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10th Annual 4 Man Open Toy Drive a Success
December 4th, 2023
Lake Wales, FL- The 10th Annual Xtreme Bass Series 4-Man Open benefitting Polk County Toys for Tots was a resounding success. New records were set in this year’s event, in both participation and donations. For the first time in a decade, a full field of 25 4-man teams (50 boats, 100 anglers) from all reaches of Florida met at Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina, and RV Resort along the shores of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes to enjoy some time on the water for a good cause.
The generosity of the anglers and the community, including the 4th grade class of Saint Anthony’s Catholic School in San Antonio, FL, is highlighted by the substantial toy donations, which will undoubtedly bring joy to many children around Polk County during the holiday season. Angela Davis, the coordinator for Polk County Toys for Tots, expressed gratitude for the event and emphasized the significant impact the donations will have.
“We’re so thankful for this event and your generous donations,” stated Davis. “We’ve received over 15,000 requests from qualified children this season and these toys will go a long way in giving a child a great Christmas.”
The annual event generated an estimated $8,000.00-$10,000.00 worth of toys and cash donations.
The tournament saw a record number of teams participate in the 10th annual event. The team of John Stahl, Scott Stahl, Ben Harris, and Sharon Harris topped the 50 boat field with a collective 44.80 pound, 10 bass limit to take home the $2,500.00 first place prize. Stahl and Stahl weighed the day’s heaviest 5 bass limit with 23.83 pounds. Harris and Harris followed up with another 20.97 pound, 5 bass limit to secure the win.
Chad Schroeder, Ricky Gollhardt, Austin Murray, and Anthony Cilladi teamed up this year and took home a second place finish and $1,200.00. Schroeder and Gollhardt weighed a 17.55 pound, 5 bass limit. Murray and Cilladi followed up with a 20.04 pound, 5 bass limit, giving the team a collective 37.59 pound total. The team was also the highest finishing team in the side pot and took home an additional $1,500.00.
Third place went to the team of Michael Gillman, Michael Woodard, Jason Foss, and Chandler Cornelius. Gillman and Woodard’s 18.85 pound bag, coupled with Foss and Cornelius’ 17.79 pound bag gave the team a 36.64 pound total, earning $800.00 for their efforts. Gillman and Woodard’s 7.73 pound kicker also earned the team Big Bass honors for the event and an additional $500.00.
Chris Ready, Nate Bloom, Joey Bloom, and Andrew Ready locked in a 4th place finish as the father’s teamed up with their son’s. Ready and Bloom’s 5 bass limit weighed 13.73 pounds, while the younger Bloom and Ready followed up with a 22.78 pound limit to give the team 36.51 pounds collectively, earning $600.00.
Bobby Bakewell, Robert Bakewell, David Smith, and Dale Wolfskill rounded out the top 5. Bakewell and Bakewell weighed a 17.43 pound, 5 bass limit while Smith and Wolfskill brought a 13.05 pound, 5 bass limit to the scales. The team weighed a total of 30.48 pounds to earn $400.00
Full results from the event can be found here.
About Toys for Tots
The mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is to assist the U. S. Marine Corps in providing a tangible sign of hope to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas. This assistance includes providing day-to-day leadership and oversight of the Program, raising funds to provide toys to supplement the collections of local Toys for Tots Campaigns, to provide promotional and support material and defray the costs of conducting annual Toys for Tots Campaigns. Other Foundation support includes providing administrative, advisory, financial, logistic and promotional support to local Toys for Tots Coordinators; managing funds raised and monies donated based on the use of Toys for Tots name or logo; providing other support the Marine Corps, as a federal agency, cannot provide; and conducting public education and information programs about Toys for Tots that call the general public to action in support of this patriotic community action program. For more information visits www.toysfortots.org.
Photos Credit: Scott Scarboro
