “My father started teaching me around four or five years old. When my six-year-old son wanted to start going fishing with me, he instantly rekindled my passion for fishing. Any vacation or baseball trip always involves fishing now!”
The lack of a fishing club left many interested students with difficulty enjoying the hobby. Ray saw this and began planning to give these students somewhere to take their passion.
Recruiting club members has been successful, as well. With a variety of recruitment methods, gathering members has proven to be fruitful.
“Our recruitment methods have been social media posts, word of mouth, and flyers,” Ray said. “They have been very successful as we have around 30-40 kids interested in joining!”
Regarding specific club activities, Ray has planned for that, too. Students of any skill level will be able to participate either through learning basics or competing in tournaments.
“I want to start with a ‘students’ fishing tournament, a ‘teachers’ fishing tournament, and a ‘coaches’ fishing tournament,” Ray said. “We also have plans to have a fish fry next semester.”
As for club funding, Ray has organized donations from multiple sources, both in the form of money and equipment. A statewide organization, as long as local donors have agreed to help out with starting this club.
“Tons of kids are interested in fishing, but there was nowhere for them to go or to meet up with other students who have the same interest in fishing,” Ray said. “I thought about making the club last year, but Coach Senato’s outdoor P.E. class convinced me that something needed to be done sooner rather than later.”
Ray already has important details pertaining to the club’s meetings and activities planned, enabling them to start meeting as soon as possible.
“The club will begin meeting weekly, starting next semester,” Ray said. “However, the day and time of our meeting is still being decided.”
Due to there being bodies of water in close vicinity to the school, club meeting locations will be easy to decide upon. Whether they are meeting for discussion or practice they’ll have a dedicated location.
“The club will be meeting either in my classroom or the pond outside the building,” Ray said. “We will fish at the pond on campus, as well as the lake down the street!”
“I have been in communication with Texas High School Fishing Clubs, as well as multiple businesses around the area,” Ray said. “Gloria, one of the security guards, has already donated about 10 fishing poles, and Walmart is going to donate all of their fishing equipment on clearance.”
The fishing club will undoubtedly give students an enjoyable and memorable high school experience. Even if you have never been fishing before, it will be a great opportunity to learn. If you are even the slightest bit interested, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to attend one of the meetings and give it a shot. You just might find a new hobby that you’ll love.
