From Maui Jim:
Maui Jim® Inc., the world’s fastest growing manufacturer of premium polarized sunglasses, has assembled two teams of top fly fishermen to compete in The America Cup International Fly Fishing Tournament in Vail, CO, from September 20 to 23, 2012. Considered to be one of the best fly fishing venues in the United States, the tournament invites teams from around the world to cast their lines and hook one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport. Maui Jim’s teams — Team Freestone #1 and Team Freestone #2 — are comprised of past America’s Cup winners and some of the toughest veteran competitors in the United States. As part of Maui Jim’s sponsorship, famed alpine U.S. Ski Team Racer, two-time Olympian and trophy-winning tarpon-on-t he-fly champion, Andy Mill, will give the awards banquet speech on September 23 at 6 PM at the Evergreen Lodge in Vail. Where he will share stories from his fly fishing adventures around the world.
More than 70 anglers from as far away as Poland and Japan will catch and release more than 2,000 trout over three days of team competition. The tournament will raise funds for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, a program that assists with the rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing education and outings.
Maui Jim Team Freestone #1 will be led by Sean Crocker from Holland, PA. He started fishing the Northeastern Pennsylvania trout streams at four-years-old and started fly fishing 18 years ago. Since then Crocker has become a passionate, dedicated angler and active member of Bucks County Trout Unlimited. When Crocker is not working as a Physician Assistant in orthopedic surgery, you can find him on one of Pennsylvania’s many trout streams. Crocker has fly fished abroad in many countries including the Arctic Circle, Baja Peninsula and down through the Bahamas. Crocker was introduced to competitive fly fishing in 2010 as Captain of Team Freestone. Crocker wears Peahi sunglasses with Maui HT lenses from Maui Jim’s new ON THE WATER collection that are designed to enhance definition in murky conditions with proprietary PolarizedPlus2 lens technology that cuts 99.9 percent of glare and 100 percent of UV rays while enhancing color.
Dejon Hamann from Springville, NY, grew up as both a dry fly purist in the heart of the Catskill Mountains and a steelhead junkie in the middle of Steelhead Alley, Buffalo, NY. Every evening his Grandparents would take him down to fish the evening bite behind the A&P on the fabled East Branch of the Delaware River. “Sleepy” Floyd Henderson was his first tutor of the fly and instructed him on using nothing but Adams in sizes 12-18. Near his twenties he set off to test his grit in the wild and did several tours as an Alaskan Guide, first with SilverTip Lodges out of Anchorage and then Tony Sarp’s Katmai Lodge which was heralded as the largest fresh water lodge in the world at that time. Fighting off big brown bears with nothing but his knuckles and instructing rich Texan trucker barons on how to catch Sockeye Salmon by swinging egg flies became second nature to him. Hamann has fished waters from the California Redwood Streams to the Peaks of Colorado and the coast of Maine. In addition to guiding and tying/casting instruction, Hamann founded TroutLegend.com and the Troutlegend Premier Fly Fishing League. For all fishing conditions, especially overcast skies, he wears Maui Jim’s new Dorado and Seawall sunglasses in the ON THE WATER collection for water sports enthusiasts.
Steven Good from Chalfont, PA, has been fishing for 40 of his 45 years and fly fishing for the last 15 years. His passion for fly fishing intensified after getting involved with Bucks County Trout Unlimited for the last 8 years When Steve is not working, coaching youth soccer or hunting you can find him honing his fly fishing skills on the trout streams in Central PA and specifically on Penn’s Creek. Competition allows Steve the opportunity to push himself to improve. He is also enthused about instructing the next generation of fly fishermen in the needed skills to sustain the sport. Steve wears Ironwoods in Maui Jim’s MauiFlex collection of flexible metal frames. The sunglasses have Maui HT lenses that are good for fishing conditions with variable light.
