TAUD's Tournament Trail Celebrates 10 th Season

TAUD's Tournament Trail Celebrates 10 th Season Kirk Smith | Business Development Tennessee Association of Utility Districts

Next spring, the TAUD Tournament Trail will celebrate its tenth season of fishing tournament events for the members of the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts. Created for the purpose of engaging more of our members, TAUD built this program from a single tournament to a multi-series of stops across the Volunteer State.

Originally known as the Operator Expo Bass Tournament, members participating in the tournament wanted an opportunity to fish with other members closer to their part of the state. This demand helped us create what is known today as the TAUD Tournament Trail. It also helped create a partnership between the Tournament Trail and the Tennessee Utility Education Corporation (TUEC) Scholarship Program. This partnership has been a winning combination and has built the core strength of the Tournament Trail allowing Associate Members the benefit of sponsorships which underwrite the cost of the TUEC Scholarship Program.

The Tournament Trail is open to all TAUD members and we encourage anyone interested to join us for an exciting and most unique format of fishing. TAUD stands alone as the water association

Each year, in conjunction with TAUD, the Tennessee Utility Education Corporation (TUEC) Scholarship Program offers a one-year scholarship in each of the three grand divisions of Tennessee. They are the:

• West TN: Harold Clark Scholarship - $2,000 • Middle TN: Henry Elrod Scholarship - $2,000 • East TN: Sam Bruce Scholarship - $2,000 REQUIREMENTS... Scholarships will be awarded to students intending to major in a field related to operations of a public utility at an accredited college or university.

The recipient must be a dependent child of a full-time employee of a TAUD member or a TAUD governing board member or, the recipient must be employed by a TAUD member. Under certain circumstances, applicants that are the dependent child of a part-time employee of a TAUD member may also be considered.

Each applicant’s ranking will be based on leadership responsibilities, awards, honors, academic record, career goals and financial need. The recipient must intend to study a major which is related to or can be used by the student in the operations of a public utility. TO APPLY... Visit www.taud.org and click on the application featured under “Latest News” on the front page of the website. Submitted applications should be typed and all questions must be completed. Additionally, the following items must be submitted with your application:

• Two (2) letters of reference • An essay describing your goals as they relate to your education, career, future plans & the utility industry • Certification that the information provided is accurate

Many applicants are considered, but only three (3) are chosen each year - one from West, Middle & East TN. Be sure to submit your application information no later than: April 1 st , 2020

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offering its members the opportunity to fish some of Tennessee’s legendary fisheries in a true statewide series of tournaments.

Members can fish a single event or complete in all three, it’s their choice. Each tournament stands alone without the pressure of a points system. This allows more flexibility due to work schedule commitments. All tournaments are conducted on Friday's in order to steer clear of local club tournaments and national/regional pro tournament events.

As the Tournament Trail has grown, so has the participation and paybacks. This past season, the TAUD Tournament Trail awarded over $13,000 in cash and prizes to anglers in four contests. Each tournament, based on participation, saw teams receive tournament winnings for first through fourth place finishes.

Each tournament stop also includes special door prizes for participants whose boat registration/team chip number is randomly drawn. In addition to the door prizes and tournament winnings, each team is participating in our Bucket of Cash Big Bass Contest. This contest pays out first and second places, adding to the excitement of catching the tournament lunker.

Help Us Celebrate in 2020; Join us at one of three Tournament Trail events The TAUD Tournament Trail Committee has set up some exciting opportunities for you to land that largemouth and grab some cash to boot!

We kickoff the 10 th Anniversary Season on Friday, March 20 th at one of our anglers' favorite fisheries, Kentucky Lake. Paris Landing State Park & Marina will serve as the host location for this tournament. For those traveling and making plans to stay in the Paris area, please note that the State Park Inn is closed for a complete rebuild. The state has plans to reopen the Inn in 2020 but not in time for our tournament. Fish Tail Lodge is another angler favorite in the Paris area.

Next, the Tournament Trail heads east and returns to Watts Bar Reservoir for its second tournament stop. Watts Continued on page 50 >>>

To commemorate our 10 th season of fishing with TAUD, we are offering tournament participants a Dry-Fit Long Sleeve Sport Fishing Angler shirt for only $15. These shirts will feature the Tournament Trail logo & the logos of the tournament's Deep Water sponsors.

Contact Chuck Page at (931) 703-4786 or chuck@adc-chem.com for details.

We wish to thank the following Associate Members who continue to support the efforts of the TAUD Tournament Trail & the TN Utility Education Corporation (TUEC).

DEEP WATER SPONSORS American Development Corporation Southeastern Tank Inc. Wascon Sales & Service Inc. ServLine Southern Sales Inc. A.Y. McDonald Mfg. J.R. Wauford Engineers Rye Engineers, PLC. M & H Kennedy Valve American Utility Contractors Rogers Hydrant Services Wilson Bank & Trust Alliance Water Resources LDA Engineering

TOP WATER McWane Ductile Iron

FRIENDS OF FISHING Bar Environmental Core & Main, LP Cumberland Insurance Agency Hethcoat & Davis, Inc.

Bar has been producing great catches and members who fished this lake last year are ready to return. The City of Kingston and the William B. Ladd Park will serve as host on Friday April 3 rd . Headquarters for tournament staff and anglers will be the Holiday Inn Express in Harriman.

The final stop of the 2020 Tournament Trail will take us back to where it all began - Old Hickory Lake. This tournament will take place Friday April 17 th at Bull Creek Boat Ramp & Recreation Area (locally known as Flipper’s in Gallatin). The Tournament Trail Committee elected this stop to serve as our Big Bass Poker Style event. We will have eight hourly weigh-in sessions, a format that many anglers enjoy. No local hotel headquarters have been established for this event however, there are multiple hotels to stay at in Gallatin.

The TAUD Tournament Trail is open to any employee of a utility district (including board members), any employee of a municipal water, police, fire, or public works and administration department, as well as all employees of an Associate Member of TAUD.

"What if I’m just a weekend fisherman and not a tournament angler?" you might ask. Well, this tournament is for you! We have structured our Rules & Regulations to level the playing field. No pros, semi-pros, or guides are allowed to fish any TAUD Tournament Trail event. Our focus since the beginning has always been to bring these events to our members who just enjoy getting out on the water and wetting a line. So take a day off and come fish with us. No excuses!

For complete details on the 2020 10 th Anniversary TAUD Tournament Trail, visit our website at www.fishtaud.com.