Steel Shootin'
05-18-2005, 12:13 PM
The Captain’s Meeting is TOMORROW NIGHT, Thursday, May 19. It starts at 5:30PM, but you can register until 7:00PM. The Captain’s Meeting is at a restaurant in Port Richey: Edgwaters Restaurant and Lounge, at 5245 Limestone Drive, Port Richey, FL 34668. Please consider having your dinner there and hanging out a little bit if possible. The meals are reasonable, and it is a nice way to support this place for allowing us to have our Captain’s Meeting there. Please get your registration form and waiver at www.spearboardopen.com.
Here is some additional info:
1. You may recall that I had mentioned earlier about having a cooler drop off area in the parking lot somewhere. That has changed. We are now going to have the cooler drop-off area close to the weigh in line, inside the gate. The key here is to be ready to quickly drop the cooler off and exit the circle, going back through the gate and into the parking lot. There will be volunteers in the parking lot, at the gate, and at the cooler drop off to assist you. There will also be a trailer to take you and your cooler to your truck after you have weighed your fish.
2. Weigh-in starts at 9:30AM Sunday, and ends at 11:30AM, just as stated in the rules.
3. The turn into the Pavilion is tough to miss. Look at mapquest or yahoo for the intersection of the Suncoast Parkway (a/k/a Veterans Expressway or “589”) and S.R. 52. The entrance is JUST WEST of the expressway on S.R. 52. From SR 52, look for a sign that says “Safety Town.” You will turn north there. It is the only turn possible in that area, so very hard to miss. Will will have some kind of signage, and possibly ballons or something, but you should not miss it. When you make the turn off of SR 52, you will see a parking lot to your immediate right for the trail. Do NOT turn there….keep going straight through the first gate (which will be opened). Once you go through that gate, look to your right, and you will see the large parking lot that services the pavilions. You will likely see a volunteer at this turn, and he will direct you into the parking lot. If you have a cooler, he will direct you to the next gate, into the pavilion. If you do not have a cooler, he will direct you where to park.
4. If you have already registered but you have not yet received your shirt, you will get it at the weigh-in, NOT the Capt’s Meeting.
5. At the Expo, after you have weighed-in, you will have plenty of time to make the rounds and talk with exhibitors. Be sure to stop by and chat with them. There will be a lot of manufacturing reps, retail, etc., and these people are responsible for the awesome prize table you will see. Be sure to let them know you appreciate their contributions, and keep them in mind when purchasing gear. We have people flying in from as far away as California just to attend the expo, and they want to hear from you!
6. Once your fish have been weighed, a volunteer will enter this information into a computer. These people have done an outstanding job in the past, and know how important it is to input the information correctly. Still, human error is always possible. You will be asked to sign a hard copy of your weight slip. To help protect against an error, cross check it with the person handing it to you, and check it for accuracy at the time of signing. Also, if you registered as a freediver, I have noted that. Again, as an extra measure, you might state at the time of weigh-in, “I registered as a freediver.”
7. There are actually TWO trophies this year for each trophy winner. The first trophy is a ceramic art piece done by deepfish’s people. This trophy will make a beautfil addition to your home. We will also have a second, more traditional type acrylic trophy for you to display. The Best Boat trophy is a Burt Lancaster rubbing, framed out!
8. At the end of the weigh-in line there will be a cooler IF you wish to donate a single fish to volunteers. The fish will be filleted for the volunteers to they can have a seafood dinner. We are doing this because several people approached us last year about donating fish, with some even telling us they had no way to take their fish. I want to emphasize something here: Your fish are your fish. No one will ask you for a fish. This is strictly voluntary if you feel like throwing a snapper or grouper or hog into the cooler. If ANYONE asks you for fish, please alert a volunteer.
Here is some additional info:
1. You may recall that I had mentioned earlier about having a cooler drop off area in the parking lot somewhere. That has changed. We are now going to have the cooler drop-off area close to the weigh in line, inside the gate. The key here is to be ready to quickly drop the cooler off and exit the circle, going back through the gate and into the parking lot. There will be volunteers in the parking lot, at the gate, and at the cooler drop off to assist you. There will also be a trailer to take you and your cooler to your truck after you have weighed your fish.
2. Weigh-in starts at 9:30AM Sunday, and ends at 11:30AM, just as stated in the rules.
3. The turn into the Pavilion is tough to miss. Look at mapquest or yahoo for the intersection of the Suncoast Parkway (a/k/a Veterans Expressway or “589”) and S.R. 52. The entrance is JUST WEST of the expressway on S.R. 52. From SR 52, look for a sign that says “Safety Town.” You will turn north there. It is the only turn possible in that area, so very hard to miss. Will will have some kind of signage, and possibly ballons or something, but you should not miss it. When you make the turn off of SR 52, you will see a parking lot to your immediate right for the trail. Do NOT turn there….keep going straight through the first gate (which will be opened). Once you go through that gate, look to your right, and you will see the large parking lot that services the pavilions. You will likely see a volunteer at this turn, and he will direct you into the parking lot. If you have a cooler, he will direct you to the next gate, into the pavilion. If you do not have a cooler, he will direct you where to park.
4. If you have already registered but you have not yet received your shirt, you will get it at the weigh-in, NOT the Capt’s Meeting.
5. At the Expo, after you have weighed-in, you will have plenty of time to make the rounds and talk with exhibitors. Be sure to stop by and chat with them. There will be a lot of manufacturing reps, retail, etc., and these people are responsible for the awesome prize table you will see. Be sure to let them know you appreciate their contributions, and keep them in mind when purchasing gear. We have people flying in from as far away as California just to attend the expo, and they want to hear from you!
6. Once your fish have been weighed, a volunteer will enter this information into a computer. These people have done an outstanding job in the past, and know how important it is to input the information correctly. Still, human error is always possible. You will be asked to sign a hard copy of your weight slip. To help protect against an error, cross check it with the person handing it to you, and check it for accuracy at the time of signing. Also, if you registered as a freediver, I have noted that. Again, as an extra measure, you might state at the time of weigh-in, “I registered as a freediver.”
7. There are actually TWO trophies this year for each trophy winner. The first trophy is a ceramic art piece done by deepfish’s people. This trophy will make a beautfil addition to your home. We will also have a second, more traditional type acrylic trophy for you to display. The Best Boat trophy is a Burt Lancaster rubbing, framed out!
8. At the end of the weigh-in line there will be a cooler IF you wish to donate a single fish to volunteers. The fish will be filleted for the volunteers to they can have a seafood dinner. We are doing this because several people approached us last year about donating fish, with some even telling us they had no way to take their fish. I want to emphasize something here: Your fish are your fish. No one will ask you for a fish. This is strictly voluntary if you feel like throwing a snapper or grouper or hog into the cooler. If ANYONE asks you for fish, please alert a volunteer.