| |
 |
News
|
A Tournament of Life |
| July 14, 2009 |
 By Jason Hawkins
"I am one in a million," said Captain Tred Barta. He was speaking of how his life changed, now that he is paralyzed from the waist down. Tred is a victim of a rare disease, a form of blood cancer, called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia. This disease manifests in many ways. For Tred, his was the most extreme. At the spinal level, where the body’s neuropathic highways course, an injury occurred and he became one in a million. "I was preparing to go to Alaska and my left leg went gimp. Four days later I am paralyzed from the waist down. Now, I am learning to go to the bathroom again, dress again, suddenly, learning to live again," said Barta from his hospital room in Colorado.
For those who follow Tred Barta, he is host of a top-rated outdoors show named, The Best & Worst of Tred Barta. Tred also maintains a monthly column in Sport Fishing Magazine and he has penned several books and countless articles for publication. Tred holds records, too. He has caught more big-eye tuna than any man alive and he has records for game taken and fish caught from all over the world. However, for those on the coast of North Carolina and locally, those of Beaufort, NC, Tred’s name is synonymous with a billfish tournament held here, annually. Since 2004, the Barta Billfish tournament is held on the town docks of Beaufort and for three days, Tred uses the historic planks and sidewalk as his pulpit where he preaches of values and morals and honesty and helping others all for the sake of the Boys & Girls Club of Coastal Carolina.
Since his arrival here in Beaufort, in 2004, the goal for Tred Barta and the staff and volunteers of the Barta Billfish Tournament has been to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Coastal Carolina. Tred is not from Beaufort and he doesn’t know any of the kids that attend the Boys & Girls Club in Beaufort. However, Tred has friends that fish these waters of North Carolina and they told Tred of the need the club has. Far away from the shadows of Historic Beaufort where affluence and influence exist, the Boys & Girls Club serves as a foundation and a supporting structure to kids and tomorrow’s future. For Tred, the goal when the tournament was announced late in 2003, the mission was simple; to raise one-million dollars for the Boys & Girls Club. However, as Tred is as you receive him, he wanted to raise monies for the Boys & Girls Club, his way, or in his words, "the Barta way."
His concept for the Barta Billfish Tournament was and remains simple. First, entry fees into the tournament are less than average tournament entry fees. Secondly, no billfish would be killed and hung on scales for prize money. And, lastly, his core values of honesty and honor and code and confidence would serve as guardianship of the rules of the tournament. Tred knew then that this challenge would not be easy. He knew that convincing sponsors and anglers and the community to embrace this idea of a fishing tournament where all of the proceeds are given to the Boys & Girls Club would be met with friction. Yet, Tred persevered and his tournament staff carried his torch in seeking sponsorship and donors and spawning tournament entries from boats from the Morehead Fleet and boats as far away as Virginia and South Carolina and beyond. And when Thomas Built Buses donated a bus to the Boys & Girls Club following the inaugural year, suddenly the concept that anglers could fish a tournament and give of themselves to help others, grew.
Like many communities, Beaufort and the townships of coastal Carolina have struggling residents and a struggling economy, before the recession we live in now. The Boys & Girls Club has always served as a mentoring environment where goals and aspirations have no ceiling and honor and moral conviction laid the path to a healthy life. For Tred and those who donate of themselves and of their wallets, the opportunity to serve others while exercising a passion was and remains worth the effort, especially if the effort is for a deserving population of the community, in this case the Boys & Girls Club of Coastal Carolina. In a few short years since the inaugural tournament, when festivities begin on July 15th in Beaufort, Tred’s mission of raising one-million dollars will be nearly half-way towards its goal.
In preparing for this year’s tournament, staff and volunteers were planning for an environment where the economy may tighten its grip and some may not be able to give and support as in years past. Like many fund raising and charity-raising groups, anticipations were kept modest with what the tournament could provide this year to the Boys & Girls Club. And then, life happened. It was an email that staff received that Tred was hospitalized and worse, he was sick, gravely sick. Suddenly it seemed as if not only the economy would play a factor in limiting what could be raised for the kids of Beaufort, but also, our tournament founder was fighting a much more serious fight of his own. With the tournament, then, weeks away we began making contingency plans if Tred were not to attend and we knew adjustments would have to be made.
I spoke with Tred on July 1st and we talked about his message and what he could convey to the community of Beaufort and coastal Carolina and to those who plan to or may be on the cusp of fishing the tournament. Tred didn’t hesitate in his reply and he said, "Grab a pencil and write," which I did. "I know a special message and that is that I know what its like to be in this point where life doesn’t seem fair," said Barta. I asked Tred to speak to those who would possibly support his cause for the Boys & Girls Club and to those who may be influenced to give. Yet, this man, this angler, this one in a million had a message not for the community, but a message for those who he has worked tirelessly to help, that being the kids of the Boys & Girls Club. From his hospital bed where Tred is unable to walk and is learning to use the restroom, again, he wanted the kids to know that he understands struggle and challenge and questions of life-fairness. Where a community, just across the bridge or a few blocks over, lives life by extraordinary means and flashes and sports and boasts and where boats larger than homes serve as sandboxes and fishing poles are toys, Tred wants the kids a few blocks away from Front Street in Beaufort to know that he knows what they may feel.
I encouraged Tred to elaborate on his message and where a man who experienced life from many continents and behind many large fish once stood, he said, "I embrace my injury and my circumstance." For Tred, where he is now has less to do with how he arrived at this junction in life and more to do with where he goes next. "I have really simple values," he said, "Honor, code, and belief in ones ability. These things have gotten me through good times and bad times and they are getting me through this time, now." Of helping others, Tred said, "Do not go a single day, no matter your means or abilities, without doing an unselfish act for someone else."
As in years past, the tournament will take up a portion of Beaufort. We will erect a tent and parking will be compromised. There will be increased marina traffic and fish on the docks. As in years past, the kids of the Boys & Girls Club will attend festivities beneath the tent. Offshore and inshore, families and friends will fish together and hopefully a few billfish will be caught and a child will catch a first ocean-fish. And as in years past and going forward, the message from these historic docks in Beaufort will be one of philanthropy and giving of ones self for a cause. Yet, unlike years past, that unmistakable voice and uniform and bull-horn toting man known as Barta will not take the stage and work the crowds and lecture of code and honor and morals and thank countless people and sponsors and friends. This will be our first year without Tred Barta under his tent. And, though he may not be in attendance to assure the kids of the Boys & Girls Club, in person, through an unfortunate illness and a new direction in life, he wants all to know that he knows the unfairness of life, the challenges of life, and how life is not always what we want. His request is for those that can, to please, give to the tournament. His request is for those that can, to fish this tournament (a level exists for many anglers and many boats). His request is for all to do something unselfish for someone else, every day. Since 2004, many have carried his torch and the fire to raise funds and raise support for the Boys & Girls Club has been stoked.
As we enter this year’s event on July 16th, the Barta Billfish Tournament will take all acts of unselfishness. We’ll take these acts from Front Street and we’ll spread them under a roof known as the Boys & Girls Club. For more information or to see an itinerary of events www.bartabillfish.com
Jason Hawkins is the Media Director of the Barta Billfish Tournament and may be reached at 919-201-5347. |
|
 |
|
|
|
