4 minute read
ATHLETICS
It's Oh-fish-ial!
Students create new competitive bass fishing club
One afternoon on the banks of Lake Belton, the idea of the UMHB Bass Fishing Team was forged by students Carter Vaughn and Caleb Ramm.
“We took a risk not knowing if anyone else at the school had a passion for fishing like we did, and the turnout has been unbelievable,” said Carter, a senior communications major and president of the club.
The idea arose from the desire to have a bass fishing team at UMHB since East Texas Baptist University and Dallas Baptist University have teams. In a year and a half, Carter and Caleb made their vision happen with the help of Dr. Aaron Baggett, associate professor of psychology. Baggett is the faculty sponsor for the club and aids the students in various ways, including fabricating team logos, completing sponsorship applications, and helping the team create strategies for tournaments.
“One of the goals is to have one team member be responsible for delivering a fishing-related presentation to the team during each meeting,” said Baggett. “For example, their assignment might be to spend time researching and learning about a particular fishing presentation like the dropshot, Carolina Rig, or even identifying bass habitats through the use of lake topographical mapping and underwater sonar.”
The current team consists of nine undergraduate males. Six of the anglers attended and competed in two tournaments during the 2020-2021 school year. Both tournaments were held by the Major League Fishing Abu Garcia Collegiate Fishing Circuit, which is a well-known competitive fishing tournament organization.
To be on the team, students must be willing to pay a membership fee between $250 to $375 to cover tournament registration fees, team equipment, and other various necessities to compete in this sport. They also must attend a club meeting every month. Members are also planning to volunteer at the Central Texas Boat Show. To help bring down the cost of fishing gear and equipment, the team was able to secure several sponsorships from national fishing companies.
“My goal was to leave UMHB better off than when I came in as a freshman, and I hope by starting the bass team, I achieved that!” said Carter.
To see additional photos and videos of the UMHB Bass Fishing Team in action, visit their Instagram page
@crubass.
– Victoria Kuntz, student writer
Bass team members enjoy a day of fishing. Pictured at left are Colby Hamilton, Carter Vaughn, Jordan See, and Nobel Smith; at top are Jacob Froese and Caleb Ramm; and below is Jacob Froese.
Friday, September 24, 2021
NOON Open House & Registration 7:00 PM Stunt Night 9:00 PM Homecoming Pep Rally
Saturday, September 25, 2021
10:00 AM Donuts with Dr. O'Rear 11:00 AM Campus Tour 11:00 AM REUNIONS 1:00 PM Carnival on King Street 4:00 PM Alumni Tailgate 4:00 PM Cru Kids Day 4:30 PM Game Day Scoop 4:30 PM CRUise 6:00 PM Football Game UMHB vs. Hardin-Simmons
for an extended schedule of events or to register, visit: umhb.edu/homecoming
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Making time to SERVE Alumni volunteers make it a family affair during SERVE events
Miranda Taylor ’12 was looking for a way to hang out with alums over the summer break and to get her three children involved. They attended the SERVE event at the Hope House in June and helped pack grab bags for hungry neighborhood kids needing a quick snack during the hot summer months.
“We love to help!” said Miranda as she packed bags with fresh fruit, yogurt, and crackers.
The Alumni Engagement Department coordinated three SERVE events as part of its summer programming for alumni. Besides packing snack bags, alumni volunteers also gathered twice at Helping Hands to sort food boxes and prepare backpacks for a back-toschool event.
“We know that serving is a big part of the UMHB mission and experience, so we wanted to extend that to our alumni,” said Jeff Sutton '07, director of alumni engagement. “The best part of the SERVE events was that families could participate together. There is something special about seeing multiple generations serving the same purpose.”
Jaci Hartfiel ’21, who also helped with the Hope House snack-packing event, said she loves helping.
“I feel like it’s super important since we live in Belton to give back to the people who live here with us.”
Jen Sutton ’07, who works as director of children’s ministries at Hope for the Hungry, said it is a huge blessing having volunteers help through events like SERVE.
“Having the big groups here, we can knock out the work quickly, which is a huge help and takes some of the workload off us,” she said.
Alumni and friends help during three SERVE events this summer at Helping Hands and Hope House. To find out about all alumni events, visit
