Dave Lesperance was just looking for a way to change up his fitness routine when a friend mentioned a program teaching tactics and techniques that were based on military training.

“There’s a Navy SEAL doing this training, would you be interested?” Lesperance said, relaying the friend’s question. What he got out of that training session with Rich Graham of Trident Fitness, however, was something he never would have imagined.

As Lesperance talked with Graham and Shannon Rusch, another Navy SEAL who works for Graham, he learned about their efforts to raise money for an organization called Operation Restored Warrior. He also learned some things that deeply troubled him.

“Twenty-two veterans a day are committing suicide,” Lesperance said.

Graham puts the number at 27 veterans per day — more than one per hour — as well as three to six active duty personnel. One of the reasons, Graham said, is there is a constant danger to those serving right now, particularly in Afghanistan.

That’s the reason Graham and Rusch have become involved with Operation Restored Warrior, a weeklong retreat program that aims to help veterans recover from the deep psychological issues that can result from the stress of being in a combat zone. So far, 500 veterans have been helped through participation in the organization’s weeklong retreat, where troubled veterans meet with veterans who have been in combat and understand the issues they are facing, especially the level of danger that exists 24/7.

“The general perception is the war is over, but if you actually go and look at the numbers, more service members have been killed in the peace-keeping mission,” Graham said.

“The infantry, they’re on patrol in a hot zone don’t know if they are going to get shot at,” Lesperance said.  “A guy who’s just walking down the street.”

“The rules of engagement are extremely constricted, and set up to appease the locals. But they jeopardize the safety of service members,” Graham said.

Living in that constant state of readiness can trigger emotional issues deep in a person’s psyche, Graham said, and what happens is when soldiers come back from their deployment, they’re dealing with the stress of decompressing from that constant readiness while also trying to restart their lives. That can be a significant struggle, Graham and Lesperance said.

“They go through the toughest training in the world,” Lesperance said. “They go out and give so much, but then they come out (of the military) and they struggle to create a life for themselves.” 

The depression that often results from the combination of trying to figure out how to fit back into society — and from deeper issues and even from service-related physical injuries can and does push combat veterans to the edge, Graham said. And that’s where Operation Restored Warrior comes in.

The nonprofit organization’s main focus is its “Drop Zone” program, a five-day retreat where veterans in crisis — and the program puts a priority on those in crisis — meet with others who have been through combat stress.

“Other groups sit you down with a psychologist who hasn’t been there (in combat),” said Graham, who along with Rusch helped to raise $50,000 for Operation Restored Warrior last year. “This is a veteran-run group so you have guys who are 20-year plus veterans, helping these veterans who are in crisis.”

Graham took part in a “Drop Zone” retreat, at the suggestion of members of the organization. “We want you to see what you’re raising money for firsthand,” Graham said they told him. And through it, he realized even though he wasn’t in crisis, he realized he needed it as well.

“I found I had been packing away away a lot of things subconsciously that I needed to confront and be aware of,” Graham said. “There were a lot of things I hadn’t ever addressed or been challenged on. I started looking at patterns, habits that I had.”

The organization is Christian-based, but Graham says while it is an underpinning of how it operates, religion is not forced on the veterans who take part in the “Drop Zone.” At the same time, what participants often find is that an element of spirituality that helps them find the way back to a peaceful life.

“It’s not religious in any sense,” Graham said. “The guy who’s the founder was an atheist when he was in the military.”

Another one of the founders is a psychologist and counselor, and Graham said he has realized that the things that trigger post-traumatic stress disorder or combat stress disorder are as much about things that happened back when the soldiers were young children, brought to the surface by the extreme stress of being in combat.

And what they find is that to break the negative patterns in their lives — whether it’s alcoholism, drug abuse, or other addictions — takes more than just their own willpower, Graham said. 

“Put whatever title on this you want,” Graham said, referring to it as spiritual warfare, “but there has to be something bigger than you that’s going to pull you through.”

“If you don’t know how you’re being attacked on a daily basis, how can you fight against it,” he said. “On a spiritual level, with temptation, abuse, addiction , whatever keeps dragging you back (to a negative place) is a spiritual attack. Where is it trying to get at you from?

