You are not going to believe this............... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wes Wada" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 12:05 AM Subject: [VFB] Squirrel Fishing
> from those ne'er do wells on the Westfly.com Oregon board... > > <http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/05/03/ > 40965806021d8> > > A nutty pastime: 'Squirrel fishermen' on campus seek Club Sports > recognition for their pursuit (Univ. of Oregon) > By Chelsea Duncan > Senior News Reporter > May 03, 2004 > > The skilled angler cast his fly fishing line into the sea of green > grass and waited for a nibble. Moments later, the line started to jerk, > and he began to reel. Instead of a hook, he used a peanut, and he > didn't catch a fish -- he caught a squirrel. > > A group of University students has brought the art of squirrel fishing > to campus, and now they're trying to make it an official Club sport. > > The sport involves using fly fishing rods with peanuts tied to the line > to attract squirrels. Once the squirrel latches on, the "fisherman" > tugs on the line until the squirrel lets go or scurries away with the > peanut. > > "The reactions we get around campus are usually really enthusiastic or > really upset," said Jason McIlhaney, the club's co-president, adding > that people who get upset don't understand the sport. > > "The best analogy really is like playing tug of war with your dog," > McIlhaney said. > > And the sport has definitely raised a few eyebrows around campus. > > The University Club Sports executive committee, made up of five > students, met to determine the club's fate Friday, but the members > decided they needed to learn more about the sport before making a final > decision. > > Executive committee member Lauren Anas said none of the members were > familiar with the concept of squirrel fishing. > > "I just want to make sure that we're not doing anything offensive to > squirrels," she said, adding that with any proposed sport, the > committee members try to familiarize themselves with the activity > before making a decision. > > Students proposing a new sport need at least 10 initial members, and > they also need to show they can represent the University competitively, > Anas said. > > McIlhaney said there are plenty of ways to make it a competitive sport, > which generally involves performing skillful fly fishing techniques. > Members can compete in casting distance and precision, or they can > compete to catch the same squirrel, he added. > > He said about 30 students are currently in the club, but as the word > spreads, and if the club gets sponsored, he expects about 100 people > would be interested in joining. He said with the base funding that > initial sponsorship would provide, the club could make T-shirts to use > for fundraising. > > McIlhaney said the West Coast has a strong history of squirrel fishing, > and one of the largest clubs currently resides at University of > California, Berkeley, which has 84 members, including faculty and > staff. With a number of other clubs competing, including those found at > University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Arizona, > he said there would be plenty of opportunities to compete. > > While some students use the sport to practice for traditional fly > fishing, McIlhaney said that's not his intention for the club. > > "I don't do it for that," he said. "I do it to squirrel fish." > > The sport has also raised concerns among members of the University's > Species Equality Through Action group, formally Students for the > Ethical Treatment of Animals. > > "We're not too thrilled about it," SETA member Nate Oester said. > > However, Oester said the group has more important issues to deal with, > such as eliminating animal research testing, or vivisection, on campus. > He said he does have a problem with people using animals for > entertainment rather than "valuing them as individuals." > > "I'd just be more concerned with the moral aspects," he said. "It seems > kind of degrading to me." > > But others say the sport provides an opportunity to connect with nature. > > Architecture Department Head Christine Theodoropoulos said when she > heard about the sport from McIlhaney, she knew her 9-year-old son would > want to give it a try. > > "I think it's kind of a springtime diversion," she said. "Having a kind > of connection, a moment, with a wild animal is kind of a special thing." > > She said she was initially skeptical of the sport, but after watching > her son participate, she doesn't see a problem with it. > > Club Sports Director Sandy Vaughn said she likes learning about new > activities she's unfamiliar with. She said the last questionable sport > that came up for sponsorship was Ultimate Frisbee, which has become > increasingly popular. > > "The majority of people were very skeptical," she said. "Of course, now > it's one of our largest team sports." > > Although she was also initially concerned about the squirrels' welfare, > she said it's important to consider new ideas. > > "It's just important always that our program keeps an open mind to the > interests of the students," she said. > > ______________________________________________ E-mail Disclaimer and Company Information http://www.absa.co.za/ABSA/EMail_Disclaimer
