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Fishing tourney only for winners

Among the 300 children with special needs at the ninth annual event were winners for first, last and smallest fish. All went home with prizes, including fishing gear, T-shirt, goodie bag and a medal.

CLEARWATER BEACH - Saturday was huge for Jacob Campo. The New Port Richey 8-year-old woke up about 4:30 a.m. and was at Pier 60 with his family by about 5:30 a.m.

The ninth annual Make a Difference Fishing Tournament did not officially start until 7 a.m., and the record keeping didn't begin until 8, but for Jacob, this day was second only to Christmas.

Jacob has cerebral palsy and fishes from a wheelchair. He has undergone two open-heart surgeries because of a congenital heart disorder.

"This tournament gives Jacob a chance to feel like everyone else," said his father, Steve Campo, 32. "All the other kids get together and run around, and he can't be a part of it. Here, he belongs. For some of these kids, this is the only time they get out," he said.

Jacob was one of about 300 youths, 18 and under, to take part in the fishing competition that lasted until noon. About 700 volunteers and family members joined the youngsters, who face physical, neurological and emotional challenges.

With about 1,000 people on the packed pier, the fish seemed to be outnumbered. But this was a fish friendly event. All fish caught were released.

Anglers didn't need to catch the biggest fish to win. The prettiest fish worked and there was a prize for the ugliest as well. The first caught, the last caught, and the littlest were all winners too.

Emily Mooney, 12, of St. Petersburg was ecstatic when she pulled up a 16-inch remora.

As Clearwater volunteer Jerry Lawson took it off the hook to have it measured and photographed, Emily shared her secret.

"I chanted, "Fishy, fishy, in the brook, go and get my fishing hook,"' she said. "This is a good day for her; she's never done well before," said her mother, Mary Mooney. It was Emily's fifth year at the tournament.

The waters were chummed with ground pieces of fish during the early morning hours to attract bigger, better fish. About 300 pounds of shrimp, squid and chum were used in the tournament.

Even if children didn't catch winning fish, there were plenty of opportunities to go home with prizes. About 150 items including computers, televisions sets, boom boxes and electronic toys were raffled at the end of the event.

There was no registration fee and all the anglers received a T-shirt, fishing rod and reel, tackle box and bait. As they left the pier, they received a toy-filled goodie bag, a folding beach chair, and a medal was placed around their necks.

Pam Wiegand, fundraising chair, estimated businesses and individuals donated between $40,000 and $50,000 in money and goods to the event.

"Every penny of every donation goes to the kids," said Gary Connors, one of the founders.

Volunteers strolled up and down the pier all morning long, doling out sodas, water, hamburgers, hot dogs and sausage biscuits to everyone. Others passed out bait. Some carried Polaroid cameras to make sure everyone went home with a memento.

"All the people that put on this event are tremendous," said Ross Shutler, 40, of Clearwater, who brought his two children Nicholas, 13, and Miranda, 7. "Nick caught a fish, we saw a manatee and some dolphins, a police officer drove by in a boat and blew the siren, a pirate ship went by. It's just a great day for the kids."

The first event began in 1996, when Matt Tiernan wanted to provide his nephew, Robert Smith, and 57 other special needs children with a way to compete, connect and have fun.

Robert, now a handsome 13-year-old at Osceola Middle School, was born with a birth defect and had to have his legs amputated shortly after birth. But he can snag a fish just like the rest, and Tiernan, an experienced fisherman, knew others could, too.

So he and some business buddies obtained the use of the pier from the city and gathered donations of food, prizes, and equipment.

The event has spawned other Make a Difference fishing tournaments. A contest for UPARC adults was established in 2002 and is held each November.

A tournament is held at a lake in Largo in the spring.

The International Game Fish Association, an international conservation and record-keeping organization, has formed an alliance to co-sponsor similar tournaments in Dania Beach.

When Tiernan, a 55-year-old math teacher at Dunedin Middle School, talked about his idea and how it has blossomed, he had to take a moment to compose himself.

His face flushed and he choked back the tears.

"It's Christianity," he says simply. "God works in many ways."