A fine catch for a good cause

submitted photo-- Clint McKinley, Grace Beshore and Tim Thorpe, with the first place trophy from the April 26 Fourth Annual Buddy Bass Tournament in Rich Hill. Grace is the niece of longtime Nevada residents Vicki and Jim Liley. The tournament is a fundraiser benefiting those with cystic fibrosis, a debilitating genetic condition.

The Fourth Annual "Fishing For a Cure" Buddy Bass Tournament, held on April 26 in Rich Hill, Mo., raised more money than ever in the fight against cystic fibrosis, a deadly genetic disease. With six more teams than last year, the tournament grew to 18 teams, some from as far away as Kansas City. Competition was strong on a beautiful spring morning and when the fish were weighed, only three ounces separated first and second place.

The charity tournament is an event to benefit Team Gracie and all proceeds are donated directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The first place team was a repeat winner as Tim Thorp and Clint McKinley again took home the trophies.

Their three bass weighed a total of 11 pounds, 7 ounces. They won $100, which they donated back to Team Gracie, trophies, T-shirts and IRL tickets to the Kansas Speedway.

There was also a prize awarded for the largest overall bass checked in. Guy Nelson won this with a catch of 5 pounds, 4 ounces. Guy won a tackle box with tackle, Winchester rug and T-shirt. Coming in second place for overall team was Shawn Gould and Guy Nelson with a total of 11 pounds, 4 ounces. They won two Abu Garcia reels with Berkeley poles, tackle boxes and string. Third place was earned by Derek Schlotzhauer and Justin Sharp with a total of 10 pounds, 14 ounces. They received T-shirts and two Spider fishing poles. With generous sponsor donations, everyone who competed received door prizes. At check-in, everyone enjoyed a smoked pulled pork and pork tenderloin meal, courtesy of Terry and Dixie Hoeper. Pictures of the event can be found on the Web at www.walkforgrace.com.

Team Gracie is a group formed to support Grace Beshore and her battle with cystic fibrosis. Grace is the 5-year-old daughter of Chris Beshore, niece of Natalea Hoeper and granddaughter of Terry and Dixie Hoeper.

CF affects approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: "A defective gene causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections."

In the 1950's few children with CF lived past Grace's current age, but with donations from events like this, along with the strong commitment of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the life expectancy of CF patients has risen to 37 years.

Sponsors included: Berkley Fishing, Derailed Commodity of Joplin, Insurtec Salon Insurance and Cabela's.

To learn more about the event, make a charitable donation or to find more information about upcoming events, visit www.walkforgrace.com or contact Chris Beshore at (417) 395-2770.