Fishing tournament hooks men for cause

By DAISY MARTINEZ
 

As part of the festivities for the 4th annual Walk For Women on South Padre Island this weekend, organizers will launch a bay fishing tournament Saturday. Walk for Women president Renetta Silva said this weekend’s tournament will be the group’s second annual tournament. The organization, which formed to help a friend battling breast cancer, added the tournament last year to extend the fundraiser to three days-and to get more men involved.

"The idea came from Sammy Carrasco, the vice president’s [Christy Carrasco] husband,” Silva said. “He thought it would be good to include men for such a great cause.”  Although breast cancer is generally thought of as a woman’s disease, it also affects men. The American Cancer Society predicts that more than 41,000 Americans will die from breast cancer this year. Of those, about 460 will likely be men. “Men and women with each stage of breast cancer have a similar outlook for survival,” the society states on its Web site.

The tournament will start at 7 a.m. at Wahoo Saloon Saturday. Weigh in will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Teams of three anglers will fish in the Laguna Madre for redfish, trout and flounder. By Thursday, 28 boats had registered for the tournament, which will allow only 30 boats to compete.

“We’re close to the water, and it’s what South Padre is all about,” Silva said. “We wanted to give the fishing community a chance to get involved [with the cause], and we wanted men to get involved with the women.”

The first place team will be awarded with a $1,000 cash prize as well as a trophy for each team member. The second and third place teams will receive cash prizes of $500 and $250, respectively, and trophies. A barbeque lunch will follow the tournament. All proceeds from the fishing tournament will benefit Walk for Women, Silva said. “It’s a great event,” she added. Hundreds of women have already registered for the walk on Sunday. She said last year, due to an outbreak of red tide, only about 1,200 women attended the walk.

This year, Silva said the group is anticipating from 1,500 to 2,000 women. “We’re really excited,” Silva said. “It looks like this is going to be the biggest crowd.”  There is no fee to walk. Registration will be from 10 a.m. to 11:30 at the SPI Convention Centre Sunday. The 2.5 mile walk will begin at noon from the SPI Convention Centre to Louie’s Backyard. Silva said the Walk for Women group tries to help bring awareness and raise money for the women of South Texas, especially the Rio Grande Valley. “People used to be afraid to talk about [breast cancer], but now people stand proud and say ‘Look what I’ve been through,’” Silva said. The president said there will be a “Why We Walk” wall of pictures of breast cancer victims and survivors at the event. People are encouraged to bring pictures of their loved ones to post on the wall.

For more information on the fishing tournament or the walk call Renetta Silva at (956) 792-3538.