“A lot of the guys see this and all this as warm and fuzzy ‘God’ talk,” he said. “Now I can see it in a way that makes sense to me. Understand what’s happening from a science standpoint, but understand that you don’t have to fight this alone. Psychology reveals and God heals.”

After the week in the Drop Zone, he said, “I had a better understanding of myself, why I react the way I react, and utilizing that spiritual warfare — I can control the reactions and see where they’re coming from and stop them before they take over.”

“This organization can really impact lives of veterans,” Graham said. “The atmosphere these guys create, the perfect environment where these guys are open to hearing the message that’s delivered.”

“When you see how much hurt there is — you start building those relationships — you’re putting this stuff out there and not getting judged for it. Forgive yourself and close that door,” Graham said.

For Rusch, the experience of just observing was so intense that he went back as a participant two months later, Graham said. He is going to become part of the staff, Graham said.

More than 500 veterans have gone through the Drop Zone, with a 100 percent success rate, Graham said, but the program costs $2,000 per attendee. Because they are unable to get government funding for the program, all of the support for Operation Restored Warrior comes from fundraising.

That’s why Graham and Rusch have been so active with various fundraising events, including a bicycle ride — and it’s why Lesperance was inspired to help them with a shark fishing tournament.

“Ninety-seven percent of them money they raise goes to helping the veterans,” Lesperance said. Just 3 percent of the money raised goes to the organization’s operating expenses.

That tournament — the Warriors for Warriors Tournament — is scheduled for June 13 and 14 and being run out of Manasquan Inlet. Crystal Point Marina in Point Pleasant, N.J., is hosting the weigh-ins, Lesperance said, and River Rock Restaurant and Marina Bar in Brick is the tournament’s main sponsor, Lesperance said, hosting both the captains’ meeting and the awards and fundraising banquet afterward. In addition, celebrities have agreed to attend. Chainsaw wood carver Chris Lantz will do live carvings onsite at the event that will be auctioned off, and Capt. Paul Hebert of the show Wicked Tuna will be on hand to meet fans.

“Ninety-seven percent of them money they raise goes to helping the veterans,” Lesperance said. Just 3 percent of the money raised goes to the organization’s operating expenses, he added.

:My father was in Marines and served in Vietnam and Korea, and died at a young age from a service-related illness,” Lesperance said, and his great uncle was disabled from getting shot in combat in World War II. So the military connection runs in his family. 

But he’s as moved by what today’s veterans are coping with as anything he has experienced. And he’s moved by the work that Graham and Rusch and the others have put in to help them.

“I’m just thrilled to be able to help,” Lesperance said. “When you save a life, it’s not just them, it impacts their families.”

And that’s a mission anyone can support.

For more information on the tournament, visit the Warriors to Warriors Tournament page on Facebook.

 

As we head into the New Year, the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act will be moving into action mode in Congress.

In my editorial in the just-completed January-February 2014 issue of The Big Game Fishing Journal (which should be heading to subscribers’ mailboxes by New Year’s) I talked about this being a critical time for us as anglers. And just last week, Doc Hastings, chairman of the House’s Natural Resources Committee, announced that the draft of the reauthorization would be released before Christmas.

That release happened today on the Committee’s website:

http://naturalresources.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364840

In the news release, there is a link to the draft of the bill. I urge everyone to download and read the draft of the bill — I will be poring over it in the coming days myself.

Hastings notes in the press release that there have been eight hearings in the last three years leading up to this point, and the release also points out that this draft is for public comment.

That means ALL of us. You have a responsibility to make your voices heard on this. Don’t waste the chance.

I’ll have more to say on this after I read the bill.

Tony Graham with the Lakewood BlueClaws’ mascot, Buster.

For those of you who read my blog for fishing information, this is an interruption in your regular programming … but this is probably the most appropriate place for me to post this.

This post is actually for the friends and many co-workers of Tony Graham, the longtime voice and face of the Asbury Park Press sports department, who retired this summer after more than 40 years of covering local sports for the paper and for WJLK radio. We had a retirement celebration for Tony in late August, and at the time I promised to post the photos and videos from that day for those who couldn’t be there … but also for those who were there, so they could remember the day as well.

