United Way's tournament proves to be a winner

Sixty-six anglers gathered Saturday to test their fish-catching skills against Evans Lake's largemouth bass and the big winners were the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way and the 29 agencies that it helps support.
The winning team at the seventh annual United Way Bass Classic was pro Steve Zarbaugh of Poland and his amateur partner, Ray Calcagni of Struthers, with a five-bass limit weighing 14.85 pounds. Runners-up were pro Pat Fire of Canfield and amateur Bill Hawley, of law firm Harrington Hoppe & amp; Mitchell, who brought in 13.88 pounds. One one-hundredth of a pound behind were defending pro champ Greg Hromiko of Columbiana and his amateur partner Kendall Chadwick of Ravenna.
The annual United Way Bass Classic is an opportunity for outdoor-minded people to come together to do something good for our area. This year's event raised nearly $15,000 for the United Way.
Success is a credit to generous support from presenting sponsor Whispering Pines Village, an assisted- and independent-living community in Columbiana; host Aqua Ohio, and corporate sponsors Dick's Sporting Goods, Harrington Hoppe & amp; Mitchell, Sensus Metering Systems, Vinyl Profiles and Pipelines. Other companies and individuals too numerous to list here also contributed money to the cause.
I have a special interest in the annual United Way pro-am tournament. As a volunteer on the committee that organizes the Bass Classic, I am in the catbird seat to see the tremendous support offered so willingly by so many people - all of them with a great interest in fishing.
Each year, the tournament produces not just money, but also many heartwarming people stories. Memories are etched, friendships are forged and the community benefits from the dollars raised and the increased awareness about the United Way's essential mission.
New friends
One of those stories involves Robert Schwartz. He is president of Whispering Pines Village and in 2005 headed up a team of entrants comprised of Whispering Pines associates. He emerged as the amateur champion and caught the bass tournament bug.
"I loved it last year and decided I'd be back this year, but as one of the pros driving the boat," Schwartz said. Whispering Pines Village signed as presenting sponsor and he teamed up with his father, Dick, the golf pro at East Liverpool Country Club, to bring in a limit of largemouths that weighed nearly 10 pounds last Saturday.
Among the new friendships spawned by the Bass Classic is that of pro contender Ray Craig, who lives an hour south of Zanesville, and amateur Rock Irwin of Poland. After meeting last year, Irwin insisted Craig accept his offer for overnight lodging this year.
Another new friendship grew this year as Youngstown pro John White made room in his Skeeter for John Phillips, an engineer representing Hynes Industries.
"I am an avid fly fisherman, but hadn't bass fished with standard tackle for many years," said Phillips. "John was great in coaching me in tournament tactics and I ended up catching several nice fish. We agreed we will stay in touch in the future."
Jazz pianist Joe Augustine is among the amateur entrants each year and has found a new fishing buddy in pro angler Mark McMurray, an optometrist who lives in North Lima. They finished sixth this year with 13.33 pounds, less than an ounce ahead of pro Al Masaitis of Brookfield and CD93.3 rock-'n-roll DJ Fast Freddie Woak.
So many people roll up their sleeves to help stage the annual fundraising tournament. One of them is Matt Johnson, who chaired the Kids' Fish & amp; Fun portion of the Bass Classic and arranged for weigh-in equipment provided by Newark boat dealer Boat Boys. More than 120 children participated in fishing activities supervised by Jim and Carol Held of Alliance.
Altogether, many hundreds of people participated and volunteered in this year's event. Each contributed in his or her own personal way. And thousands of Mahoning Valley residents who receive assistance from United Way-supported agencies will benefit as a result.
jwwollitz@aol.com