Letter from the President
NTC Certificate Allocations

It has come to my attention that some CWA members are confused about a recent decision the Board of Directors made relative to allocating NTC certificates. The intent of this letter is to (1) explain the selection process for the 10 certificates and to (2) explain to whom, why and how the 11th certificate was allocated. The above numbered talking points are separated intentionally; do not combine/confuse how the 10 are allocated with how the 11th was allocated

(1) The Colorado Walleye Association has set precedence by allocating 10 NTC certificates to the top placing teams according to how they finished in 3 of the 4 points tournaments. The club has done that for many years and the club met that obligation for the 2005/2006 season. The CWA picked these allocation criteria, not Cabela’s. Other walleye clubs give certificates to their board of directors for the time and effort they put into the club, some raffle off the certificates, some give certificates based on a single tournament performance and some clubs give a certificate to dignitaries or anglers with special needs who would not otherwise have the chance to go to the NTC. The point is Cabela’s does not levy any requirements on the CWA about how the certificates are allocated. In fact, in a letter I received from Eric Banks (NTC Tournament Director) he says, “As a tournament/circuit director it is your responsibility to allocate qualifying spots to best represent your club/organization”. In closing this point, the CWA met its precedence setting obligation to its membership by giving out the 10 NTC certificates according to how we have done in the past.

(2) Now to the second point. Cabela’s sent me an e-mail about 5 weeks ago indicating that we were eligible to send an additional team to the NTC. The Board of Directors minus Steve Gerber and via a split vote decided to send Steve and his daughter to the NTC. With hesitation he finally accepted. Some say since his position is compensated, he should not be eligible to go. Whether he is compensated or not is irrelevant, I nominated Steve and his daughter because they have provided a professional, equitable and unbiased service to the club for two years. Some say that since Steve did not fish any of the CWA points tournaments, he should not be eligible…again, irrelevant. The 10 certificates had been given previously according to precedence. Steve is responsible for the higher payouts of which no one has rejected, more payout slots of which no one has declined their check and the highest quality of weigh-in equipment and process found in any club.

I was under no obligation to even use this certificate and was definitely not obligated to send the 11th placing team from the 2005 list. The obligation to our membership (sending the top 10) had been met. This certificate addressed an obligation I had, as President of the CWA to recognize a board member who deserved the opportunity.

As I try to balance the two distinct and growing interests of the club, competition anglers vs. recreational anglers, the furor over this issue heightens even more the growing delineation. Some say the club was formed for competition purposes while some say the club was formed for recreational purposes. I believe the results of what has been done attempt to balance both.

Finally, I speak for the entire association when I say that we are appreciative to Cabela’s for giving us 10 certificates and hope we will continue to receive these in the future. Whether we get 1 certificate or 10, we will definitely adhere to Cabela’s expectations of sending teams that “…best represent your club/organization”.

The Board of Directors will be meeting in the fall of 2006 to discuss how the 2008 certificates will be allocated. I urge anyone interested in helping to maintain status quo or anyone interested in changing the allocation process to join the board of directors.

As always, feel free to call or e-mail me with your concerns and comments,
Dave Kooser
President
Colorado Walleye Association
(719) 481-0822
dkooser@adelphia.net