Union volunteers introduce youth to ice fishing

January 24, 2020 by

Volunteer Mike Rodger (center) of Cement Masons Local 633 shared ice fishing tactics with a pair of young participants. (submitted photo)

Elevator Constructors Local 9 and the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance co-hosted Take Kids Ice Fishing Day last Saturday on frozen Chisago Lake, where dozens of union volunteers introduced more than 75 young anglers to the sport.

“We had a great turnout, and the event went really well,” project leader and Local 9 member Dave Morin said. “It’s awesome to see all these kids getting out to experience ice fishing, some for the first time.”

The event was free for all registered kids, who came from across the Twin Cities metro area to enjoy hands-on ice fishing instruction and access to state-of-the-art fishing gear.

“This is a really cool idea,” said David Brandner of Inver Grove Heights, who brought his son Mason to the event. “You’re getting kids involved in the outdoors, which is wonderful. Plus how many people can say they took their kid fishing and got a free fishing pole?”

At the conclusion of the event, participants received an ice-fishing starter kit, which included a Pure Fishing ice fishing rod and reel, game calls from Plano Synergy and other goodies. Additionally, unions and other sponsors donated over $3,000-worth of door prizes for participants.

“We’re grateful for everyone who put this event together,” said Tony Wilking, a retired U.S. Army veteran who attended with his 6-year-old son, Jack. “Activities like ice fishing are so much better for kids than sitting inside playing video games.”

In addition to Local 9, event sponsors included the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, IBEW Local 110, Operating Engineers Local 49, Cement Masons Local 633, Pipefitters Local 539, UA Plumbers Local 15, Roofers Local 96 and the Minneapolis and St. Paul Building and Construction Trades councils.

Take Kids Ice Fishing Day is an initiative of the Sportsmen’s Alliance Work Boots on the Ground conservation program, supported by Bass Pro Shops, Plano Synergy, Provost Umphrey Law Firm, Pure Fishing, Remington Arms and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. Additional corporate partners included Clam Outdoors, Joe’s Sporting Goods, Maynard’s Tackle, Northland Fishing Tackle and Today’s Tackle.

“My wife is an AFSCME union member and we’re both happy to be out here doing something positive for our community,” Cement Masons Local 633 member Jarrod Asleson said. “This is our second time volunteering at a Union Sportsmen’s Alliance youth ice fishing event, and we’re already looking forward to next year.”

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Fresh air, free clinics, lots of smiles at union-sponsored outdoors clinic

October 3, 2019 by

More than 40 boys and girls sampled shooting sports, fishing and archery under the guidance of local union volunteers Sunday, Sept. 15, at Get Youth Outdoors Day in Clear Lake Township.

Among the attendees were four siblings from Princeton: 9-year-old Jack Kohl, 12-year-old Laura, 13-year-old Timothy and 15-year-old James. It wasn’t long after they arrived at his archery station that Bryce Mastin, a volunteer instructor, sniffed out the sibling rivalry.

“You can all hit the target,” Mastin said, lining up the young archers to shoot at a stuffed buck. “Now we’re going to find out who can put meat in the freezer.”

Before long, other children had wandered over, looking to get in on the family’s friendly competition. Some of their arrows whizzed past the deer. Others pierced its back and side.

But it was the second-oldest Kohl, Timothy, who hit the “kill zone,” site of the deer’s vital organs. Mastin howled with delight as Timothy collected grudging high-fives from his brothers and sisters.

It was the kind of scene Mark Conroy, business manager of Roofers Local 96, saw play out over and over at the event, which has been offered free to area children for the last eight years, thanks, in part, to proceeds from Local 96’s sporting clays shoot, held the day before.

Eric Bakken, an event coordinator with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance and native of Blaine, taught 9-year-old Elsie Franklin of Oak Grove how to cast a fishing line.

“I walked around there during the youth event, and every single kid had a big old grin on their face,” Conroy said. “It is always a fun event, and it just keeps getting better every year.”

Both the sporting clays shoot and the youth event were held at Wild Marsh Sporting Clays, and facilitated in partnership with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance. The USA is a nationwide nonprofit that builds union solidarity by bringing together members who enjoy hunting, fishing and the outdoors.

“It bridges a lot of gaps,” Scott Vance, USA’s executive director said. “We do a lot of events to connect unions together through conservation and passing that outdoors heritage along to the next generation.”

To make that work possible, local unions sponsor fundraising banquets and events around the country. Roofers Local 96’s sporting clays shoot, which drew 226 shooters Sept. 14, raised a record $150,000 in its ninth year.

The success of Local 96’s shooting competition – and of Get Youth Outdoors Day – speaks to the support of the Roofers’ international union, local building trades unions and their vendors, Conroy said.

Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1 and the Central Minnesota building trades council co-sponsored the youth event, along with the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The law firm of Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren covered the cost of renting the facility for Saturday’s competition, and the Roofers’ international sponsored any youth shooter between 11 and 17 who wished to compete.

Kinsey Robinson, the Roofers’ international president, attended both the competition and the youth event. Robinson has long been a vocal proponent of USA, and he noted that about 70 percent of union tradespeople nationwide count outdoors sports among their hobbies.

“We want to support them, and we want to ensure access to the outdoors for their sons and daughters,” Robinson said.

“Events like this around the country bring together different crafts, different unions,” he added. “And just like in collective bargaining or political issues, we’re speaking with one voice. Except here we’re speaking with one voice to say we support conservation.”

Gavin Goenner, 11, tried his hand at clay shooting with coaching from Kinsey Robinson, international president of the United Union of Roofers.

Before Get Youth Outdoors Day wrapped up, participants watched a dog-training exhibition, enjoyed a catered lunch and received a bag stuffed with birdcalls, outdoors literature and other freebies.

“These tools that they learned today, we hope it’s something they carry with them,” USA conservation coordinator Cody Campbell said. “For most of these kids, this is an opportunity they wouldn’t get on a normal basis.”

At least one youngster was hooked. By the time his name was pulled during a drawing for door prizes after lunch, he was already back on the trap range, busting clays.

“Events like this are about teaching kids that there’s more to life than video games, there’s more to life than concrete,” Vance said. “We love doing events like this. We see it as the culmination of our mission.”

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Elevator Constructors, Sportsmen’s Alliance team up to get kids hooked on ice fishing

January 19, 2019 by

Five-year-old Waylon Lee (R) and his brother Kelar, 8, try ice fishing for the first time during IUEC Local 9’s youth event on Coon Lake in Columbus.

COLUMBUS – Josh and Jen Atkinson moved their family from Oakland, Calif., to Albertville four years ago, but it wasn’t until today that they got their first taste of a uniquely Minnesotan tradition: ice fishing.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Jen said from inside a heated pop-up ice shelter on Coon Lake in Columbus, where she and Josh dropped lines with their sons, 8-year-old Sheamus and 3-year-old Shawn. “This is so cool.”

“Best of all, it’s free,” Josh added. “And everyone is just so darn nice.”

Sheamus and Shawn were among 100 kids introduced to ice fishing today at a community event co-hosted by Local 9 of the International Union of Elevator Constructors and the nonprofit Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, with support from other local Building Trades unions and sponsors.

Participants in the first ever “Take Kids Ice Fishing Day” received free rods and reels, lunch, access to heated shelters and the instruction and assistance of volunteer union members, including a dozen members of Local 9.

Dustin Grzesik of Pine Springs and his daughter Anna, 2, didn’t catch any fish at the event – “we just caught good times,” he said.
Volunteers from IUEC Local 9 (L to R) included Randy Bast, Dave Morin and Aimee Paquette.
Volunteers (L to R) include Mike Rodger, Clam Outdoors and Cement Masons Local 633; Dave Youngblom, IUEC Local 9; Jarrod Asleson, Local 633; Jon Edwards, Trained Monkey Truckin’; Adam Morin and Joe Nelson.

All families had to do to participate was register in advance, as the event reached its capacity of 100 anglers more than two weeks ago, according to Dave Morin, Local 9’s president.

“The goal was to get kids out who have never done this before, and get them excited about ice fishing,” Morin said. “It seems like it’s kind of a dying thing right now, where there aren’t a lot of kids going outdoors and fishing or doing that kind of thing anymore.”

Mike Rodger, a member of Cement Masons Local 633, said “Take Kids Ice Fishing Day” was among the most successful youth ice fishing events he’s seen, despite sub-zero temperatures and a wind chill of -17. And Rodger has seen a lot in his work with Clam Outdoors, a company that sponsors youth events across the region as part of the nonprofit Ice Team, dedicated to increasing participation in the sport.

Clam provided the ice shelters and heaters for the event. Pure Fishing provided rods and reels. Plano Synergy gave each participant two free game calls. Vados Bait and Tackle provided bait. And Thorne Bros. Custom Rod and Tackle donated pads and tackle.

Local 9 and Union Sportsmen’s Alliance chipped in to purchase raffle prizes, all of which, Morin said, were selected to encourage kids to return to Minnesota’s lakes and fish some more.

“I’ve been ice fishing all my life,” he said. “I want kids to get that spark, to be excited about it like I am – even if it’s cold.”

Headquartered in Little Canada, Elevator Constructors Local 9 is a union of over 550 members who work in Minnesota, North Dakota and western Wisconsin.

The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance is a nationwide nonprofit that brings together union members through conservation and preservation of North America’s outdoor heritage. The ice fishing event was part of USA’s Work Boots on the Ground initiative, which encourages union members to volunteer their time and expertise to conservation projects and mentoring youth in the outdoors.

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