Coach Mangold

After graduating from the University of Central Florida in May with a bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Patrick Mangold could have washed his hands of his involvement with the Reel Knights Bass Team. Instead, he decided to remain involved by serving as the club's coach.

Patrick competed in the 2008 BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship and became hooked on tournament bass fishing as a result. While preparing for the event, the Reel Knights worked with several companies to secure sponsorships to help fund the trip. They were able to negotiate agreements with East Lake Fish Camp, TackleWarehouse.com, AlluringBaits.com and the UCF Student Government Association. The experience provided Patrick with an understanding of what's required to run a team, compete in events and satisfy sponsors.

As coach of the Reel Knights, he focuses on doing whatever is necessary to take care of the details that team members have a difficult time keeping up with due to their busy schedules.

To help with communication between team members, Patrick set up a Google group account and a Twitter account to help keep members informed of upcoming activities.

He works with sponsors to ensure that both parties are satisfying each other's expectations. He also keeps the team resume updated and in front of potential sponsors that the team would like to represent. Patrick believes that it's important for sponsors to have a primary contact person to deal with to keep everything fluid and cohesive with regard to funding, discounts and product samples.

On the recruiting front, he deals with inquiries from prospective members and answers any questions they may have. Patrick will also be speaking to groups of junior anglers about collegiate bass fishing as they consider which college they'll attend.

When the team needs to travel to a tournament, he finds the best deals on lodging and works with sponsors to secure funding to help offset expenses associated with competing in tournaments. He also coordinates and updates the team's schedule of events, and verifies which members are competing in each event.

Patrick's main motivation for serving as the coach stems from what he observed when he was a member of the Reel Knights. Members were often duplicating efforts and even working against each other unknowingly.

By having one person coordinate all of the team's efforts, he's discovered that things run much more efficiently, especially as the team grows. "I found myself trying to help the team when I was working on my personal fishing career so it just made sense. They would gain from my involvement in the fishing industry and I would gain something by being their coach. It was a win-win for all involved", said Patrick.

In addition to working as an Inside Sales Representative with Ferguson Enterprises and serving as coach of the Reel Knights, Patrick writes online articles about collegiate fishing and serves as a moderator for TheBassHoles.com's college fishing section.

Patrick believes strongly in collegiate bass fishing and is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to ensure the future success of the sport and the Reel Knights.

About the Reel Knights Bass Team:

The team is part of the Reel Knights Fishing Club which is roughly 50 members strong; most of which are inshore/offshore anglers (due to the fact that many UCF students come from coastal Florida cities). The bass team currently has 10 active anglers that represent a mix of experienced tournament anglers and experienced bass anglers that will be competing for the first time. The teams' sponsors include East Lake Fish Camp, Deep South Fishing Rods, Gambler Baits, TackleWarehouse.com, JJ's Magic, Secret Lures and UCF Student Government Association. In the future, the Reel Knights hope to host a tournament series in Florida. Patrick plans to work with the leadership of other collegiate teams to coordinate the details.

For more information please visit www.ReelKnights.com.