Anglers cast aside disabilities during a weekend of fishing
11:56 PM 7/13/03
Fred McKissack Wisconsin State Journal

WAUNAKEE - She was the youngest angler in the group. Her white-blonde hair tied back, 6-year-old Randi Williams wore pink warm-up pants and a "Fishing Has No Boundaries" T-shirt and pin while sitting in her wheelchair next to her father on a pontoon boat about 300 yards off Governor's Island on Lake Mendota.

But the fish weren't biting for Randi and her father, Mike Williams, Sunday morning. They didn't seem to mind - it's a chance for the two to bond over a sport that was passed down to him by his father.

The day before, though, the fish were all but jumping into the boat when Randi caught a big crappie.

How big was it?

"This big," she said, stretching her hands out to the width of her shoulders. Randi adjusted to add a few more inches in both directions. Then she smiled and pressed her hands in a wee more.

Mike Williams, 35, of DeForest, laughed and said it was about a foot long. By noon, things picked up; the Williamses caught 30 perch and three bluegills.

Randi was one of 100 disabled children and adults, riding in a fleet of pontoon boats and vee hulls, to take part in the ninth annual Fishing Has No Boundaries, a two-day event at Governor Nelson State Park that began Saturday morning.

The participants were helped by 300 volunteers from numerous sponsor organizations, including the Yahara Fishing Club, the Wisconsin National Guard, Meriter, the Telephone Pioneers of America, the Madison Fish Expo and Land's End. They did everything from pilot boats, help get people on and off the dock, man the medical tent and clean fish to providing three meals on Saturday and two on Sunday.

Randi has spina bifida, a neural tube defect that results in the spinal cord failing to close properly during the first months of pregnancy. She almost didn't make it to this year's event because of bladder surgery. But Randi, who dreams of being a veterinarian, was determined to be here for her third outing, primarily because she's made so many friends. This is the place where she caught her first fish.

"She enjoys making friends as much as she does fishing," said Michael Williams, who also volunteers his time to help other disabled anglers. Randi helps out, too; she separated bait the night before.

Anthonette Gilpatrick, a Madison resident and board member of the Madison chapter of FHNB, said that 529 fish were caught Saturday and eaten at that evening's fish fry.

In 1988, Fishing Has No Boundaries held its first event in Hayward with 80 participants. A national chapter was formed in 1990, and this year 15 cities in eight states, including four in Wisconsin, will play host to events helping thousands of disabled people enjoy fishing.

The local chapter also offers people who have limited motor skills adaptive equipment, including motorized rods and reels, rod holders that attach to wheelchairs and can be used on harnesses, and braces and gloves for people with weaker arms and wrists.

For more information on Fishing Has No Boundaries, call 1-800-243-3462. You can find the group on the Web at www.fhnbinc.org or e-mail info@fhnbinc.org. You can also write to FHNB, P.O. Box 175, Hayward, WI, 54843.