Team Spirit

[Dejon Hamann]

With the 2009 Team USA Nationals on our doorstep I thought it an appropriate time to talk about "Team Unity."  I think a lot of new-comers to the sport don't realize what an incredible advantage an individual can gain when working with a well oiled team.  Not only that, but I think the individual drive to qualify at regionals or climb the "point ladder" has completely overshadowed one of the most important, and strong foundations of this sport: "Team Spirit."  I've had the pleasure of working with a few really fantastic teams over the years.  The highlight was being a part of "Team Airflo's" bronze medal in the 2008 Canadian Nationals.  There is a unparalleled satisfaction in fishing as hard as you can for your team.  The late night brainstorming sessions, map drawings, fly tying strategies and a multitude of other components really added to the overall experience of competition fly fishing.  I can hardly remember where I placed as an individual in that competition, but I have my Team Medal proudly hanging at my tying station and cherish those memories.

It's too bad one of the only places American's can taste what it's like to fish on a team is by making Team USA.  The NorthCarolina Fly Fishing team has really made strides in the right direction.  And hopefully we will be able to put together a NE team and follow in their footsteps. 

Competitive Fly Fishing the world over is much more about the team than the individual.  Britain, France, Poland and a ton of other countries have more farm teams than you can throw a stick at!  Those boys know what it's like to be a part of a team. Hopefully in the coming 10 to 20 years we will start to make inroads to creating a strong network of clubs and regional teams that can add not only to the national team, but more importantly foster what it really means to be a competitive fly fisher.

To really drive home the point you should read this eye-opening essay by world champion Ian Barr: http://czechnymphs.com/tactics/tactics_2007_001.html

[Paul Bourcq]

Great point.  I was thinking about what guys will do at nationals.  You are thrown into a group with guys you may or may not know.  If you try to fly solo you might make it but you most likely will not.  I guess people will just have to open up and start getting after it.  I wouldnt know because ive not fished competitively with anybody but myself or other teamembers as teammates. 

[Chris Lee]

I agree with all of your points. I hope that my new "Team" will mesh as we go into the Nationals. I finally feel like our NC Team is really working well, then I have to jump into a new group. Bourcq nailed it. Everyone has to be open on the Team while in competition. You just throw it all out there, especially if someone on your team is in a position to place well. You give them all you got. This has really paid off in our local tournament scene. There is no one in our area that can compete with the NC Team because we have a solid group of anglers that will share the info. I am amazed that the US Team can trust each other with the distance between anglers. They never fish together unless in a big event. But what they do works. They just share the info. If someone figures it out then they spill it.

[Kalvin Kaloz]

Dejon,

Dude thanks for the insight and the article....GREAT perspective!!!!

Sounds like you have a very good Teambuilding/ NE Coaching mentality! HA HA 

[Chris Smith]

I'll throw one more element of good chemistry in the mix:  Giving back to the sport.

Our team participates in a number of events designed to promote fly fishing.  Last month, for example, we taught hundreds of kids to cast with a fly rod at the Cherokee Talking Trees Children's Trout Derby.  

Next month, we'll be assisting veterans at the Project Healing Waters Blue Ridge Fly Fishing event.

Collaboration at events like this goes a long way in promoting team unity. 

[Mike Norton]

work as one.....

very well said Dejonand others. As a team you need to work together to get the job done. All for one one for all. If all work as one , you win as one. Go Team

Go get um in nationals guys.....Best of luck to you all

[Dejon Hamann]

I'll throw one more element of good chemistry in the mix:  Giving back to the sport.

Very good point.  Charity and non-practice type endeavors can not only further jell a team, but pay good dividends into the Karma pool.


Here's another little story on team unity that I just thought of.  2007 Nationals were based in Boulder Colorado.  I was practicing on my own up in the mountains.  One of the team usa squads was actually staying at my lodging resort.  5 man team.  4 guys were there early.  2 guys would sit in the lodge tying flies while the other 2 guys would fish the stream.  They had walkie talkies and immediately communicated what was and wasn't working to the guys at the tying benches.  Then they'd switch.  Josh Stephens, the 5th man on that team, came in late just before the comp.  He was flying almost totally blind, but his team had nailed the recon and shared every little bit of information with him.  And to Josh's credit he takes instruction very well.  He ended up with a medal.

[Mike Norton]

thats team unity.

I'll throw one more element of good chemistry in the mix:  Giving back to the sport.

Very good point.  Charity and non-practice type endeavors can not only further jell a team, but pay good dividends into the Karma pool.


Here's another little story on team unity that I just thought of.  2007 Nationals were based in Boulder Colorado.  I was practicing on my own up in the mountains.  One of the team usa squads was actually staying at my lodging resort.  5 man team.  4 guys were there early.  2 guys would sit in the lodge tying flies while the other 2 guys would fish the stream.  They had walkie talkies and immediately communicated what was and wasn't working to the guys at the tying benches.  Then they'd switch.  Josh Stephens, the 5th man on that team, came in late just before the comp.  He was flying almost totally blind, but his team had nailed the recon and shared every little bit of information with him.  And to Josh's credit he takes instruction very well.  He ended up with a medal.

