Quote Originally Posted by LadyFisher
You might notice the only publicity we have given these various competitions is the results on the Canadian participation a year or two ago. We've not convinced the competitions are good for fly fishing, for the fish, the waters, or the people involved.
Hmmm, well not favorably convinced anyway. None of our Sponsors has put any pressure on us about them at all. (Just thought you'd like to know that.)
From what I can see, it's a relatively small group of industry insiders who are promoting it and a BUNCH of the mainstream media folks led by the outdoor sports writers for the newspapers, a few of the print magazines, and the TV folks. It's good to know none of the FAOL sponsors has pushed that agenda with y'all.

We all know what happened to bass fishing when the tournament crowd finally got their hands on big money. Today it's NASCAR on the lake. But I often think about what has happened to the breeding and training of hunting dogs in the US as a result of the AKC's love affair with "competition" when I think about the likely outcome of "competitive fly fishing." And it isn't good. And I'm a huge fan of competition. I think competition is the fuel that drives human endeavor. But I don't put salt on my birthday cake, either. Nothing is universally beneficial. Some things are best when they are kept out of the clutches of rank commercialism and blind ambition. "Competitive fly fishing" to me is like saying competitive marriage, competitive sleeping, competitive eating, or competitive book reading. Competitive sun bathing was appropriately hysterical too. I know there are people who do most of these things. But that doesn't mean it's a good thing. And it sure doesn't mean I have any inclination towards them. Take comp eating for example. Anyone here actually think that a guy dunking hotdogs in water and stuffing them down his throat as fast as humanly possible for a few minutes has actually improved the culinary arts? Does this improve my dining experiences in any way? Better nutrition? I think the answer is obvious.