I thought about trying to set up a separate page, but in giving it some thought, I realized my blog was probably appropriate because fishing was and is an interest that Tony and I shared.

So, without further ado, here’s photos from the day, as well as the tributes that folks contributed for a book we put together. I’ve uploaded the booklet in PDF format, by individual pages, at the bottom of this post.

Also, I’ve uploaded two videos to YouTube. One is Tony throwing out the first pitch at the BlueClaws’ game — the folks at the stadium really gave him a nice sendoff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPY28qcCG4k

The second is Joe Adelizzi’s tribute to Tony. For those who don’t know him, Joe Adelizzi was the longtime sports editor of the Asbury Park Press. Joe’s tribute is read by his wife, Lee, and yes, I missed a little bit of it because I wasn’t thinking about taping it right away.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4LYB5vSQ6M

Thanks to all who contributed to the party’s success, and thanks in particular to Dave Schofield for the photos of everyone at the party. Hope you enjoy the photos and the videos.

Karen

Tony delivers his pitch to home plate.

The sign on the door of the Asbury Park Press’ suite at the game on Aug. 25, 2013, for Tony Graham’s retirement celebration.

What would a baseball game be without a rendition of “Take me out to the Ballgame?”

Elliott Denman and Eric Girard

Tony and Brad Penner

Tony with Ann and Bob Grace, longtime Point Pleasant Beach athletic director.

A bevy of former and current Press staffers listen to Tony reminisce.

Buster, Maggie Bassett, Tony, and his fiancee, Lynn.

The Best of Tony Graham

TG1TG2TG3TG4TG5TG6TG7TG8TG9TG10TG11TG12TG13TG14TG15TG16

Long-time followers of Capt. Tred Barta, rejoice!

The irascible, irrepressible in-your-face fisherman and writer is bringing his opinions to the pages of the Big Game Fishing Journal, starting immediately.

When social media lit up on Tuesday with word that Capt. Barta had been let go by Sport Fishing and Marlin magazines, we at the Journal knew we wanted him in our pages, pronto. His unique take on life and fishing brings something a little different to our pages.

Our readers are familiar with Capt. Barta’s work already as he has written pieces for us periodically for years, including the recent “Keep It Simple, Stupid” article from our September/October issue.

Capt. Barta’s column will appear in the back of the magazine, just as it did when he was writing for Sport Fishing. It will be named Tred’n Water.

If you’re not a subscriber already, give the office a call at 1-800-827-4468.

 

A week ago, the 22nd annual Mid-Atlantic $500,000 was wrapping up in the dual ports of Cape May, N.J., and Ocean City, Md., with boats getting in their final day of fishing in hopes of landing a big fish … and an even bigger paycheck.

And while the paychecks were certainly rewarding — the Lights Out, which weighed in an 84-pound white marlin on Tuesday for owner Bill Haugland of Coral Gables, Fla., won $654,416 after its fish finished the week at the top of the leaderboard — there was a bigger winner last week: Camaraderie.

Tournament fishing is very competitive, and in some ways can have something of a cutthroat reputation — hence the reason many tournaments administer polygraph tests to the winners. Many captains will give a “Did you really just ask me that?” stare when you ask where they caught a big fish during a tournament — even if there were other boats fishing near them at the time.

But for all of the competitiveness, however, there is an element of camaraderie that often gets overlooked. And it’s not just in the celebrating that goes on under the tents when the fishing is done; it exists in many ways — and at many tournaments.

Last week, that camaraderie was fully on display with the 50-50 fundraiser that was being held under the tent in Cape May to raise money for the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club in Beach Haven, That club, like so many homes and businesses at the Jersey Shore, suffered significant losses due to Hurricane Sandy last October. The clubhouse had water chest-deep inside the building, and after some research and some deliberation, the club’s members decided it made more sense to raze it and construct a new building, rather than trying to repair the aging structure.

Rebuilding, however, doesn’t come cheaply, and while the club — home to the oldest white marlin tournament in the United States — had insurance and savings, there is still a need for funds to cover the costs.

