MLF Premiers at 2pm Today On The Outdoor Channel. When Kevin VanDam’s rig pulled off the busy Interstate highway and into the host hotel parking lot in Waterville, Maine, it was all but impossible for anglers, writers and spectators alike to not turn and look.
VanDam, the greatest fisherman in his generation and arguably of all-time, was pulling into the boat yard after a year of supreme disappointment and subpar results that left him on the outside looking in for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.
KVD’s failure to qualify for the Classic – the first time in 24 seasons that the four-time Classic winner has failed to do so – left a bitter taste in his mouth in Waterville as the Jack Link’s Major League Fishing® 2015 General Tire Summit Cup prepared to begin.
When I made my way over to KVD, the first question that came to mind was whether or not a win here in Maine would provide some measure of redemption for a season that didn’t go according to plan.
“I sure hope so,” said VanDam. “I didn’t want to finish the regular (Bassmaster) Elite Series the way that I did – it’s very disappointing. And I’m still upset about it, you’re supposed to be, when you’re a competitor, I’m supposed to be mad.”
Clearly, KVD was motivated after the one “off-year” of his illustrious career that has brought a MLF Summit Cup win last year, 20 B.A.S.S. wins, seven B.A.S.S. Angler-of-the-Year titles, a FLW Angler-of-the-Year title, and more than $6 million in career earnings.
At the same time, VanDam said he had to fall back on another facet of his amazing career, something that champions in any sport must have – the ability to forget the past and refocus on the present.
“I have a real short memory about the past,” he smiled. “This is a new event, a new week and with these rules and our format, it’s so much different (than the Elite Series tour). You’ve got to lay it all out there right from the get-go.”
Does that mean that KVD will divert from the competitive formula that has made him the best bass angler of all-time?
Not really he shrugged.
“I’m not going to do anything different,” said KVD. “Sure, at the end of the week, it would be awesome (to win). We all want to win, that’s why we’re here, and that would be fantastic.
“I’m just going to go out there and do the best job that I can, trust my instincts, and do everything I’ve done for my whole career and see what happens.”
Ever the competitor, VanDam noted that despite his year of disappointment and frustration, it wouldn’t take him long when he got on the water this week to put everything behind him and focus on the task at hand.
“This is why I do what I do,” he said. “It’s not for records, it’s not for titles, it’s not for anything like that. What I love is the competition. I love to see on any given day under a certain set of conditions who can figure it out the fastest and the best. That’s what competition is about.”
VanDam noted that the MLF format is unique in how it fosters that daily completion between the pros.
“With this format, it’s different than other tournaments, just because we can score every fish and we have that live (SCORETRACKER LIVE) leaderboard where we all know what’s going on and you cut (the field) every single day,” he said. “So the intensity is there (immediately).”
VanDam should know, having won one MLF Summit Cup already and having made it to the Championship Round in every MLF event that he has attended.
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