Becky here…
It’s Tuesday night. Mike’s getting ready for the last day of practice tomorrow and then needs to go to bed early so they asked me to give you a look at the Classic through my eyes. I don’t know if I’m a typical wife or not but here goes…
To begin with let me say it’s really great to be back on the road. The only negative to that is that we’re so far from home. It’s a long drive from New Jersey to Oklahoma. We didn’t have any problems, though. It was just long.
It’s funny. You want to be home, everyone does. But at the same time you miss your friends. That’s me. I love my home but after a while I want to see the wives and the kids of the other anglers. When you travel around the country like we do, they become a second family to you. You genuinely want to be a part of whatever’s going on in their lives.
So that’s really good. We’re camping down by the ramp with several of the other guys and their families getting reacquainted and telling stories. I have to say, though, that I miss Ish [Monroe] and John [Crews]. We traveled for years with them. That’s something you don’t forget easily.
From that perspective, all’s well and good, but tomorrow is when the real work starts. You know, the wives don’t just sit around talking when their husbands are out working. Almost all of us are an integral part of their careers.
In the morning, I have to go get a tire repaired and then get gas for the truck. That might not sound like a full day but keep in mind that it’s something Mike doesn’t have to worry with and I have two small kids to look after — including a four-month-old — plus all the usual household duties that most women are faced with.
I brought my parents along as backup this year. They’re a real lifesaver. There’s nothing like the security of knowing there’s someone out there to help you with anything you need, someone that you know will do things right and that you can trust with your life (or you kid’s) if necessary.
We’re also getting a lot of help from the local Chamber of Commerce. They’ve arranged for orientation information, shopping trips and are providing people to help us get what we need—medical, dental, repairs on almost anything. That’s a really big help. Small things at home can be big things on the road.
And they’ve done something else that only a parent with small children can truly appreciate — they’re providing babysitting services for all the families. That makes things so much easier when we want to go to the ramp or attend social functions, or if we just need a little downtime.
It’ll be a really busy week but one that I’ll enjoy thanks in large measure to family, friends and community supporters. I can honestly say that the Classic is my favorite tournament. Thanks to everyone who makes it possible.
Mike Iaconelli’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.
