The first boats were just minutes out Saturday at the International Falls Bass Championship and everyone wearing a yellow shirt got into position.
Wendy Matiski, who has volunteered with the IFBC for 13 years, started reading oxygen levels in tanks that would soon hold dozens of smallmouth bass caught by the 60 teams in the tournament. It's a role she returns to year after year.
“It's really fun,” she said of being part of the tournament. “The people are really nice...great to work with.”
Jeannie Strand has also been part of the event for 13 years. She recalled sitting in the audience during the first IFBC and decided she'd like to help.
“I've been doing fish care ever since,” she said.
The two women are only a sample of the nearly 300 volunteers who work to make the event successful.
“Our volunteers are one of the four main pillars to our event,” said IFBC President Gary Potter. “They are the first group of people our fans and anglers come in contact with at the championship. If we don't have good volunteers, and they are not organized or friendly, it would not be a good experience for our fans and our anglers. Our volunteers take great pride in what they do and how they do it.”
Volunteers not only assist under the big tent and at various related tournament activities, they also play a role in getting anglers on and off the water.
Jay Parmeter, who with Kelly Bohman-Hall, his dog "Olive Oil," and Kelly's mom Jan Bohman, guide the teams back into the landing at the end of each day of the tournament. Parmeter and Bohman-Hall have been volunteering for that duty for several years, Parmeter said.
Strand and Matiski have both been part of the IFBC since nearly its inception, as have many others who work to bring the weekend together. Potter believes it's the passion for the community and for fishing that keeps the same faces returning.
“They are very committed, and take pride in the event, and they have taken ownership of their area of the event,” he said. “They are very special people and we appreciate them very much.”
And for many people who donate their time, it isn't just spent on the three days of the tournament – others, like the board of directors, put in hours all year round.
“We currently have an awesome board of directors,” Potter told The Journal. “We will have a wrap-up meeting in a couple of weeks after this year’s championship and then start planning the first week of January 2019 for the 2019 championship. The 2019 championship is going to be a special year for the IFBC — it will be our 15th anniversary.”
