Between The Wind
By Don BaroneAlso younger than the sun ... "
Dateline: Between the Wind
Change is in the air.
When young, the wind is in your face, pushing against you.
Later, much later, the wind is at your back.
Pushing you out.
The winds of life.
And for all of us, one day, we will be standing between the wind.
In the stillness.
Between the Wind. Forward or back, stay or go.
The breeze begins slow, creeps in. A wisp on your back. A gentle pat turns to a push.
In the coming storm, the whispers ride the wind.
And the wind grows.
You can feel it in your bones. In your soul.
The sea of life has caught the wind in its sail.
It's then that you step out from between the wind.
Unfurl the sails, go where you want to go. Rule the wind.
And that's exactly what Ken Cook is doing.
No longer will he be stuck in the swirl, between the wind.
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the Mystic ..."
Goodbye my friend
Ken Cook is retiring from the Bassmaster Tour. Twenty-seven years as a pro angler coming to an end.
It's his choice, and he will do so on Oneida Lake at an event called Champion's Choice.
It's the universe paying homage.
For Ken Cook is a champion. Won the whole shebang at the 1991 Bassmaster Classic. He's hoisted the sport's ultimate trophy. Been to the Bassmaster Classic 14 times as a matter of fact. Won six tournaments throughout his career as well.
I was once asked, "No offense db, but what's all the fuss about?"
And some people answer that question by saying that no one has ever officially retired from the Bassmaster Elite Tour before, and that may or may not be true, but it is not, NOT, my answer.
My answer lies not on the water, but on the land.
My answer lies with Tammy, Hunter, Tanner and Jason.
I've been around plenty of successful champions on the field who were chumps at home. Wore their family like bling. Trophies on the shelf, trophies running throughout the house.
There's a secret carried by the wind: It's not about winning or losing, it's about right and wrong.
That's what you learn while you are between the wind. That in the stillness that is the end, only one thing matters.
Family.
And that's the choice this champion made.
Family. Ken Cook's family.
He'll tell you it's his knees ... and they are a factor. I've seen him try to get up from a chair, a picnic bench, a bass boat, and I know too well the look and feeling of knives on knives rubbing inside your bones.
But that's not the look I saw when I knew he had made the choice.
I saw it at a dinner table last year in Lewiston, N.Y. I sat there with Ken and his wife Tammy, we had just come off fishing on Lake Ontario for some kind of huge fish. The Buffalo tournament was a few days away, the final tournament of 2008 a week or so after that.
Throughout the year, Ken had talked about it being his last year, back and forth, yes, no, should I stay or should I go.
But it was at that table that I felt the wind of change at our backs. Over steak and fish, I watched a husband and wife catch the wind.
I don't know what Ken was thinking, if he made the choice at that dinner or not, but from his manner, his caring, I did know this, Ken Cook's last year on the tour would be for Tammy.
His wife, and their kids.
This last year was going to be a tour to honor the sport, to honor what he has given to the sport, but above all, to honor his family.
Trust me, you can't be a Bassmaster Elite pro alone. If you don't have the support of your family, there isn't going to be any fish.
So, to answer the question about "why is this such a big deal?" It's a big deal because this isn't about the fish.
It's about losing one of the legends of the Bassmaster Family.
It's about family.
It's Ken's family.
Tanner, Hunter, Jason but most of all ... Tammy Cook.
And a couple who have caught the wind.
And when that fog horn whistle blows I've got to hear it.
I don't have to fear it.
I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days old.
And together we will float into the Mystic
Come on girl ..."
Into The Mystic -- Van Morrison
Godspeed my friends, I'll miss you.
-- db
Don Barone is an award-winning outdoors writer and a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and is also a member of the Outdoor Writers Guild of the U.K. You can reach db at www.donbaroneoutdoors.com
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