Andy Koons from Perkasie, PA, was a Trout Unlimited Chapter Board Member and fly fishing enthusiast for 15 years before he heard a speech by the famed George Daniel on competitive fly fishing. That got the gears turning; and one year later Andy joined four friends on an adventure to North America’s premier fly fishing competition – The America Cup in Vail, CO – where a true competitive spirit was born. Ever since, Andy has dedicated his time to mastering Czech Nymphing and building the roots of his Regional Team Freestone in the northeastern United States. When he’s not tearing-it-up at a competition, Andy spends his time restoring old British sports cars, searching for antique pinball machines and waiting patiently for deer to cross his path. Andy wears Maui Jim’s Peahi sunglasses with Maui HT lenses from Maui Jim’s new ON THE WATER collection for variable conditions. The glare-reducing properties of the lenses allow fisherm en to better see the fish under the water.
Maui Jim Team Freestone #1 is rounded out by BJ Haegele from Furlong, PA. He grew up fishing in central Pennsylvania and perfected his skills in his early 20s working with distinguished anglers known for their casting perfection and fly-tying precision. Last year, he competed in The America’s Cup with some of the world’s finest anglers. He is the Vice President of the Bucks County Trout Unlimited. His other interests include rock climbing, bow hunting and Philadelphia Flyers hockey. BJ wears Peahi with HCL® Bronze lenses from Maui Jim’s new ON THE WATER collection that provide the ultimate wrap-around protection from wind, debris, UV rays and glare from above, below and behind each lens.
Maui Jim Team Freestone # 2 includes fishermen, Mark Hanes from Brookville, PA;
Crocker Baker from Jackson Hole, WI; Jamie Tehonica from Allentown, PA; David Bond from Devon, PA; and Charlie Card from Dutch John, UT.
Maui Jim’s Team Freestone #2 will be led Mark Hanes from Brookville, PA. A twenty-year veteran of the rivers, he is an expert at small native trout, as well as big trophy brown trout. Hanes honed his skills at an early age on the waters of the Clarion River and other streams around north central Pennsylvania. Hanes currently fishes more than 100 days a year and has been on the competitive circuit for the past three years. He is currently the Active Chapter President and Northwest Regional Vice President of the State Council of Trout Unlimited, the national organization with 140,000 volunteer members that works to conserve, protect and restore North America’s cold water fisheries and their watersheds. He also has appeared on Fly Rod Chronicles. Hanes wears Maui Jim’s Peahi sunglasses in Burgundy Tortoise with HCL Bronze lenses from Maui Jim’s new ON THE WATER collection that are designed for fishing in everyday variable conditions.
Joining Mark is Sean Baker who was part of the Silver Medal-winning team at last year’s tournament. Baker, who grew up in Maine, specializes in both fresh and saltwater fly fishing. In addition to his experience in the eastern United States, he cut his chops for wild brown trout in Europe and the United Kingdom. Upon his return to the United States, he took up residence in Jackson Hole, WI, where he is a full-time guide along the local rivers. During the winter, Baker is a full-time ski coach at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. “Maui Jim is a terrific sponsor for our team because the polarized protection in their glasses lets you see through the water,” said Baker. “This is a distinct advantage during competition because you can land the perfect cast right where the fish are biting.” Baker wears Hamoa Beach in White with Maui Rose lenses for darker days and Longboard with HCL Bronze lenses for every day conditions – both styles a re part of Maui Jim’s new ON THE WATER collection.
Jamie Tehonica from Allentown, PA, is an avid angler, fly tier, instructor and conservationist. Originally from northern New York where he was raised fishing the streams, rivers and lakes of the St. Lawrence River Valley, Tehonica is dedicated to refining the myriad of fly fishing styles and techniques involved in competition fly fishing. When Tehonica is not busy directing web development teams at an industry-leading e-commerce company, you’ll often find him on one of central and southeastern Pennsylvania’s many trout streams. In his spare time, Tehonica provides educational instruction in fly casting, fishing and fly tying to students in Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. Tehonica wears Seawall and Offshore sunglasses with Maui HT lenses from Maui Jim’s new ON THE WATER collection that are designed to enhance definition in murky conditions with proprietary PolarizedPlus2 lens technology that cuts 99.9 percent of glare and 100 per cent of UV rays while enhancing color.
