Dan Hansford of Lakeport received one of the best Father”s Day gifts of his life when his nine-year-old daughter Danielle won the Record-Bee fishing essay contest.
Danielle, who is the daughter of Dan and Marijane Hansford of Lakeport and is in the third grade at Lakeport Elementary School, beat out 69 other contestants to win a fully guided fishing trip on Clear Lake with local fishing guide Ross England. She also won a new rod and reel plus a tackle pack donated by Ed and June Clarke of the Tackle It tackle shop in Lakeport. In addition Lakeport Safeway will furnish the lunch and drinks for the guided fishing trip.
“When I learned that my daughter had won the contest it just blew me away,” said Dan Hansford. “Our family still hasn”t gotten over the excitement of her winning the contest. Maybe I”ll finally get a chance to catch a bass out of Clear Lake.”
Hansford, who is employed by State Farm Insurance in Rohnert Park, said that he has never caught a bass out of Clear Lake. He said that regardless if he catches a fish or not it will still be the trip of a lifetime for him and the opportunity to spend a day with his daughter.
The two runners-up in the contest were Scott Menan of Lucerne and Tony Robb, age 13, of Clearlake. They will each receive a new fishing rod and reel donated by Tackle It.
The contest was open to all students from the third through the eighth grade. They were required to write an up to 300 word essay on why they wanted to take their father, mother grandparent or guardian fishing. The contest drew a total of 70 entries.
The entries were judged by the Record-Bee Managing Editor Rick Kennedy and three of his staff. Kennedy said it was an extremely close contest and that the judges had a hard time narrowing down the field.
Here is the award winning unedited essay written by Danielle Hansford:
Dear Sports Editor,
If I were to win I would take my dad. I would take my dad because, trust me, he loves to fish! After all he has done for my family, like supporting us when he goes to work and being a wonderful father. I think it”s a great opportunity for me to show him how much I appreciate it. My dad also has to drive to Santa Rosa for work and we live in Lakeport. So he drives for about two hours each way. My dad leaves at 7:30 a.m. but I”m still asleep in bed. By the time he gets home I”m ready for bed. So I don”t really get to spend much time with him on the weekdays. But no matter how busy or tired he is, he always has time for me and my older brother and sister. I also want to go on this tour with our guide to learn about the different varieties of fish. I think it would be a blast if my father and I can spend time together fishing on a guided tour. My dad and I have gone fishing at the beach before but we didn”t catch anything. Maybe with a guided tour he could catch some fish. Boy, would I be happy when I see the look on my dad”s face when he catches a big bass. That”s why I would choose my father if I win.
Runner-up Scott Menan”s essay:
My dad is one of the best dads in the world and one of the best people in the world. My dad deserves this boat trip because he works so hard so the four best people in his life can have a better life than anyone.
Another reason is he isn”t only my dad, he”s my friend. He”s there for all of us (me, mom, brother, sister) when we need him the most. Because of him, I am a the best person I could ever hope to be. I am going to have the greatest life ever. I love him more than anything. He”s awesome. There is no word on earth that can explain my dad.
I don”t love him because he feeds me or gives me things or does things for me. I love him because he”ll always be there for me.
This trip would bring me and my dad closer than anything. So I am asking you from the bottom of my heart, give my dad and I this trip.
Runner-up Tony Robb”s essay:
Hi my name is Tony Robb. I am a 6th grade student at Pomo Elementary School. I will going to Oak Hill Middle School next year. I have live in Clearlake my whole life. School has never been easy for me, but this year is the best year I have ever had and my teacher let me know of this contest. I have learned to play the guitar this year and the thing I like most in life is to go fishing. I did a report on fishing this year and everyone in my class enjoyed the presentation.
If I win this contest I wouldn”t be able to bring my dad because he left before I was born and I never met him. My uncle Oscar and Danny have been the men who have acted like dads in my life and I am lucky to have had them in my life. They both love fishing with me and taught me everything I know about fishing, so I would probably ask one of them. I have never had a reason to celebrate father”s Day, so if I win, it would be the first time I ever celebrated Father”s Day.
I hope I get the chance because I have only fished on the lake five times and I am now 13 years old. Also I improved my grades this year so I don”t have to go to summer school for once.
Editors Note: The Record-Bee thanks all those who contributed to this contest: Safeway Stores; fishing guide Ross England; Tackle It; and Outdoorsman Terry Knight.