Officials from the Beach Haven club said they approached Dick Weber, head of South Jersey Marina and South Jersey Tournaments, about the possibility of using the 50-50 at the Mid-Atlantic to help raise money for the rebuilding of the clubhouse. and they were welcomed with open arms by the tournament, as well as by its participants: the 50-50 was worth $6,200 when it was drawn on Thursday night at the tournament.

Stepping up to help other fishermen wasn’t limited to just the 50-50, however. Capt. Chester Sims of the Lights Out said local fishermen in the Ocean City area were helpful as the Lights Out crew as the out-of-towners prepared to fish not only the Mid-Atlantic, but also the White Marlin Open.

“The guys who live up here have been awesome,” said Sims, a North Carolina native. ” They helped us with areas to fish, patterns to use, what to look for in terms of bait and water.

“They’ve been really nice,” Sims said.

And while everyone wishes to have the lucky boat when it comes to boating a fish worth six figures or more, there’s genuine applause and good wishes for those who win big as the awards are handed out.

That cordial atmosphere is what makes these events enjoyable.

I’ll have a final report on the 22nd Mid-Atlantic $500,000 in the November issue of the Big Game Fishing Journal, so be sure to check it out.

The crew of Bill Haugland’s Lights Out from Key Largo, Fla., celebrates its victory at the 22nd annual Mid-Atlantic $500,000 in Ocean City, Md.

The unofficial results at the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 are in, and the 84-pound white marlin weighed by the Lights Out from Satellite Beach, Fla., on Tuesday in Ocean City, Md., held up.

But there were some tense moments for that crew, when rumors began to circulate of a big white marlin coming into Canyon Club Marina in Cape May.  And when the C-Jam, which docks in Somers Point, N.J., and is owned by Scott Cohen, backed down to the scales, everyone on the dock — especially Cohen (and presumably the Lights Out crew) was holding their breaths.

The 72.5-inch white with a nice thick midsection tipped the scales at 81 pounds, good for second place in the white marlin standings. Two whites were weighed at Sunset Marina in Ocean City, but one did not make the minimum weight and the other was 69 pounds, not enough to crack the top three overall.

Capt. Ron Kozlowski, boat owner Scott Cohen and mate Sean Singley with the 81-pound white marlin Singley caught aboard the C-Jam on Friday at the Mid-Atlantic $500,000.

The only other nervous moment was in the tuna category, when the Canyon Runner out of Point Pleasant, N.J.,, backed down to the scale for the second straight night with a bigeye tuna. Though it was a nice fish, it was 138 pounds — not enough to give them another fish in the top three overall. So the MJ’s out of Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club kept their second-place standing, with the Plane Simple hanging onto third.

And what of the Got Game? It’s a good night indeed, as no other blue marlin were weighed in. So their 441-pounder weighed Wednesday finished first in the blue marlin category, with the Cookie II’s 437-pounder holding onto second.

Check back Saturday for a full report on the final standings, and be sure to pick up a copy of the November-December Big Game Fishing Journal for a report on the entire week of the tournament.

“I’ve gotta feelin’, that tonight’s gonna be a good night …”
The Black-Eyed Peas song was blaring from the stereo on Sean O’Donell’s Got Game as it pulled away from the scales at Canyon Club Marina on Wednesday after the boat weighed in a 441-pound blue marlin to take the lead in the blue marlin standings at the 22nd annual Mid-Atlantic $500,000.

The 106-inch blue, landed by Justin Hamell with Capt. Doug Ortlip at the helm, is currently worth nearly $200,000, continues to lead the category by four pounds over the 437-pound blue marlin weighed by the Cookie II on Tuesday, after Thursday’s weigh-ins ended with no blue marlin brought to the scales.

But will tonight be a good night for the Got Game? With 88 boats eligible to fish today, the final day of the tournament, anything can happen.

Wednesday night was a busy night at the scales in Cape May, with a 73-pound white marlin weighed in by the Caitlin Taylor out of Manasquan moving into second place in the white marlin standings. Will anyone find one bigger than the 84-pounder weighed in Tuesday by William Haugland’s Lights Out out of Key Largo, Fla.

And how will the tuna race finish? The Canyon Runner out of Point Pleasant backed down to the scale on Thursday and took over first place with a 243-pound bigeye, knocking the 213-pounder weighed Tuesday by the MJ’s into second place.

