Passion!

This weekend I had the good fortune of experiencing two outstanding events. The first one was participating in a switch rod seminar conducted by professinal spey caster Will Turek. Will is not only an incredible caster, he is also an amazing instructor who has all the qualities one would expect from a fine teacher; knowledge, experience, professionalism, patience and the ability to connect with every individual and see to it they learn and succeed.
As I watched Will demonstrate his two handed casts with perfection I could't help notice his passion for the sport as well as his natural love of teaching.
What makes a person have that much passion and dedication? Actually, it is rare to come across such intensity. Few people ever find something in their lives that truly moves them. In my fishing excursions I am fortunate to have had so many wonderful opportunities and to have met some really wonderful people. I am always amazed at the people I come in contact with, and what brings us together.
Today I had another of those extraordinary events. I arrived at the Gun Club to do a little shooting as I do every weekend. Upon my arrival I spotted a young man in his early teens, shooting skeet. He was about to finish the round when I noticed he had such good form and was calling for his targets with such determination I knew something good was about to happen. You could just feel it in the air!
I walked closer to his field and watched him break all four clays on station 6 and station 7. His calls grew even stronger with each shot. He was about to take on the last station, station number 8. He stepped into the box and confidently called for the high house and broke it, then he called for the low house and broke it dead center, and to my amazement he reached into his shell bag for his final shell which is only possible if he ran all the other stations. With no hesitation, he loaded the shell and fired on his last clay turning it into powder! A perfect game...25!
The boy cheered and yelled "Finally"
What a treat it was for me to witness this exciting moment in this kid's life. His mother walked toward me and embraced me in joy...I could feel her shaking and nearly crying with delight. I congratulated the boy who told me his name was Robert and asked me to help with the shooting of his hat. A tradition among shooters who shoot their first perfect round.
Robert was polite and very poised for a 13 year old. a group of 6 of us gathered in a line and proceeded to throw his hat in the air as we all fired our guns at it.
I was so honored and happy to have witnessed this incredible event and I thought to myself how Robert would always remember this moment, as will I.