Wheelin’ in the fish

Saturday, the Wheelin’ Sportsmen of the National Wild Turkey Federation encouraged people with disabilities to gather at the Bass Pro Shop for a morning of fishing.

While there were only three anglers in attendence, Al Smith, regional coordinator of the Wheelin’ Sportsmen, attributed the low turnout to the heat, with temperatures as high as 99 degrees.

The fishing took place on a small dock attached to the Bass Pro Shop. A heavy-duty fan was brought out and canopies covered the areas not shaded by the building.

At times, even customers of the Bass Pro Shop came by to try their own hand at fishing. Catches of the day included a crawdad and two turtles, though the proximity of the turtles lead one to believe that perhaps they were the same very dense turtle.

Smith saw the importance of outdoor activities when he joined the Wheelin’ Sportsmen.

“My outdoor activities meant so much to me, and I could see that people with disabilities didn’t get the opportunity,” he said.

The Wheelin’ Sportsmen, founded in 1999, offer a variety of outdoor activities to people with disabilities, including hunting, fishing and archery. Smith started with the organization as a volunteer and was hired as regional coordinator in the December of 2003.

Smith finds that often the only reason the people who come to these events don’t participate in outdoor activites more often, is that the activities simply are not offered to them.

“They never get asked to go fishing or hunting because the able-bodied population in this country doesn’t realize that they can or they want to,” Smith said.

The importance of events like these, then, is not limited to the people with disabilities. They serve a purpose to others, as well.

“It educates the able-bodied people in the country, too, that there are ways to overcome the barriers that they face,” Smith said.

Phaedra Marriott agreed about the importance of activites such as this one. Marriott was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Missouri in April and heads to Little Rock, Ark., tomorrow for the Ms. Wheelchair America pageant.

Marriott had not fished since she was a little girl until Saturday’s experience. Although she didn’t catch anything, (highlights included a rock and some weeds) she still had fun.

“There are so many people out there that love to hunt and to hike and to fish, and I think maybe when a disability comes, then they kind of think that maybe they can’t do that anymore,” she said. “This is a great opportunity to show them that they can.”