Lauren Campbell
Equinox Staff
For the KSC Fishing Club, fishing is not just a fun activity.
It is a way to bond with people who love fishing, and the outdoors.
“I love how down to earth the club is,” Fishing Club Alumni Relations Chair, Mike Abromaitis said. “We joined over a simple fact that we all like to fish but we almost always leave as great friends.”
Abromaitis said the diversity, in regards to age, of the members is also great.
“We have freshmen too soon to be alumni like myself,” Abromaitis said. “If underclassmen have any questions about Keene State I am fairly confident that they have a strong enough relationship with other club members to ask.”
Abromaitis has been a club member since 2009.
He said last semester he sat down with current KSC Fishing Club President Teddy Bell and brainstormed ways to include alumni in the club.
“We came to the conclusion that the next step we needed to make was a public relations and/or sponsorship chair,” Abromaitis said.
“What I like about the Fishing Club is the network created through the club of people on campus who share a passion for fishing. It’s great to be able to call someone up on a nice day and see if they want to hit the pond for an hour or two, even if an official trip hasn’t been planned,” Bell said.
Bell is currently a junior at KSC, and joined the Fishing Club as a freshman.
One of the main activities the club conducts are their annual fishing trips.
“We plan trips to local ponds, lakes, and other fishing spots as well as brainstorm ideas for fundraising for the club,” Fishing Club Treasurer Jen Grivers said. “We are also going to be having my father come to a trip to teach some of our general members about ice fishing because it is very different from traditional fishing.”
Grivers said this year the club is having a custom KSC fishing rod made from a local maker and we are going to be raffling it off in the Student Center within the upcoming weeks. Grivers became involved in the club during her freshman year.
“I got involved in the KSC Fishing Club after hearing about it my freshman year at the student involvement fair. I have always loved to go fishing with my family when we went camping and ice fishing during the winter. After that I went to the second meeting and went on the first trip, ice fishing. After that I was hooked,” Grivers said.
Abromaitis said they are planning some ice fishing trips this winter and a deep sea charter this spring.
He said the club is also raffling off a custom built KSC fishing rod with a value of nearly $300 within the next couple weeks.
Tickets will be $5 each and open to fellow Keene Staters along with the public. Benefits from the rod will go directly to the club.
For the members of the club, fishing is not just something you do in your spare time.
“I love fishing because it is a way to get away from the world and just be calm and collected as well as outdoors. Being outside and only worrying about snagging a fish is perfect for a weekend,” Grivers said.
“The fishing club is great because it grabs people from all across campus with a common interest and we are able to talk about fishing and other things without worrying about people criticizing us for any reason.”
Through its efforts, the KSC Fishing Club has expressed its love of fishing.
The members truly live by their motto, “Enter to learn, go forth to fish.”
KSC Fishing Club meetings are Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. in the Madison Street Lounge in the Student Center.
Lauren Campbell can be contacted at lcampbell@ksc.mailcruiser.com
