Post by The Admin on May 14, 2020 9:09:27 GMT -6
Morrison won't get to defend noodling title this year
www.paulsvalleydailydemocrat.com/sports/morrison-wont-get-to-defend-noodling-title-this-year/article_801b3835-3198-5d65-b235-478249b53738.html
www.paulsvalleydailydemocrat.com/sports/morrison-wont-get-to-defend-noodling-title-this-year/article_801b3835-3198-5d65-b235-478249b53738.html
There was probably no one more disappointed to hear the 20th Annual Okie Noodling Tournament had been canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis than Kodi Morrison.
Morrison — a former Byng High School assistant softball coach who now holds the same position in Muskogee — is the defending three-time champion at the Okie Noodling Tournament. She was sad to hear she won’t get to try to make it four straight, at least this year.
The event is considered the world’s largest noodling tournament.
“I can’t believe it. I can’t defend my title. We were kind of devastated. But we understood why they had to,” Morrison said.
Along with the giant-sized catfish Morrison and other competitors pull out of their fishing hot spots every year comes a giant-sized crowd that swarms to Wacker Park in Pauls Valley. The big gathering is why officials decided to err on the side of caution and cancel the event, previously scheduled for June 19-20.
“Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and circumstances surrounding it, it is with heavy hearts, we are canceling the 2020 Okie Noodling Tournament,” said Pauls Valley tourism director Jason Selman. “We don’t even know if the restrictions will be lifted allowing us to hold it. We don’t know what restrictions will be in place by then.”
Officials said the decision was also due to not being about to secure enough sponsors amid the pandemic.
“Some businesses can’t afford to donate like they normally do, and who can blame them since many of them have been closed down because of the virus,” Selmon told The Pauls Valley Democrat. “With the lockdown, we couldn’t get out and seek the sponsorships we need. It’s just unachievable to reach the monetary levels we need to be able to hold the event.”
Morrison, who landed a catfish that tipped the scales at 54.05 pounds to claim her incredible three-peat in 2019, said she’s not sure what she’ll do that weekend in June this summer.
Morrison — who also played basketball at East Central Univeristy — said there was a smaller noodling tournament being planned for that weekend but she’s not sure she’s interested.
“You can’t replace the Okie Noodling Tournament. There’s just no way,” she said. “It had become a tradition. I do it every summer. Now it’s not happening and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Morrison now has a new hobby. Since the pandemic has kept the state closed down for the most part over the last couple of months — “It’s been crazy. You can’t go out to eat or go to Walmart at midnight” — she has taken up crappie fishing. And Morrison is already pretty good at it.
She entered her first tournament — the Slab Kings Crappie Shootout — recently and won first place. Morrison was the only Oklahoman in the virtual, nationwide tournament that included anglers from other states such as Texas, Virginia, South Carolina and Maryland.
The tournament was judged by length and took each person’s biggest three fish over the course of three days. Morrison finished with a total of 45.75 feet, well ahead of the second-place length of 37.25-feet.
“I guess I’ll take up crappie fishing,” she said, only half-joking.
Morrison will wait until it starts warming up across the state before she takes off on her first noodling experience of the summer.
“Hopefully we can go in a couple of weeks when the water temperature warms up a little bit more,” she said. “That’s when it will really start kicking off. It’s a little early right now.”
Morrison — a former Byng High School assistant softball coach who now holds the same position in Muskogee — is the defending three-time champion at the Okie Noodling Tournament. She was sad to hear she won’t get to try to make it four straight, at least this year.
The event is considered the world’s largest noodling tournament.
“I can’t believe it. I can’t defend my title. We were kind of devastated. But we understood why they had to,” Morrison said.
Along with the giant-sized catfish Morrison and other competitors pull out of their fishing hot spots every year comes a giant-sized crowd that swarms to Wacker Park in Pauls Valley. The big gathering is why officials decided to err on the side of caution and cancel the event, previously scheduled for June 19-20.
“Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and circumstances surrounding it, it is with heavy hearts, we are canceling the 2020 Okie Noodling Tournament,” said Pauls Valley tourism director Jason Selman. “We don’t even know if the restrictions will be lifted allowing us to hold it. We don’t know what restrictions will be in place by then.”
Officials said the decision was also due to not being about to secure enough sponsors amid the pandemic.
“Some businesses can’t afford to donate like they normally do, and who can blame them since many of them have been closed down because of the virus,” Selmon told The Pauls Valley Democrat. “With the lockdown, we couldn’t get out and seek the sponsorships we need. It’s just unachievable to reach the monetary levels we need to be able to hold the event.”
Morrison, who landed a catfish that tipped the scales at 54.05 pounds to claim her incredible three-peat in 2019, said she’s not sure what she’ll do that weekend in June this summer.
Morrison — who also played basketball at East Central Univeristy — said there was a smaller noodling tournament being planned for that weekend but she’s not sure she’s interested.
“You can’t replace the Okie Noodling Tournament. There’s just no way,” she said. “It had become a tradition. I do it every summer. Now it’s not happening and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Morrison now has a new hobby. Since the pandemic has kept the state closed down for the most part over the last couple of months — “It’s been crazy. You can’t go out to eat or go to Walmart at midnight” — she has taken up crappie fishing. And Morrison is already pretty good at it.
She entered her first tournament — the Slab Kings Crappie Shootout — recently and won first place. Morrison was the only Oklahoman in the virtual, nationwide tournament that included anglers from other states such as Texas, Virginia, South Carolina and Maryland.
The tournament was judged by length and took each person’s biggest three fish over the course of three days. Morrison finished with a total of 45.75 feet, well ahead of the second-place length of 37.25-feet.
“I guess I’ll take up crappie fishing,” she said, only half-joking.
Morrison will wait until it starts warming up across the state before she takes off on her first noodling experience of the summer.
“Hopefully we can go in a couple of weeks when the water temperature warms up a little bit more,” she said. “That’s when it will really start kicking off. It’s a little early right now.”