The cure for cabin fever was at Lacey Township High School in Ocean County as students of the Lacey Township fishing team hosted an indoor fishing flea market on Jan. 15. The team had more than 75 vendors selling everything from fishing lures, hooks and line, to rods and reels.
The team raises money by selling tables to vendors, refreshments and raffles. The school is allowed one fundraiser a year, and the funds go toward fishing trips for the team, to scholarships, and to meals they give out to families that are in need during the holiday season.
The show is in its second year and has seen a 50 percent increase in vendors and patrons. The students helped the vendors unload their trucks, set up the tables and helped pack it all up at the end of the day.
Students Danielle Padovani, R.J. Silagy, Frank Fantasia and Frankie Quadrino from Lacey took pride in the fundraiser and were extremely knowledgeable about the sport. The club is 50 members strong, and they had plenty of fishing stories to share. The fishing team gives kids a chance at a sport other than the traditional sports. It is a club that girls, boys and non-athletes can enjoy and excel at in every way imaginable.
Vendors ranged from local fishing bait-and-tackle shops to Internet-based retailers like Tackle U.S., an online tackle shop that recently launched an online store for anglers worldwide.
I was one of those students a long time ago who wished my school had a team like Lacey Township High School has. It is awesome that this school provided these students an avenue to fish, have fun and be part of something that goes beyond sports. And boy, are they knowledgeable! Some of them knew even more than I did, which was a delightful surprise. Fish on!