14th annual Sandy Ridge Bream Tourney set
By By Mike Giles / outdoors writer
April 25, 2003
The month of May traditionally holds the promise of many exciting outdoor opportunities for young and old alike in our area. Few activities rival the annual Sandy Ridge Bream tourney however. Many youngsters look forward to the event all year, while hoping for a chance to get back out to Frank and Evelyn Tillman's lake for some fun and fantastic fishing.
Saturday, May 10th is a day many area children are really looking forward to. That's the day of the tournament when Frank and Evelyn Tillman open up their lake to all the kids once again.
The annual Sandy Ridge Bream Tourney started 14 years ago as an experiment. Frank Tillman had been talking with Roger Carlisle, a local bait and tackle distributor, about the problem he was having with small bream in his lake. Carlisle suggested putting on a bream tournament to help alleviate the bream problem while also giving area youngsters a chance to catch some fish and have fun as well.
Although Mr. Tillman had some reservations about sponsoring a tournament, he agreed to try it for one year. The rest, as they say, is history. Needless to say, the tourney has been a resounding success for the Tillmans and everyone involved. In fact, it has turned into a labor of love for Mr. Frank and Ms. Evelyn. Although a lot of work went into lining up sponsors and planning the initial tourneys, Mr. Frank stayed with it and now has an impressive list of local sponsors who help make the tourney a success year after year.
Broad support
Only a couple of sponsors have fallen to the wayside during the past few years. In a time when a lot of people are complaining about nothing to do in our area, it's refreshing to see people like the Tillmans and the many sponsors and volunteers working to make the tourney a success for the children. These folks are truly putting kids first.
The tournament hours will be from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. There will be three age brackets, which will allow all ages of children to compete and win prizes. There will be four winners in each age bracket as follows: Pre-school, 6-10 years, and 11-15 years. The bait will be restricted to live bait only.
Although the children have a lot of fun and catch a lot of fish during the tourney, there is another benefit derived from the occasion. The only entry fee required for the children is to bring two items of canned goods. Those canned goods are then donated to Wesley House and The Baptist Crisis Center. So in addition to giving the children an opportunity to get outdoors and do a little fishing, they are also helping with a worthy cause.
Many of the boys will be glad to hear that perennial bream champion Chandler Giles has finally grown too old to participate in the event. Over the years she had a lot of fun and good-natured competition with the boys, while eventually taking first place in all three divisions. Maybe this year she'll give out a little advice to those boys.
Making a difference
Mr. Frank and Ms. Evelyn have really been stepping up to the plate year after year in trying to provide an enjoyable experience for area youngsters. Although it's only one day of the year, if you take the time and introduce a child to fishing on that day, it may change their life forever. An old saying goes like this, "Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Although that is a simple saying, no truer words have been spoken. In addition to getting to eat some succulent fillets, they'll be sure to have a lifetime of fun chasing those fish.
If you haven't been out to the Tillman's tourney, you have surely missed a treat. Don't miss out on an opportunity to spend some quality time with a child while having fun and making some memories. If you don't have a child or grandchild nearby, there's sure to be a youngster somewhere near, just waiting for a chance to go fishing. So don't delay. Invite a child to go with you to the tournament. You just might be glad you did.