David Bond, has been fly fishing for over 20 years and in that time has been very fortunate to have fished not only many states in the USA but also many other countries. Originally from Scotland, Bond was introduced to the sport of fly fishing at an early age and instantly fell in love with the sport. Fishing the Lochs and rivers of Scotland he scored everything from grayling and trout to salmon. After running the competition circuit, he decided to move to the United States and become a trout bum. His first stop was to a ranch in Wyoming where he guided hunting and fishing expeditions. After a few years, Bond moved to Pennsylvania to explore new water, along with some Brookies and Steelhead. Bond is a commercial pilot which allows him to fish different parts of the world. He recently returned from the Republic of Palau in the Pacific Ocean where the locals were curious about his fly rod because they had never seen fly fishing. One of the young fishermen on the island challenged Bond to a competition, “All I can say is: David 1 and kid 0. But, I am pleased to say that the kid is now a fly fisher.” Bond wears Maui Jim’s Stingray and Canoes from the ON THE WATER collection and Ironwoods from the MauiFlex collection of sunglasses.
Rounding out the team is Utah’s Charlie Card, who started fly fishing at the age of 11 by raiding his mother’s sewing kits, trapping and shooting his own dubbing, and reducing the plumage of the resident chicken coop to create his flies. His training on this rudimentary gear quickly honed his skills; and by age 15, he published a fly pattern and sold enough flies to buy his first drift boat. For the past 17 years, he has been trolling the majestic Green River in Utah and Wyoming. Card recently accepted a position with the Sportsmen’s Conservation Project of Trout Unlimited. Card also is a fly designer for Montana Fly Company and is a member of the pro staffs with R.L. Winston Rod Company and Boulder Boat Works. “I don’t care if success comes from the medal around my neck or the mastery of a broadened knowledge of the sport,” said Card, “as long as it means getting in the water with my Maui Jims, enjoying the beauty ar ound me and getting my waders wet.” Card wears Aloha Friday with the Maui HT lens for cloudy days and breaks out the Honolua Bay with HCL Bronze lenses for all other fishing conditions.
Andy Mill is part of the Maui Jim team of Ambassadors. Andy was primarily a downhiller, and was the best in the U.S. in that event from 1974-81. He also skied the World Cup circuit from 1974-81 with seven top 10 finishes, all in downhill or combined. He then began a career in the ski industry, working as a ski racing commentator on television, and with a syndicated show that is shown in many of the major U.S. ski areas, called “Ski with Andy Mill.” A lifelong angler, Andy spent the last two decades in furious pursuit of Tarpon on the fly. He applied his stamina and grace as an athlete, his intense ability to focus, and his exceptional instincts as a hunter to reach the pinnacle of this exciting sport. Andy has won a record 11 Tarpon tournaments and is the only fly fisherman to ever win a Tarpon, Bonefish and Permit tournament. Mill is the author of A Passion for Tarpon, a book that has been described as the most technical and up-to-date book about h ow to catch giant tarpon with a fly rod. The book is a master class in fishing, with no short cuts; and features first-hand collected knowledge by Andy on the development of flies and tackle, fishing techniques, tarpon research, conservation and more. Andy wears several styles of Maui Jim sunglasses, including Peahi and Ironwoods, based on fishing conditions.
For additional information on The America Cup International Fly Fishing tournament, visit theamericacup.com.
Maui Jim, Inc.® is the fastest growing premium polarized sunglass maker in the world. The company’s reputation is based on the development of advanced technologies for double and single gradient lenses that reduce 100 percent of harmful UVA and UVB rays and cut glare from above, below and behind each lens by 99.9 percent. Maui Jim uses up to 9 layers of protection built into each lens, including the company’s proprietary polarized film, PolarizedPlus®2, that produces true, vivid colors. Maui Jim was voted favorite sunglasses company and best sunglasses for women by optical retailers and readers of Vision Monday, 20/20 Magazine and Eye Care Products magazine in 2011. Visit MauiJim.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @OfficialMauiJim.
