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Children enjoy annual fishing derby at Swift Ponds Friday

5/16/2008

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BY NATE TAYLOR
NateTaylor@coloradoan.com


A little rain and some soggy pizza didn't stop local children from enjoying an evening of fishing on Friday at Swift Ponds.

Organized by Kiwanis member Ryan Gloden, the fishing derby attracted about 100 children to the ponds located at the southeast corner of Interstate 25 and Kechter Road (Larimer County Road 36). Children learned fishing etiquette and techniques from Kiwanis volunteers and the Poudre Fire Authority.

The annual event is a result of the vision of another Kiwanis member, Larry Howell, who started the derby 14 years ago.

"It's fishing instead of going out and getting into trouble or getting into things they shouldn't be getting into," Howell said. "I have a belief that this is good, healthy stuff, and we need more of this kind of thing."

The young fishers included both the experienced and inexperienced. Fort Collins natives Brian and Michael Cooklin, age 10 and 11 respectively, returned to the derby for a second year after enjoying their experience last year.

"I caught a 5.5-pound bass," Brian said of his biggest catch last year. "I never fish in that spot anymore because I'm scared I'm going to catch another one, and I don't want to catch another one because it's not fun to reel in."

Bayleigh Bush, 11, from Fort Collins, was a first-time angler and caught two fish within the first half-hour. She said she enjoys fishing but doesn't like the worms.

A young but experienced fisher, Riley Chadwick, 7, from Fort Collins, said she goes fishing every summer, and her favorite part is reeling in the fish.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife provided fishing poles and stocked the ponds with fish, and Jax Outdoor Gear provided tackle boxes. The children were able to keep the boxes and poles at the end of the derby. Pudge Bros. Pizza provided 40 discounted pizzas, and Colorado Youth Outdoors provided the land for use.
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9News Special on CYO

5/10/2008

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LOVELAND - When Tom and Bob Hewson were kids, the outdoors kept them close with Bob admittedly catching less fish than his brother.

"That's why he's the instructor and I work in the office," said Bob.

In 2001, the pair combined their passion for both the outdoors and family to create Colorado Youth Outdoors. It's a non-profit after-school program that demands parent participation.

"Anything the student does, the parent is going to do with them," said Bob, CYO's executive director.

That can be a tall order. CYO teaches the parent-child teams about archery, shooting and flyfishing.

During the winter, they hunker down inside and learn about the activities. One Wednesday evening at Thompson Valley High School, the group was putting together their own fly rods.

When the warmer weather arrives, everyone makes their way outside to test their new skills. CYO has just to place to do that.

The organization owns Swift Ponds, a 240-acre piece of property with 12 ponds. It's located just east of I-25 in Loveland.

Earlier this month, a group was there introducing their fly rods to the fish.

Brenda Gardner got to watch her son, Charles, catch a fish on his first cast.

"I think it's brought us a lot closer," Gardner said of the program, "Charles doesn't have a father around so I'm trying to be Mom and Dad. This is part of why I'm learning outdoor stuff."

One of the most attractive parts of CYO is its cost: It's free.

"Your payment is your time," Bob said.

It's a two-year program aimed at high school students and their parents.

"That's a time in the life when kids start to diverge from the family," Bob said.

Over the years, the two have received quite a bit of feedback. Parents and teenagers usually say the bonds formed through CYO brought their family safely through those teenage years.

"Sometimes we're not even sure of all the impacts that we make," Tom said, "They're much bigger than teaching skills."

Since its inception, CYO has found a great deal of success. The program is already in eight schools, most of them in northern Colorado.

"It's kind of up here growing, getting some flight feathers," Tom said.

The fraternal duo is not thinking small. They want to see their creation in every high school in the state of Colorado.

"To see this gift really multiply," Bob said.

That gift of family Bob and Tom picked up long ago while traipsing through the Great Outdoors.

If you want to learn more about CYO, you visit their Web site at www.coloradoyo.org.

See the original article on the 9News website below:
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=91523
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    Chase Swift created this website to keep the history of Swift Ponds alive.

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