What they do is best described as filling in pieces of a logistical and operational puzzle otherwise known as the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic. 

The Classic is undeniably the sport’s biggest event, in 2019 drawing a record crowd of 153,809 spectators to Knoxville, Tenn., where it will be held again March 24-26, 2023. The size and scope of the Classic is why B.A.S.S. values this group so much. 

Meet the volunteers from Tabernacle Baptist Church, in Cartersville, Ga. Up to 30 members pay their own expenses to volunteer at the Classic, a mission outreach the church has supported each year since 2012. 

The volunteers perform numerous tasks at the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic Expo, Media Day, during the weigh-in and elsewhere. They serve as hospitality hosts at the Classic Club, Sponsor Lounge and B.A.S.S. Life Member Lounge. They function as roving information resources on the Expo show floor, offering help to the fans. You name it, they do it. They are on duty from daylight to well after dark, when the weigh-in concludes and at closing time for the Expo. 

“They do every task, big and small; they don’t need direction and take the intuition to fill in anywhere that’s needed,” said Jesse Dolan, associate, B.A.S.S. Events and Host Activations. “There is no limit to what they can do, and they go beyond that even more, every year.”

“They are like family; like guardian angels,” said Dolan, the liaison between B.A.S.S. and the volunteers. “We can’t do it without them.” 

This group of special volunteers is so valued by B.A.S.S. that department managers request specific volunteers by name.

Coordinating the Classic mission

Steve McCombs, missions outreach pastor, coordinates the church’s mission trips that span the globe, with church members in the field in faraway places like Europe, the Middle East and here in the U.S. 

“Missionary work is in our DNA and serving gives us an opportunity to represent Jesus Christ wherever we go, whether it’s sharing friendship with other people, or the Gospel,” said McCombs. 

In the field, traditional mission trips center around ministering to youth camps, at summer Bible schools and more. The Classic is unique with the church viewing it as an opportunity to be servants of their faith while serving B.A.S.S. 

“We don’t aggressively push our message on anybody, unless anyone asks, then we view that as an opportunity to share the message of Jesus Christ,” said McCombs, who’s attended all 10 previous Classics. 

Getting started

The church connected indirectly with B.A.S.S. in 2001 at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games, a hybrid Olympic Games of sorts for outdoor sports from timber sports and canine agility competitions, to sporting dog field trials and bass fishing. 

The search for volunteers led to McCombs and Tabernacle Baptist Church, which sent a group of 30 youths to assist ESPN’s event operations team. Those games were held in Lake Placid, N.Y., coincidentally the location of the 1980 Olympic Games. 

Eric Lopez, at the time assistant director of the Great Outdoor Games, was curious as to why a group from the South would travel to upstate New York for such a mission. Any skepticism was overcome as the volunteers proved their worth. 

“What immediately stuck out was how friendly they were to everyone,” said Lopez, now director of event operations for B.A.S.S. “And then Steve (McCombs) volunteered for them to come back the next year.” 

Volunteers rarely work the same event again, and more often as individuals requiring training each time. Lopez valued the ongoing event familiarity and experience provided by the assembled group from Tabernacle Baptist Church. The group returned year after year until the games ended its run. Little did Lopez (or McCombs) know, the relationship would continue elsewhere. 

Fast forward to 2011 at a Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on West Point Lake. McCombs was on a fishing trip at the Georgia impoundment when he ran into Lopez at the weigh-in. Through coincidence, or more than likely divine intervention, the relationship was renewed, and the church began its annual mission trip to the Classic the next year. 

“It’s like they are professionally trained, but they are not. They developed their volunteer skills through missionary work, but it’s much more than that,” said Dolan. “They take their calling of faith seriously, and you see that in their outgoing and ever-present compassion, friendliness and willingness to help everyone.” 

Working together

Dolan, 32, began working with the volunteers at age 23. He values how they embraced his youth early on and to this day, treat him like one of their own. 

