Bass Fishing Oct 2017 | Page 12

G NEWS & NOTES JAY KENDRICK RECEIVES SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD 10 rant, Ala., pro Jay Kendrick was presented with the Forrest L. Wood Sportsmanship and Community Leadership Award during the annual pre-tournament banquet at the Forrest Wood Cup. Kendrick, a full-time nurse anesthetist, arranged visits to local hospitals in each of the host communities along the 2017 FLW Tour trail. He was joined at each stop by fellow anglers Jimmy Reese and Billy Hines, along with other pros when possible. Although the anglers visited with patients at each hospital, they made it a point to spend time with the hospital staff, particularly the non-patient care staff such as those in the housekeeping, maintenance and security departments. “They don’t get to interact a lot with patients,” Kendrick says. “They very rarely get a nod of acknowledgement. I like to thank them for their hard work and dedication for taking care of their patients and community, even though a lot of what they do goes unseen. I tell them we understand what you do, and we know that you do it behind closed doors a lot of times, and you don’t get a lot of appreciation for that.” At each visit, Kendrick arranged for hospital employees, visitors and patients to check out a couple of fully rigged Ranger bass boats. He presented goody bags to patients, and organized raffles with items such as Duckett reels, Ranger hats, YETI tumblers and Costa sunglasses. FLWFISHING.COM I OCtOber 2017