Another in a continuing series of Q & A interviews with Trinity student-athletes.

Trent Thomas, a leader on the Rocks bass fishing team, competed for three years under the direction of head coach Mr. Mike Chancellor, who will serve as team moderator this year.  Head coach Kevin Hunt and assistant coach Lee Rivette will direct the team this year.

Thomas spoke last spring of his time fishing for the Rocks and the season being cut short by COVID-19.

Q: How did the abrupt ending to your season affect you?

A: As much as I fish just for fun, fishing is also a source of money for me (in the form of scholarship money), and I fish non-school-related tournaments as well for some money. Just the loss of this source of money takes its own toll on my life currently. Also, the more tournaments I can fish, the more recognition I get from other colleges. Losing all these opportunities has left somewhat of a hole in my life for the moment.

Q: What are your goals with the bass fishing team?

A: My biggest goal in fishing right now is to make the national high school fishing tournament. With this, I get to go on stage at the Bass Master Classics, which is a professional fishing tournament. Missing the regional tournament cancels one of my opportunities to qualify for the national tournament, making it significantly harder to complete this goal.

Q: What has fishing taught you?

A: Patience is a virtue. Obviously, fishing has a lot to do with patience. It taught me that patience with people can be extremely important, just as it can be in fishing. No one is perfect, and we shouldn’t be so quick to anger. That will get you nowhere socially, just like having zero patience will get you nowhere in fishing.

Q: What do you miss most because the season was canceled? 

A: I’m going to miss seeing my teammates, as being on the water creates a different, special connection. Having so much in common with someone just based off the sport we are playing is fascinating. It also builds connections through the team effort that fishing requires (in) a partnered tournament.

Q: Is there any advice you can give to other spring sport athletes who lost their seasons?

A: Put in time towards your sport on your own. Personally, I haven’t let quarantine keep me away from fishing. I have already been out on the water four times since we’ve been out of school, and that does not include the times I have gone to a pond near me. You can’t just take a break and shake the rust off later. Don’t even let the        rust form.

Q: How has fishing impacted you over the years?

A: Fishing has been a route for my future. I don’t want to fish professionally, but it still creates a way to help me through college. Currently with $31,000 in scholarship money already, it has been extremely important for a successful future. The more scholarship money I get, the less debt I deal with post college.

Q: When did you begin to see fishing as a sport?

A: I saw it as a sport freshman year at Trinity. I heard about it going into Trinity, but I wasn’t exactly sure how serious it would be. I definitely did not realize how much it was going to help me after I leave Trinity as well. I thought it would be fishing for fun. I was shocked to figure out how competitive it really is.

Q: Up to this season, would you do anything differently?

A: My freshman year, I was very unmotivated. You can ask Coach (Mike) Chancellor; he will tell you. I didn’t take it seriously at all. Thankfully enough, I wised up and took it seriously. This turned out to be extremely beneficial to my future, and freshman year I never would have guessed it would take me as far as it has.