“They know my strengths and weaknesses, and especially when I get stressed,” he said. “I’ve spent much of my life growing up with them; they know that positive affirmation is a strength.”

One volunteer recognized that strength early on, reacting in faith by sending a daily text message of positive affirmation each morning of the Classic. The text messages continued for the next six months. 

The feeling is mutual with McCombs and the volunteers. 

“What keeps us coming back is the opportunity to represent B.A.S.S. and the opportunity for us to represent Jesus Christ in everything we do,” said McCombs. “It’s a great opportunity to see God at work and to renew our fellowship with the B.A.S.S. team.” 

“When every catch can mean the difference between bringing home the sport’s biggest prize or falling down the leaderboard, Championship Sunday at the Bassmaster Classic can be full of emotional and heartbreaking moments,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. “We’re so excited to bring Bassmaster LIVE to the largest possible audience by broadcasting on FOX in the hours leading up to the final weigh-in. Our FOX Sports partnership has allowed us to reach new fans over the past two seasons. And whether they are already a fishing fan or not, the passion and drama of the Classic are sure to hook viewers.”

Sunday afternoon’s Bassmaster Classic LIVE coverage will begin at 12 p.m. ET while FS1 will broadcast the Classic leaders on Saturday morning, beginning just after Day 2’s takeoff at 8 a.m.

In addition to expanded coverage of the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic, FS1 and the FOX Sports digital platforms will carry weekend coverage with tournament leaders from all of the Bassmaster Elite Series events — combining for a total of more than 60 hours of Bassmaster LIVE programming.

“There’s some great coverage coming on FOX and FS1 and it will be hosted again by the best talent in the business,” said Vice President of Media Content and Bassmaster LIVE Executive Producer Mike McKinnis. “Tommy Sanders, Mark Zona and Davy Hite — joined by Ronnie Moore and Mike Suchan — will all be breaking down the competition in real time. Plus, we’re bringing more drone and on-the-water camera coverage than ever before.”

Bassmaster LIVE kicks off tournament coverage for every Elite tournament on Thursday and Friday mornings at 8 a.m. on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will broadcast live with the tournament leaders on Saturday and Sunday. Viewers can also join a variety of Elite anglers for LIVE Mix on Saturday and Sunday mornings at Bassmaster.com. Live weigh-ins will be streamed on Bassmaster.com.

Schedule subject to change.

Highlight shows will run throughout January and February on both FS1 and FS2. For a complete schedule, visit Bassmaster.com/tv-schedule.

On the competitive side, I am very thankful that I qualified for the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic on the Tennessee River. It’s always a big deal anytime you qualify for the Classic, but with the 2023 event taking place 40 minutes from where I grew up, it’s going to be extra special.

I can still remember how much it stung when I did not qualify for the 2019 Classic on the Tennessee River. I think that is why I put so much pressure on myself this year to qualify. I started out with two good finishes in the Florida events, but I bombed the next three at Santee-Cooper, Chickamauga Lake and Lake Fork.

The tournament on Lake Fork was especially frustrating because I have two fourth-place finishes in previous Elite events there, and I consider Lake Fork one of my favorite lakes. With three bombs in a row, I was feeling the effects of the intense pressure of my Classic goal.

I went home after Lake Fork and spent a lot of time talking with family. They encouraged me and helped me figure out a way to manage the pressure. I also called Jay Yelas — one of my fishing heroes from my childhood. As a Classic winner, he understands the pressure I was feeling.

I’ve always respected Jay’s style, and we’ve become friends during our time together on the Elites. His insight was very helpful. Between Yelas’ and my family’s help, I was able to refocus and get my season back on track. That started with a top-30 finish at the next event at Pickwick.

What makes this comeback story even more rewarding is my Classic qualification came down to the final 2022 Elite event on the Mississippi River. I needed to finish in the 30s or higher to make the Classic and, even though it all worked out just fine, it was stressful.

