FVTU at TU VSP T3 in AR

Phew, that was a mouthful.  More simply put, Flathead Valley TU was represented at national TU’s Veteran Service Partnership Train-the-Trainer event in Arkansas last month.

FVTU VSP Coordinator Jim Borowski attended the conference as both a participant and a presenter.  The three day event brought in about twenty representatives from TU chapters around the country who either have a VSP program or want to start one.  Topics covered included a presentation on the scientifically proven value of recreational therapy, specifically fly fishing; suicide awareness (a significant problem among veterans), de-escalation techniques, program models, adaptive equipment, and other subjects

The conference was held at Gaston’s Resort on the banks of the famous White River just downstream from Bull Shoals Dam.  It was a joint endeavor of TU VSP and Higher Ground Sun Valley and was fully funded through a grant from the VA.  TU VSP National Coordinator, Dave Kumlien and HGSV Director of Adaptive Sports, Jeff Burley co-chaired the event. 

The last day was spent in break-out sessions where participants had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of adaptive sports equipment designed to help veterans with disabilities to fly fish.  Center stage that morning was a wheelchair accessible drift boat.  Designed by Willie Boats, this all aluminum boat has a transom that lowers to serve as a wheelchair ramp.  Once aboard, the chair can be positioned in either the front or the center of the boat.  The boat has both oars and a small outboard and is designed so that a person in a wheelchair can be fully independent when operating the boat.  It’s a remarkable piece of engineering and at least one veteran with a disability is using one to guide professionally.

No multi-day TU event is complete without the opportunity to fish and this was no exception.  Many participants booked guides during their free time to float the White in pursuit of its giant brown trout.  High discharges from Bull Shoals Dam prevented any wade fishing on the White, but some folks found wading on other area streams; including an opportunity to fish for smallmouth bass.  No monster browns were caught, but a fair number over twenty inches were landed and everyone who cast a fly had action.

TU’s Veterans Service Partnership was started in 2011 and serves all veterans, all wars, their spouses and their families.  TU wanted to reach the maximum number of veterans possible so chose this all inclusive approach.  Local chapters form their own VSP chapter and design veterans programs that work for their locale and resources.  Big or small; lots of events or just a few; all VSP activities are good; serving our vets and encouraging them to join TU in helping to insure the future of our coldwater resources.

If you’d like more information on TU VSP or what we’re doing here at FVTU contact Jim Borowski at jborowski@flatheadtu.org.