There is a certain degree of celebrity that comes with being a state champion in any sport, but when a team wins the first state tournament of its kind in the entire United States, the big boys take note.
That's exactly what happened when Redbirds Kaleb Gardner and Dylan Vaughn captured the inaugural Illinois High School Association State Bass Fishing Championship last spring. The "big boy," in this case, was none other than the venerable ESPN The Magazine.
"The state championship was a big deal on a lot of fishing web sites because it was the first time any state had bass fishing as a high school sport," said Gardner.
Earlier this fall, the state champs were contacted by reporters from ESPN, who had picked up the the boys' story after it garnered considerable attention on various fishing web sites. The pair of Redbirds were given the red-carpet treatment by the media giant, including an interview by the magazine's reporters and a photo shoot on location at Lake of Egypt.
The boys said they, along with Dylan's father, Keith, were interviewed over the phone by ESPN's John Mahoney, who contacted them via ESPN's New York office. According to the FCHS juniors, Mahoney was interested in the details from their state championship run, including how many and how much fish they reeled in that weekend. The results they revealed were impressive\'d1eight total bass throughout the two-day tourney, a winning total of 16.25 pounds of fish, which included their prize catch of nearly four pounds.
After the interview, ESPN sent a photographer from its St. Louis office to capture the boys in their element. For two hours, Vaughn and Gardner were rock stars, posing on the deck of a Redbird-colored bass boat as the photographer snapped photos for the December issue of ESPN Rise Magazine, a special edition of the the magazine dedicated to star high school athletes. Gardner said the photographer even used a little "media magic" to ensure the fish were biting, but the Redbird pair declined to reveal the tricks of the trade.
Both boys are avid outdoorsmen and fishing is a sport they both have been taking part in pretty much as long as each of them could remember. Gardner said he credits his father, Chuck, for turning him onto the sport about the time he was old enough to hold a rod.
"I've been fishing pretty much since I was little bitty," said Gardner. "My Dad, Chuck Gardner, started me fishing pretty much as soon as I could walk."
Vaughn's father, Keith, also passed along his angling skills to the younger Vaughn.
"My Dad used to fish a lot of tournament circuits. Once I started playing sports, he really didn't have a chance to fish competitively anymore, so it's been passed on to me," said Vaughn.
Both Chuck and Keith are still active in their sons' fishing careers. Keith helps Redbird Head Coach Travis Noto with the bass fishing program and both he and the elder Gardner have spent countless hours on the water with Dylan and Kaleb.
"We practiced together with the boys about 80 hours in preparation for the state tournament," said Dylan's father. "Fishing really gives parents a chance to spend a lot of time on the water with their kids."
According the younger Gardner, if the boys can snag the next two state titles they'll all be spending more time on the water fishing in style due to a wager they have with their fathers. "Our dads have a deal with us if we win the state tournament three straight times, they will buy us a bass boat of our choice," said Gardner.
However, this Redbird duo hardly needs added incentive to put in more practice. Gardner said there is no offseason when it comes to fishing.
"I bass fish year round except for the winter — that's when I fish for crappie. Pretty much as long as there's no ice on top of the water, I'll have my line in it," said Gardner.
Vaughn said he would like nothing more than to eventually turn his high school fishing success into a career, but acknowledged that becoming a professional fisherman is no small task.
"Professional bass fishing is something that I've always wanted to do, it's hard to do, though, and it's expensive," said Vaughn.
So, as the boys are preparing to have their story and pictures distributed to ESPN readers all the across the country, the elder Vaughn indicated that perhaps Kaleb and Dylan are on the verge of becoming innovators.
"It's really nice for the story to get out about the state championship and, hopefully it leads to other states picking up bass fishing as a high school sport," said Keith.
West Frankfort, Ill. —