My best area from practice was in Pool 7, and locking through adds a lot of extra stress because you had to worry about the barges. The first day went super smooth; there was no barge traffic. I caught my fish quickly and landed inside the top 20.

On Day 2, we had an hour and a half storm delay. While we were waiting for the storm to pass, I was on the app where you track barge traffic, and I saw that a barge was blocking the lock.

Once we finally took off, I ran to the lock and sure enough, a big barge was there. The lockmaster said it would be a long time to lock the barge through. I burned a couple of hours just fishing around that area until I was finally able to get in the lock. By the time I reached Pool 7, it was about 10:30, and I had an early check-in that day.

I was able to catch my fish fairly quickly again. Shortly after noon, I pulled up the app again to check the barge traffic and saw that there were barges everywhere — they were coming from all sides.

I left Pool 7 much earlier than planned because of all the barges. I’m glad I did because right after I locked through, a giant barge went in and another one was trying to lock from the other direction. If I had waited and locked back later, I really don’t know if I could have made it back to the weigh-in on time. I’m very thankful that it all worked out since qualifying for the 2023 Bassmaster Classic all hinged on that one day.

Looking ahead to the Classic, I’m going to make sure I enjoy the experience by minimizing the pressure and just appreciating the opportunity to fish a Classic in Knoxville, Tenn. Even though we live in North Carolina now, I’ll always consider East Tennessee home.

It’s gonna be a lot of fun fishing waters I’m very familiar with in front of family and friends. My main goal is to have fun because good things happen when I’m having fun on the water.

So, to wrap this up, while I have so much to be thankful for, I’m particularly thankful for learning a valuable lesson about how to manage the pressure that goes along with our sport. Hopefully, this wisdom will guide me to success at next year’s Bassmaster Classic.

“We are so proud to have the positive impact of the iconic Bassmaster Classic recognized again, but also to highlight the incredible draw of our High School National Championship,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. “B.A.S.S. has always had a fantastic partnership with Visit Anderson, and over the years, Lake Hartwell and Green Pond Landing have hosted Bassmaster events at every level. It’s our hope that through media coverage of our exciting tournaments and by attracting our signature large, enthusiastic crowds to a fishery, every B.A.S.S. tournament can be an economic win for our host cities.”

The 2022 Bassmaster Classic, hosted by Visit Anderson and VisitGreenvilleSC, drew a record-breaking 154,932 fans to Classic week activities at Lake Hartwell and various event venues in Greenville. Long considered the most important event in sportfishing, the Bassmaster Classic has also established itself as a huge economic boon for host communities. For the Upstate of South Carolina, the positive economic impact was fueled by more than just the 10,000-plus room nights booked for the event. Fans lined the exterior of the Greenville Convention Center in eager anticipation of the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Marathon — an outdoor enthusiast’s dream — where exhibitors from around the world were on-site selling a variety of merchandise for fishing, hunting, camping and more.

2022 marked the first time the Bassmaster High School National Championship has been held on Lake Hartwell. Young anglers from 39 states and Ontario, Canada, qualified for the 315-boat field. The tournament accounted for more than 6,100 room nights and had a total economic impact of $1.5 million for Anderson. 

“Anderson County relies heavily on Lake Hartwell and Green Pond Landing as an economic driver for our community, and the relationship we share with B.A.S.S. has been critical to our success as a destination for tournament fishing,” said Neil Paul, executive director of Visit Anderson. “We are extremely grateful to be recognized as a Champion in Economic Impact by Sports Destination Management for our part in hosting the record-breaking Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk as well as the Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.”

Sports Destination Management is the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market. Their 2022 Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism awards included a variety of sporting events across small, mid and large-markets.

B.A.S.S. was previously honored by the publication in 2018 as a Champion of Innovation in Sports Tourism for the Greenville, S.C., Bassmaster Classic and recognized as a 2019 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism for the Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville, Tenn., which will host the 2023 Classic. A report from Visit Knoxville found that the 2019 Bassmaster Classic generated more money for the city than even the first weekend of March Madness.