Ice Fishing in a Parking Lot?
On-Ice Olympic Trials Teaming up with Mills Stores
WALKER,
Minn. - The Olympic “torch” will be burning brightly over the next
few weeks as Fishing the WildSide’s On-Ice Youth Olympic Trials
visit selected Mills Fleet Farm stores in Minnesota, North Dakota
and Wisconsin.
The
On-Ice Youth Olympic Trials are designed to introduce young
anglers to the sport of ice fishing while also preparing them for
the third annual On-Ice Olympics that will be contested in
conjunction with the Jan. 17 Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing
Extravaganza on Gull Lake.
Pictured Right: Youth Olympian lights the Olympic Flame at the
Brainerd Ice Extravanganza in 2003
”Our whole
mission with the Olympics is to inspire interest in the sport from
a youth aspect,” said Chip Leer, co-founder of Fishing the
WildSide, an educational and promotional company based in Walker.
“We want to encourage families and kids to get out on the ice and
participate in this sport.
”Ice fishing
is more than sitting outside attempting to catch fish. It can be a
family event with participation on many levels from grilling food
to playing football on the ice and catching a few fish.”
Leer and Tommy Skarlis, Fishing the WildSide’s other co-founder,
have designed the Trials to simulate the actual hard-water
experience.
”With a
little snow in the parking lot, we believe we can transport people
from the asphalt into the world of ice fishing,” said Leer.
To that end, Fishing the WildSide will set up a 45-foot trailer
and a large, heated tent that will allow the Trials to take place
regardless of weather.
”It’s kind
of like a giant ice fishing shelter,” said Leer.
Inside,
participants can try their hand at a number of events similar to
those that make up the actual On-Ice Olympics at the Brainerd
Jaycees contest, which is billed as the largest ice fishing event
in the world.
”The real On-Ice Olympics have become quite an event,” said Leer.
“We present gold, silver and bronze Olympic Medals to the top
three finishers in four age categories, plus we have more than
$5,000 in prizes courtesy of StrikeMaster, Otter Outdoors,
Coleman, Berkley, Lindy Legendary Tackle, Northland Fishing Tackle
and Beckman.”
Skarlis said the Trials are a modified version of the actual
On-Ice Youth Olympics. ”It’s not a qualifying event,” he noted.
“Anybody can come compete at the awesome Youth Olympics in
Brainerd. This provides an idea what’s in store there.”
Contestants
will be required to successfully accomplish a number of simulated
tasks, including drilling ice fishing holes with a hand auger,
cooking on a Coleman grill and catching artificial fish. To
complete the course, anglers are required to stow all their gear
in an Otter Outdoors sled and drag it across the finish line.
”There’s a lot more, but I don’t want to ruin any of the
excitement,” said Skarlis. “People are just going to have to stop
out and see it for themselves.” Everyone who attempts the Trials
course is also eligible to win a weekend for four at the Brainerd
Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza, an event designed to
raise money for various charities.
It shouldn’t
be difficult to find Fishing the WildSide’s On-Ice Youth Olympic
Trials. ”Just look for the trailer and the tent,” said Leer. “And
if anybody is confused, they can look for that Olympic flame that
will be lit outside the trailer. In the spirit of the On-Ice Youth
Olympics, that flame is provided by a Coleman North Star lantern.”
For more
information on the Trials, the Brainerd Jaycees contest or the
actual Youth Olympics, visit
www.onicetour.com
or
www.fishingthewildside.com.
