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About mid May I received a PM, wonder of wonders, as the most I think I had done was bump a few times and voted in some polls, as I read through some of the threads in various areas of Gaia. The PM was very kind, and I was surprised by the content. It was Enadiz. heart 3nodding heart Enadiz informed me that I was on the scorecharts, and very close in score. whee With a few back and forth communications we decided on having a 'friendly competition' as Enadiz was planning on trying for a bronze in May. We started corresponding almost daily, with encouragement for eachother as well as about how many buckets we were able to fish and such. I got such a kick out of that, and I had used F bait all along, didn't really know about the bait degradation, couldn't afford A bait for the final push that month, but Enadiz managed it. And I'm proud to say Enadiz won a bronze seedkin in May 2005. 3nodding heart Little did I realize seeing the scorecharts, and Enadiz introducing me to the Top Fisher's thread would lead to a competitiveness in me. But it was so enjoyable, and reading in the Top Fisher's thread in the 'then' Fishing Forum, I really started to identify names on avatars with personalities. I started seeing who the 'regulars' were, and how they supported eachother, whether with real life problems or with fishing, or even with gold and bait difficulties for those who were fishing competitively. I really saw a 'community' that though it was based around fishing, allowed others in freely and kindly, even if it was to direct them somewhere else on the site for their needs and concerns. I saw humor, I saw caring, and just the right balance of keeping the topic mainly on fishing as it should be, with all the benefits of getting to know eachother allowed as well. And for the age group on Gaia, to me, it was a rare site indeed.

So I started sneaking into the thread from time to time, asking a few questions but trying not to upset the balance either. I know my age, and I really didn't know how 'welcome' I would be when that was revealed. I kept things very light and airy with the conversations I was having, and again it was Enadiz that broached a little further than just a casual friendship and who spoke glowingly of the people in TF and how they really do accept people as they are, no matter age or whatever. How could I resist? But I was determined, considering the name, I wanted to have a trophy, to prove to myself that I could actually belong to a group with the name of Top Fisher, though I do know that it didn't take that to be part of the community. Not only that, I had seen Gaidin with the silver trout from Gambino and I wanted a trophy like that, though at first I thought it was a staff. Still, it caught my eye and I wanted one of those. 3nodding

After consideration, and it seemed I was filtering well enough, asked all the pertinent questions, which I'm sure so many asked before me, time and time again, that people in TF and Enadiz both were kind enough to answer for me, I was going to at least try for a bronze in June. lol May ended, Enadiz had his trophy and I believe I came in 13th or 14th for the month of May in Gambino.