[Mark Hanes]

Nicely said guys you all got me pumped to get involved with the NE team and to help push competitive fly fishing in the right direction.

[Todd Oishi]

Great topic and excellent comments!

I would like to add that to do well in competition as an individual, you need to have a unified team-spirit and the support of everyone on your team working towards the common goal, which is a Team Medal - the individual stuff sorts itself out and just falls into place as a result of the Team's collective experiences and efforts.

For me personally... A Team Medal is the ultimate reward and true symbol of team work as five individuals perform as a single entity, and is the sole reason for my participation in these sort of events. Once I began competing, I quickly learnt that this is not an individual sport. I have seen some great anglers fail in competitions as a result of this mistake...

Over the past five years, I have been fortunate (lucky) to have won three Team Gold Medals at our Canadian NFFCs (on three different teams), and can testify that the Team Medals mean more to me than my Individual Gold and Bronze Medals ever will, as the victory shows your commitment to the team, and is shared with your team-mates/friends.


Don't get me wrong... an Individual Medal is nice to receive... but the Team Medal provides a satisfaction and experience that will be forever cherished by the entire team...

Cheers,
Todd  

[Bret Bishop]

Here's another little story on team unity that I just thought of.  2007 Nationals were based in Boulder Colorado.  I was practicing on my own up in the mountains.  One of the team usa squads was actually staying at my lodging resort.  5 man team.  4 guys were there early.  2 guys would sit in the lodge tying flies while the other 2 guys would fish the stream.  They had walkie talkies and immediately communicated what was and wasn't working to the guys at the tying benches.  Then they'd switch.  Josh Stephens, the 5th man on that team, came in late just before the comp.  He was flying almost totally blind, but his team had nailed the recon and shared every little bit of information with him.  And to Josh's credit he takes instruction very well.  He ended up with a medal.

I will also add that that team took the Team Gold that year.

[Dejon Hamann]

Was that your team?   

How did you guys unlock the Poudre? I'm pretty sure you were just re fishing that same stretch behind the cabins over and over again, eh?  I couldn't get my brain out of the clouds and kept short line nymphing the rivers.  Last 45minutes of the comp. I finally switched over to a Hopper/Dropper with 2 micro nymphs below: hooked 2 on the micros and rolled a beast on the Hopper!  Hind site is 20/20.

[Jeremy Allan]

I struggled with the upper poudre as well. I got second place on the lower section but I completely over thought the upper section. I was dead set on nymphing and it cost me. Black crickets were never even close to being a thought in my head.

[Todd Oishi]

I got lucky on the lower Poudre and managed to take a 1st placing, by scoring 19 trout during my session. I did struggle on the upper Poudre as my sole box of Czech Nymphs was yanked from my vest's pocket when I took a swim at the beginning of the session.

I learnt a valuable lesson that day... the importance of not keeping all of you flies confined within one box!  

[Dejon Hamann]

Todd, what kind of techniques/flies did you use on the Poudre? 

[Bret Bishop]

Was that your team?   

How did you guys unlock the Poudre? I'm pretty sure you were just re fishing that same stretch behind the cabins over and over again, eh?  I couldn't get my brain out of the clouds and kept short line nymphing the rivers.  Last 45minutes of the comp. I finally switched over to a Hopper/Dropper with 2 micro nymphs below: hooked 2 on the micros and rolled a beast on the Hopper!  Hind site is 20/20.

Thanks for taking the bait.

That team was made up of Mike, Pete, Josh, Carter/Walter, and myself. We lost Jim Hickey and had to find a replacement. Finding one was a struggle. We got Walter but we knew the rivers would be to hard for him to navigate. Pete and I conviced a fishing buddy with no comp experience to join us and he did awesome. So did Walter.

This team really worked well together. A good example of this is how we approached the Poudre. We did plant ourselves on the Poudre. Mike, Pete, and I fished the same two hundred yards for two days, one angler behind the other, playing with different flies and different techniques. We figured this was the key. The team that could catch fish on this river after extreme pressure would be in good shape. When Josh showed up he shared what he learned and we did likewise. Carter showed up the night before the comp and on the drive between Denver and Boulder I briefed him on everything he would need to do.

So the key to the Poudre was not one fly (the black cricket) or one technique. It was team work. When we hit the Puodre we had confidence we would find and catch fish no matter the beat or who you followed.

I am conviced that unselfish team work combined with leadership is the key to success at any level.

[Dejon Hamann]

Sharing knowledge and following direction are 2 key elements I try to stress frequently on this site. 

