By Alan McGuckin
If you own a bass boat, you know that learning to back a
trailer down a ramp is a rite of passage. Hence, 21-year old Brianna Palaniuk, younger sister of popular rookie
Brandon Palaniuk, was beaming with pride in the bright morning sun inside
Ingalls Harbor on Lake Wheeler over the fact that for the first time ever, she
successfully backed her brother’s Skeeter boat down the launch ramp.
Simply being there for her brother is one of the feel-good
stories of the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series season. Brianna, who recently earned a degree in
English Literature from North Idaho College, saw an intriguing real-life story
unfolding in her brother’s cash strapped climb from the Federation Nation ranks
to admirable success in the Bassmasters Classic this past February, and onward
to bass fishing’s toughest trail.
So after attending the first two Elite tournaments in
Florida following the Classic, she decided to take advantage of the freedom
that youth affords, and began traveling on tour full-time with Brandon. Not
just for good company, but also to help him manage the multitude of daily
obligations that fuel the fire beneath bass fishing’s biggest pressure cooker.
So far, she’s served him well, but knew that backing a boat
trailer was missing from her list of resources. So Elite Series wives Iris
Robinson and LeAnn Swindle graciously offered to coach her. In fact, Mrs.
Swindle even brought along orange cones to the private training session the
three females conducted yesterday inside the spacious Ingalls Harbor Parking
Lot near downtown Decatur.
Considering her maiden voyage this morning played-out in
front of fans, and 98 of the top pros in the world, she passed the baptism-by-fire
trailer dunking with flying colors.
“I’m out here to support my brother, and backing a trailer is just one more
small means of support,” beamed Brianna.
Her brother grinned and added, “You’re the 100th person she’s told about her
achievement this morning. She’s proud of herself, and I’m proud of her too.”
While the Palaniuks shared aloud, Gerald Swindle was
grinning and keeping secrets about an eye-catching new prototype reel.
“I’m not supposed to let anybody see these new reels,”
Swindle said. “Not even my wife. The
guys at Quantum would kill me if they knew I let a camera near them. It’s the
coolest series of reels they’ve ever launched. It’s supposed to be a top secret
until next month at the ICAST Show, but they sent them for me to test, and by
golly, that’s what’s I’m doing. So far
they’ve been super smooth and extremely lightweight. I’ll promise you there’s
nothing out there that looks like them, or fishes like them.”
On the east wall of Ingalls Harbor, sat easy-going veteran
pro Mike McClelland popping vitamins, swigging protein drinks and showing-off a
Hefty bag of nutrition bars.
“Its part of the daily routine that sports nutritionist Ken Hoover of Athletes
Outdoors prescribes for me,” said McClelland. “I eat four capsules in the
morning, along with a few caffeine energy boosters at mid-day, and some
recovery products at the end of the day.”
