US Women’s Team Earns Bronze Medal at 2nd World Championships in Canada
Despite challenging fishing conditions, the United States Women’s Fly Fishing team has a strong podium finish at the 2nd World Championships.
GEORGIA, UNITED STATES, October 19, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — The 2nd FIPS-Mouche World Ladies Fly Fishing Championships was held in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, from 24th-30th September 2023, where 55 anglers from 10 countries competed on four lakes and one river for a week. The US Women’s Fly Fishing Team (USWFFT) of six American women worked efficiently together, sharing insights gathered during practice leading up to, and lessons learned at the various venues during the competition. The “Team Medal Mentality” and tireless support of one another led to earning a Bronze medal in this year’s competition.
The competition conditions were exceptionally challenging this year due to low water levels and the changing season, affecting overall fish activity. Competing three hours a day in often cold and rainy conditions tested the mental toughness of every angler. The low water on the river was exceptionally challenging to find active fish, forcing our competitors to be creative in their fishing technique and thoroughly cover every inch of water in their assigned beat.
The women leveraged the collective knowledge of every team member, sharing flies, intelligence, and observations, and every night would have a strategic debrief preparing for the next day’s competition. Leading up to the competition, the entire team worked with advisors who had experience on the competition waters, tying flies suitable for conditions and learning from one another.
The team prides itself on collaboration and communication as a key differentiating factor to their success. The team medal mentality reinforced the importance of everyone’s efforts and that every contribution, big or small, impacted the team’s final outcome.
Congratulations to the entire team – Jenn Cordz (Washington/Georgia), Julie Mattson (Oklahoma), Melissa Smith (Colorado), Lindsay Szofran (Montana), Tess Weigand (Pennsylvania/Montana), and Ashley Wilmont (Pennsylvania) – and their coaches, Glade Gunther and Sean Crocker. We look forward to future success as these six anglers shift their focus to next year’s FIPS-Mouche Championship, which will be held in the Czech Republic in May 2024. Follow the team on Instagram: @USWFFT
The US Women’s Fly Fishing Team (USWFFT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization through the United States Angling Confederation (USAC) and depends solely on its generous donors. Special thanks to Fulling Mill and Drift & Mend Fly Fishing for supporting the 2023 US Women’s World Fly Fishing Team.
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The mission of the United States Women’s Fly Fishing Team (USWFFT) is to develop the highest quality competitive women’s fly fishing team to represent the United States in the FIPS-Mouche worldwide competition each year. We are dedicated to excellence in the sport of competitive fly fishing, to practicing and encouraging stream conservation, to understanding and promoting the value of our waterways, to encouraging women to participate in the sport, and to encouraging international friendships. The Team will represent the United States in the spirit of the Olympic tradition. Women’s Fly Fishing is now sanctioned by the Confederation Internationale de Peche Sportive (CIPS), representing 50 million competitive anglers from 78 different countries worldwide. CIPS has formally applied to the International Olympic Committee to recognize fishing as an Olympic sport. The United States Angling Confederation (USAC) supports women’s fly fishing and believes it will advance this goal.
Just as important as fishing is the camaraderie and the cross-cultural connections that are made through the events. All US Women’s team members are involved in a number of other areas of fly fishing, such as guiding, education, leading youth clinics, volunteering for other charitable organizations, and holding board leadership positions promoting preservation, conservation, and environmental stewardship.
Jenn Cordz
United States Women’s Fly Fishing Team
[email protected]
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