First five making history Anglers sign at LSCO for inaugural Fishing Club
Published 11:47 pm Friday, August 2, 2019
Dawn Burleigh/The Orange Leader
Dawn Burleigh/The Orange Leader
Dawn Burleigh/The Orange Leader
Dawn Burleigh/The Orange Leader
Dawn Burleigh/The Orange Leader
Dawn Burleigh/The Orange Leader Brett Fregia, Dagan Leger, Jack Tindel III, Melvin Kohn, and Trace Moore are the first anglers of the Lamar State College Orange Fishing Club.
By Dawn Burleigh
The Orange Leader
Five young men will forever be known as the first anglers of the inaugural Lamar State College-Orange Fishing Club.
Brett Fregia, Dagan Leger, Jack Tindel III, Melvin Kohn, and Trace Moore made history as the first members of the college’s Fishing Club. A signing ceremony was held Friday, August 2, 2019, in the Shahan Events Center and included the anglers, their families, LSCO faculty and staff, as well as community members.
Fregia is a graduate of Orangefield High School and his major is Process Operator.
Leger, a Vidor High School graduate, is taking his basics for an Engineering degree.
Tindel, a Little Cypress – Mauriceville High School graduate is majoring in Business.
Kohn is a Vidor High School graduate and studying to be an LVN.
Moore, a Bridge City High School graduate, will study to be a Process Operator.
“It feels pretty good,” Fregia said when asked how it felt to be part of the first LSCO Fishing team.
“You are the first ones for the school, and no one can ever take that away,” Dean of Students Brian Hull said. “It’s a great time to be a gator.”
Earlier this year, LSCO announced the school’s official mascot would be the gator. LSCO had not had its own mascot since becoming its own degree-granting institution in 1991.
LSCO President Dr. Thomas Johnson told the story how the idea of a fishing team came to be.
“I was here two weeks before I started and I walked into Gina Simar’s office,” Johnson said. “She said, ‘We need a fishing team.’ I thought, ‘I don’t know you but, I like you.’”
Johnson thanked the club’s advisors, Thera Celestine, and Captain Chris Horner, for being great people who know the fishing business.
Celestine said she loves fishing and is excited to lead the club. She, Captain Horner, and an executive board worked for months to finalize club’s details.
“We’ve spent a lot of time in meetings making this happen and I guarantee that everyone will be cheering for you,” Celestine said.
The board members are Amie Smith, Chad Kemp, Cory Rambo, David Jones, Jack Tindel, Jessica Hill, John Gothia, Jonathan Simon, Larry Spears, Nelly Miller, and Trey Smith.
According to the club’s charter, it was created to educate anglers and develop angling skills with an emphasis on bass fishing, to promote sportsmanship through competition and fellowship, to encourage stewardship of natural resources, and to participate in community service.
“We created a fishing club to promote and complement the great student life that we have on this campus,” Johnson said. “We have great clubs and organizations so our students can be part of something. We live in the best part of the world for fishing, no doubt about it.”
Johnson is quick to explain his goal with this new LSCO club.
“It’s simple – win a national championship,” he said.
The LSCO Fishing Club anglers must maintain a 2.0 GPA and be enrolled full time. The club will participate in B.A.S.S., Fishing League Worldwide, and Association of Collegiate Anglers Boats US tournaments.
The Club’s first tournament is scheduled in September.
