by Steve “Tuna” Tornovish
Jesse Cole is a visionary. Wait, you don’t know who Jesse Cole is? I bet you do. Or, at least, I bet you’ve seen him. Jesse is the tall guy in the bright yellow tuxedo and top hat who formed the Savannah Bananas baseball team and subsequently created Banana Ball. Yes, that’s the game that is selling out major league baseball (and football) stadiums across the country. It started because Jesse Cole had a vision that baseball could be so much more than it is. It was a vision that became his passion.
The Banana Ball players learned early on that one of the cornerstones of Jesse’s vision was his mantra: Every game was someone’s first game, their first exposure to the sport. Thus, it’s important for every player, for every cast member, to leave it all out on the field and give your all to everyone kind enough to have shown up. The results clearly demonstrate that this is a winning philosophy. Banana Ball has become an American cultural phenomenon.
Nantucket native and fishing guide extraordinaire Tammy King also had a vision. She wants to see female anglers on the island beaches fishing as well as any male angler. And, with a passion equal to that of the man in the yellow tux, Tammy is making her vision a reality. Tammy recently held a women’s fishing seminar and, much like Cole’s vision, the results clearly show that Tammy hit a long, long home run.
“My vision was to develop a safe, encouraging space for women to come together, to empower each other in something that feels uncomfortable doing for their first time. As I relive this moment, every part of my dream has come true. Everything I envisioned. There’s just so many emotions that came with this. I hugged and cried with women who have conquered something that they had inside them. To live that moment—to be part of that—it was much more than lining up on a beach and fishing. It’s really about empowering each other and having a safe space. More than 70 women attended!”
Sarah Morneau was one of those 72 ladies. She told me, “I signed up at the last minute after some encouragement from friends and it turned out to be my favorite night of the summer so far. Tammy’s enthusiasm and passion for fishing is contagious. To have that many women together along the shoreline, casting into the water
as the sun was setting was magical—all while supporting a good cause. I left feeling inspired and ready to get out there and fish more!”
Tammy’s passion for getting women out onto the beach is not a new development. This is her fourth annual event of this type, all timed to help support the August Blues – Nantucket tournament. Tammy asked for donations from her attendees to help support Parent’s Project Muscular Dystrophy, a group dedicated to the fight to end Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This battle is the reason that the August Blues tournament was originated.
“My hope for each year is to increase the number of anglers signing up and that’s exactly what happened. From the first year of 12 women attending to 18 in the second year – wow! Our event last year, the third year, took place in the middle of a nor’easter! It was crazy, with the winds and rain but 27 ladies showed up! And this year, we had 77 sign up and 72 attended! It’s beyond exciting!”
Tammy is the first to say that she couldn’t do this alone. She gives a lot of love to two of her friends, Heather Unruh and Remy Schaefer Stressenger, for all of their efforts. “Remy and Heather were a powerhouse team, donating their time, raffle items, and their voices to get the word out.” Tammy also thanked the many local vendors who donated to make the event such a wonderful time, including both local tackle stores. And finally, Tammy was so grateful for the women with fishing experience who stepped up to help the newbies with their casting. It was exactly what she had dreamed.
My friend Jocelyn Wong was a first-timer at this most recent event. Jocelyn was still abuzz telling me about it days later: “It was so cool. One of the most memorable Nantucket evenings ever for me! There were more than 70 ladies out there. Tammy was so great! After she taught proper casting techniques, we went one by one, down the beach. By the end, we were all casting, chatting, laughing, and sharing the most amazing sunset! We all had Hawaiian leis that we were wearing. Our feet were in the beautiful warm water as we watched the sun set. All I could think was wow, this could be Hawaii!”
Jocelyn told me that her friend, Dr. Sarah Trainor Bois, had told her about the event and urged her to sign up. Jocelyn did. She also invited her friends, Nantucket Police Chief Jody Kasper and her partner Melissa. “We had this unforgettable evening enjoying the island, meeting new friends and learning something new. Chief Jody couldn’t stop fishing! Only a women’s fishing clinic would have a catered snack bar, pink floral plates, and a raffle!”
Chief Kasper said, “It was a fantastic event on a perfect Nantucket summer evening. It was great to be out on the beach and learning a new skill, along with other women interested in surfcasting. We’re looking forward to learning more!”
The always enthusiastic Jocelyn added, “We’re already planning our own fishing outings! We know that we love it so on a nice night we’ll all go out again!”
And there it is. Tammy’s vision, coming to fruition. An amazing, ambitious plan that came together. And it’s a wonderful thing.
So when we see kids playing outside, throwing bright yellow baseballs and practicing trick plays, we can thank Jesse Cole for enduring all that he did to make his dream come true. Likewise, when we see our beaches filled with strong, determined women fishing (and catching!), we can tip our collective caps to Tammy King. Job well done!
Steve “Tuna” Tornovish is a Nantucket native who has spent his life fishing from the beaches of his beloved island. He loves to introduce clients to the joy of fishing with his Nantucket Island Fishing Adventures: stevetuna.com