With the scales opening in less than two hours on Moving Day, anything can happen.

Tonight’s gonna be a good night … for somebody. We’ll see who soon enough.

There are years when the biggest fish at the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 hit the scales on the last day of the competition.

This may not be one of those years.

On Tuesday, the Lights Out set the bar high for the white marlin category, putting an 84-pounder caught by William Haugland of Key Largo, Fla., on the scale at Sunset Marina in Ocean City. If past history is any measure, the rest of the week — including today — will be a battle for second and third. The Krazy Salts put a 71-pound white on the board in Cape May, caught by Justin Thiel, and a 66-pounder caught by Eric Youschak on the Reelin’ Feelin’ of Wildwood Crest held third at the end of the day Tuesday.

The Cookie II out of Staten Island was at the Canyon Club scale in Cape May shortly after 5 with what turned out to be a 437-pound blue marlin caught by Frank Gunther. No other blues have been weighed yet.

The tuna division could see a lot of activity, as the leader after Tuesday was the 213-pound bigeye caught aboard Mike Yocco’s MJ’s. Just 10 pounds separates that fish from the second-place entry of 203 pounds caught aboard the Plane Simple, which hails from Satellite Beach, Fla. The Reel Chaos sits third with a 134-pounder weighed Monday.

There are clearly lots of marlin around, as boats recorded 110 whites released on Tuesday and nine blue marlin (121 white marlin over the two days and 10 blue marlin have been released so far). Expect to see a few more of each hit the scales between now and Friday. Tonight could be very busy, as 103 boats fished today.

We’ll be checking in live from Canyon Club tonight, so be sure to check the Big Game Fishing Journal’s Facebook page for live updates!

The scales are open in Cape May, NJ, and Ocean City, Md., for Day Two of weigh-ins at the 22nd annual Mid-Atlantic $500,000. Expectations of a busy night have been very high since Sunday, when it became clear at the captains’ meeting that most of the boats were going to skip Monday and fish Tuesday.

Monday evening, beneath overcast skies, the scales were largely silent. Ocean City’s Sunset Marina weighed in a 134-pound bigeye caught aboard the Reel Chaos, caught by Anthony Matarese Sr. of Pennsville, NJ, and a second boat weighed a white marlin that was qualifying length but didn’t meet the tournament’s minimum weight of 65 pounds. At Canyon Club Marina in Cape May, Andy Schlotter’s My Time weighed in a 54-pound yellowfin tuna, and the Nutmegger, out of Mystic, Conn., weighed in a 14-pound mahi.

The toughest luck of the day was had by the crew of the Maverick, out of Edgewater, Md. Randy Newcome’s group fought a bigeye tuna well into the afternoon and lost it, and the fight lasted long enough that they were unable to get to port in time to record their four white marlin releases for the day.

With 100 boats fishing today, the next few hours should be very interesting.

Check back here later for updates on the day’s weigh-ins.

The My Time’s 54-pound yellowfin from Day One at the Mid-Atlantic $500,000.

 

 

Goin In Deep’s 203.6-pounder

On the final day of the tournament, all eyes were on the tuna.

The 44th annual White Marlin Invitational, hosted by the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club, didn’t produce any of its namesake species at the scales. White marlin were scarce in the waters within the 100-mile radius from the Little Egg Whistle Buoy, with a handful of boats reporting releases over the three days of the event.

And while tuna have been tough to come by so far this summer, there are some spots where they are feeding, as a few of the entrants found on Saturday as they found some hungry bigeyes and brought them back to the scale. Reports were that the bite was in the Baltimore Canyon, but the crew of the Goin’ In Deep, which took home the biggest payday after putting a 203.6-pound bigeye on the scale to take heaviest tuna honors, was coy about the catch.

The Hubris’ 163.6-pound bigeye started Saturday’s weigh-ins on a high note.

“Yeah, you can say that’s where we caught it, that works,” one member said with a sly grin. Needless to say, I won’t.

What they did say about that bigeye — worth $53,710 (they won another $1,000 for the 32.6-pound bull dolphin they weighed in on Thursday — was that it was hooked just minutes before the lines-out call on Saturday. They were trolling ballyhoo when the spread exploded with activity.