The one aspect that really sticks out to me is how you guys hammered that same stretch of river over and over again.  That really shows a combined determination to win.  I mean, let's face it - to some extent most guys are going to hammer fish on their first session regardless of the river/conditions.  It's the ability to pick up fish as pressure increases that really raises the cream to the top.  I know many guys won't sacrifice their catch rate in practice, even in the face of a big event, just to learn a few more pieces of the puzzle, but that's really what it takes.

Now, we all know a black cricket didn't win the comp. BUT for some of us guys who were there what flies and presentations did work?

[Jeremy Allan]

  On the lower poudre I had a huge deep pool that was probably 50 feet long and who knows how deep. I spent about 30 minutes on the pool with only 1 scored trout. Knowing that the pool was not the kind of water that suits my style I went above it where it was nothing but pockets for the rest of my beat. For me this is my favorite type of water. Little 3-4 foot pockets and small runs.
  The way I fished this section was with a Polish/high sticking rig. My leader was built with 2 feet of green Amnesia then 1.5 feet of 0x about 5 feet of 5x to my first fly. Normally people will put the heavy fly on point but when fishing pockets you want your lead fly to be heaviest so that when it hits the water it pulls your target fly directly down into the pocket. The key to fishing pockets is to make sure your flies and leader land straight so that you are instantly in contact with your flies as soon as they hit the water because most of the hits come as soon as they hit the pocket. If you have any slack you won't even know you had a hit. The flies I was using were the same I used on the Thompson the day before and got a first place with  . Dejon later dubbed them the "BIg T" when he was in SLC. They were a couple of wet flies with the bead concealed behind the hackle and the heavy fly had a lead wrapped thorax. I ended up with 7-8 trout and second place behind Riley Cotter who had 8-9.

[Pete Erickson]

That was maybe the most "dialed in" team that I've ever been on...anywhere... including World Teams.  We absolutely knew we we going to win the Gold... even during practice.  And if memory serves, we had it in the bag after only 2 sessions.  not to mention we had A LOT of fun at night during the comp

Stoneflies baby!

[Jeremy Allan]

Hey Pete, welcome to the forum by the way. You said you thought you had it wrapped up after 2 sessions. Do you remember how many placing points your team had at that point and what was the hardest water for you?

[Dejon Hamann]

not to mention we had A LOT of fun at night during the comp

Stoneflies baby!

Partying during comp???  Now what would your boss think of these antics? 

Yeah, I heard stoneflies were the bomb.  Seemed like Black was definitely a key color.

[Bret Bishop]

Over the past five years, I have been fortunate (lucky) to have won three Team Gold Medals at our Canadian NFFCs (on three different teams), and can testify that the Team Medals mean more to me than my Individual Gold and Bronze Medals ever will, as the victory shows your commitment to the team, and is shared with your team-mates/friends.

Todd,
Congratulations on the success of your teams. This really shows in how well Canada has done at the last several Worlds.

Question: How does Canada select teams, for that matter individuals, to attend your nationals? And then how do you select your team for Worlds?

[Todd Oishi]

Thanks Brett! We are trying to move forward, and to be more competitive at the international level. The nationals is definitely helping us to identify serious competitors and to showcase upcoming talented anglers that are hoping to secure a spot on our national teams (Commonwealth, Worlds, USNFFC and Oceanias).

Unfortunately there currently is not enough interest or the fundings to hold regionals, as we are so spread-out. As you already know; the majority of our population lives close to the US/Canadian border, so there is no real "central" location (adjacent borders) to make it convenient, cost effective or fair (travel concerns) for all concerned.

Much like several other countries; Fly Fishing Canada (FFC) currently uses a point system and performance review of past nationals to select the members for our teams. The point system is great way to identify those who have consistently placed well in competitions, but some serious consideration must be given to the venue of the championship, as a competitor that places well in a competition that is dominated by lakes, might not necessarily be the wisest choice for a competition that is dominated by rivers (and vice versa).

FFC has been using this system for the past few years and has a better grasp on the qualifications of those who apply for the teams, based on the fact that we have seven nationals under our belt and a growing list of competitive fly fishers.

[Dejon Hamann]

I've really been very impressed with recent successes of both Canadian and US youth team members competing in their respective Nationals.  What could be better for North American competitive fly fishing than having our youth team members place high, if not medal at the Adult National Competition? Starts with great coaching, but there's something inspirational and positive for the future of the sport happening there.

[Pete Erickson]

I cant remember how many placing points that team had after 2 sessions...maybe it was after 3 sessions that that team built a big lead in points.  I just remember an awful lot of ones and twos scores coming in during the first 2 days.  I cant remember what the team silver medal final points total was, but I remember telling the guys that even if we have a few blanks on the final two sessions, we'll still get the gold.

The biggest reason that team was a success, was that we had tons of fun and we all liked and respected each other immensely.  A lot of chemistry...not to mention Mike, Bret, Carter, and Josh are all incredible anglers.

Dej,

and yes, We did knock back a few "coca colas" while tying flies