Searching for the ‘center of the storm’
National Guard Open title will come down to who can get in the zone
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Professional angler Sean Hoernke of The Woodlands, Texas has an interesting description for the sport of competitive fishing: “It’s like a hurricane – there is constant chaos going on around you, but you are looking to get into the eye of the storm, where it’s calm and peaceful.”
Hoernke’s analogy is perfectly suited to describe the Walmart FLW Tour National Guard Open’s final day of competition. This morning, the top-10 pros found themselves swirling in a world of cameras, camera boats, microphones and well wishers.
But the distractions do not end there. Ironically, the better the real weather gets, the more intense the hurricane of chaos becomes. Out on the water, pleasure boaters were already cranking up their big crafts for a day of riding and recreation on Charlotte’s aquatic playground called Lake Norman.
“But at some point, all that falls away – up here, things get real quiet and calm,” Hoernke said, tapping his temple. “That’s where I want to go today, into the eye of the storm, where it’s quiet, calm and everything flows and makes perfect sense.”
Hoernke, who is currently in sixth place, knows what he is talking about. He experienced the eye of the storm last year when he won the National Guard Open. “That’s what happened on the final day last year when I won. All of this fell away and I got in the zone.”
Third place pro Andy Morgan knows exactly what Hoernke is talking about, too. Morgan calls it “the quiet of competition.”
“Competition is chaotic,” Morgan said. “There are a million things going on around you. But when you find that quiet in competition, you’re in the zone. For me, it comes and goes. I’ll have 20 or 30 minute periods here or there during the day where everything flows – boat position is perfect, skip casts under docks are perfect. Yesterday, I didn’t get there until late in the day, then it was time to go. The guy who finds that compete focus all day will win this event. And basically, that’s what I love about this sport – the quiet in competition is the world I want to be in.”
Tournament leader Koby Kreiger wants into the storm’s center today as well. Consider that at some point today he will likely find the fish that could win him his first FLW Tour title and make him $200,000 richer. And when he does, there might be jet skis buzzing in the background, spectator boats watching him, cameras rolling, boat wakes rolling everywhere, a breeze blowing into his area, perhaps even people out on their docks wondering what’s going on. And all the while, the clock will be ticking.
“This tournament is all about finding a 3-pounder,” Krieger said this morning. “And when I find a three-pounder, I can’t leave that fish until I catch it, no matter what’s going on around me. Even if I just have a couple of fish in the well – or no fish in the well – I’ve got to catch that fish. I’ve got to put everything else aside mentally and make it just between that fish and me.”
The final day weigh-in of the National Guard Open will begin at 4 p.m. at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center located at 4751 Hwy. 49 North in Concord, N.C. Doors to the Cabarrus Arena will open at noon to begin the FLW Outdoors Family Fun Zone where fishing fans can meet their favorite pros, watch fishing seminars and even sign up to win a Ranger boat to be given away when the weigh-in is over.
Sunday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:37 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 65 degrees
Expected high temperature: 85 degrees
Water temperature: 62-66 degrees
Wind: SSW 5 to 10
Day’s outlook: sunny and warm