“We had three bites all at once,” Mike Ajamian said. Two of the tunas got away, but after a 36-minute fight by Ajamian, the crew put three gaffs in the brute and boated it.

“It came up to the boat and made a run, then made a second run,” Ajamian said. When he got it back to the boat, the crew of Larry Hesse Sr.’s 60-foot Viking — which included his son, Larry Hesse; first mate Spencer Bradley, Alex Patriarca, Anthony Scardino and Mike Cassidy — hit it with three gaffs while Capt. Walter Harmstead kept her steady.

The Tra Sea Ann’s 188.0-pound bigeye draws attention before it’s weighed.

The group just began tournament fishing this year, they said, and were pleased to add another successful outing to their resume, which includes a first-place finish at the Hyannis Tuna Fest and a third-place finish at the Ocean City Tuna Tournament two weeks ago.

The Goin’ In Deep may have had the biggest tuna, but the best catch by far belonged to the Hubris. Damien Romeo’s crew put four bigeyes in the box weighing 90.9, 117.1, 136.6 and 163.6 pounds, earning them the tuna champion title and $41,035 for the third- and fourth-place tunas.

The Tra Sea Ann, which put up a 188.0-pound bigeye, one of the last fish weighed, won $34,115, including the $1,000 prize for heaviest wahoo for the 88.8-pounder they entered on Thursday.

Other money winners were the Viking 52, which got $23,925 for the first day daily prize for its 46.1-pound yellowfin caught Friday and the blue marlin points trophy; the Crazy Tuna, which won $10,395 for the yellowfin tuna it boated during Thursday’s trip to the canyon; the Anthracite, which won $5,400 for the most releases overall and also took home the white marlin points title; the Jas Ste, $3,600, for the second most releases first day and second overall releases; the North Cote, $3,000 for the most white marlin releases on the second day; and East Coast Hooked, $2,320, for fourth place in the first day daily tuna category.

The only trophy that was not awarded was the Grand Champion, because none of the boats that weighed qualifying tuna had white marlin releases. To earn the trophy, a boat must have at least one white marlin release and weigh in a tuna of 60 pounds or more.

The North Cote almost didn’t get to fish at all, because of a turbo fire that damaged its engine, but Ken Julliet loaned his boat, the Intruder, to the crew of the North Cote so they could continue to compete.

“My crew fell apart but my boat was ready to go,” Julliet said, adding he was glad his boat was put to use in the tournament. “Not many people have a boat nearby that was ready to go.”

The crew of the Martuni looks on with disappointment as its disqualified bigeye — bitten by a mako — is weighed.

They weren’t the only crew to have a tough go on the water. The Martuni pulled up to the scales with a nice bigeye, but it was ruled ineligible because it was missing its tail. The crew said as they were bringing it into the boat, a mako came up on it and bit it, taking the tail.  So because the fish was mutiliated — even though it wasn’t their fault — the 126.8-pound fish, which they weighed by sticking the tailrope through its gill, it was disqualified. A tough ending, but given the weights ahead of them, even with the tail it likely would not have placed in the money. The Smokin’ Again also weighed a bigeye of 128 pounds but it finished out of the money as well.

The Jersey Hooker crew wasn’t left out on Saturday night; the crew continued to receive well-deserved accolades for its honesty on Thursday, and received the tournament’s sportsmanship award — and a free entry (worth $1,000) into next year’s tournament.

Saturday was markedly different on the water, with captains and crews reporting an easy trip.

“Today was flat calm,” Patriarca of the Goin’ In Deep said. On Thursday, it took them six hours to get back to port because it was so rough.

“I was thrown off the chair,” Anthony Scardino said.

While the number of entrants may have been down, given the weather, the challenges of very scattered fishing, and issues of shallow water through Little Egg Inlet, as well as all that’s happened since Hurricane Sandy hit in October — something that was never far from anyone’s thoughts as they gathered under the tent erected where the clubhouse had stood for decades — having the tournament this year was an accomplishment.

“It was never a question of whether we’d have it,” Matt Garabedian, the tournament director said. It was just a matter of working out the details, he said.

Now the club can focus on building its new home, and building toward its 45th annual event next summer.