Thursday, March 12, 2009
A sad goodbye to Sportsman's Warehouse
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
For many outdoorsmen, word this week that the Sportsman’s Warehouse store in Roanoke is closing was not unlike learning of the death of a friend. It was a shock, although not entirely unexpected considering the sorry state of the economy. Already some employees were suspicious that there were problems at the Utah-based company when delivery trucks started showing up bearing merchandise from other stores.
The company said it is closing 23 of its nearly 70 stores and selling 15 others located mostly in the Northwest to the huge Canada-based UFA Co-op, a the farm store and petroleum outlet business. The Roanoke store, the only one in Virginia, is among the ones being liquidated. The timeframe at this writing has not been announced.
If you are a hunter or angler you had to like the fact that the 40,000 square foot store was dedicated entirely to outdoor sports, and you could find things that had been available only from mail-order businesses prior to its November 2007 arrival.
There were no lawnmowers or sacks of fertilizer to remind you of work to be done, or even golf clubs and exercise machines. Just hunting, fishing, sports shooting, boating, camping, hiking and related outdoor gear and gimmicks as the business lived up to its motto of “Great Indoors for those who love the Great Outdoors.”
The Roanoke Valley had never seen anything like it. Sure, you could find outdoor gear at a couple of big-box stores, but you had to stroll through a bunch of unrelated stuff to get to a much smaller selection and sometimes talk to clerks who had limited knowledge of what they sold.
The Sportsman’s Warehouse was pure outdoors if you discount some of the candy and nuts being trolled up front. Its staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and too soon they will be out of a job. Before it opened, you had to travel a long way to a Bass Pro Shops store in Hampton or Charlotte if you wanted to experience a mega-outdoor store.
Crowds showed up when the doors opened at Sportsman’s Warehouse just off Hershberger Road near William Fleming High School. The hunting season was on and Christmas was coming, but a lot of the traffic was lookers. The business simply wasn’t attracting the sales it needed, which became increasingly evident if you visited on a late winter evening.
It didn’t help the business when in April a 65,000 square foot Gander Mountain store opened a few miles away. Then there were two neat mega-outdoor stores vying for business where there had been none just mouths earlier. Outdoorsmen debated if the region could muster enough business for both to survive. The answer was a sad no, but this wasn’t just a Roanoke thing. It was occurring across the country.
You have to wonder what would have happened if the economy hadn’t crashed. Or what might have been the result had Sportsman’s Warehouse been given more time to put down roots. Let’s hope we can hang onto Gander Mountain.
During its short stay, Sportsman’s Warehouse proved to be an excellent citizen. It didn’t just give generously to causes that included Hunters for the Hungry and the National Wild Turkey Federation, the staff often attended functions and provided meeting space. It is difficult to count all the ways that it will be missed.
BILL
ROANOKE VALLEY ARCHERS SCORE WELL
Roanoke Valley archers dominated the recent National Archery in the Schools tournament held in Fishersville and sponsored by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
The tournament was the culminating event of the Virginia schools program, which last year involved 90,000 state students in more than 160 schools. This was the first year the tournament was held in a single location. DGIF outdoor education supervisor Daren Holson called it “a fantastic turnout.”
The school’s program started in Kentucky in 2002 and rapidly has been spreading across the country. DGIF staff and volunteers have trained 530 Virginia teachers in more than 200 schools. Archery equipment has been provided by DGIF in more than 165 schools.
Wayne Veldsman of Roanoke's Hidden Valley High School and Sarah Leser of Warwick High School were overall individual champs.
Wayne Veldsman of Roanoke’s Hidden Valley High School and Sarah Leser of Warwick High School were the tournament’s overall state boy/girl individual champions.
Hidden Valley swept the overall Virginia State Championship Team placing members in the top three slots: Wayne Veldsman, 267, Tay Whiteside, 265 and Brad Hugus, 258.
Other first place finishers were:
ELEMENTARY GIRLS: Peyton Edmondson, 150, Rocky Run Elementary School.
ELEMENTARY BOYS: Isiah Gibbs, 187, An Achievable Dream Academy Elementary School.
MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS: Becca Lester, 234, Northside (Roanoke) Middle School.
MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS: Daniel Feivor, 254, Northside Middle School.
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS: Danni Foster, 281, Warwick High School.
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS: Wayne Veldsman, 267, Hidden Valley High School.
BILL
PARKS LOOKING FOR YOUTH WORKERS
If you are age 14 to 17, like to work outdoors and want to make some money this summer, boy does the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation have a deal for you.
DCR is putting together a Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps where participants will assist park officials in an assortment of projects that range from wildlife and fisheries habitat improvement to trail and campground construction and restoration.
Two three-week sessions are scheduled: June 21-July 11 and July 19-Aug. 8. Crew members are provided room, board and equipment and receive a $500 stipend at the end of their session.
For information, check virginiastateparks.gov.
BILL
Guide Dale Wilson onto big bass at Smith Mountain Lake
BASS ACTIVE AT SMITH MOUNTAIN
Dale Wilson, Smith Mountain Lake guide, landed a 9-pound largemouth bass last weekend, one of seven bass and a 15-pound striper taken during an outing at the lake.
A week earlier, he reported catching eight bass in less than 3 hours.
The fish were caught in approximately 10 feet of water on a crankbait.
“I think fishing will be great with the warming temperature,” Wilson said.
A 9-pound largemouth is an exceptional catch for Smith Mountain and other lakes across the state.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
- Roanoke City officials are taking a fresh look at establishing an urban archery season, something they rejected several years ago, choosing instead to hire a contractor to deal with herd control.
- North Carolina has opened an ever so slight crack in its Sunday hunting ban with a regulation that will allow bowhunting on private land this fall on Sundays. Meanwhile, in Virginia this was the first year in recent memory when legislation to establish Sunday hunting was not presented in the Virginia General Assembly.
- An estimated 2.3 million flounder died last season after recreational anglers released them to meet stringed size limits. That is the word from the Recreational Fishing Alliance. Anglers in Virginia this year will be required to release flounder that measure less than 19 inches, the same as last year. The Alliance reported that the number of flounder that die after being released is similar to the number of legal fish that anglers take home.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
National Capital Boat Show, March 13-15, Chantilly.
Third annual Mid-Atlantic Kayak Fishing Symposium, Wild River Outfitters, Virginia Beach, March 14, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., March 23, Warrenton, Taylor Middle School.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., March 23, Woodstock, Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., March 24, Richmond, DGIF headquarters, 4000 West Broad Street.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., March 24, Farmville, Prince Edward County High School.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., March 24, Abingdon, Abingdon High School.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., March 25. Franklin, Paul D. Camp Community College Regional Workforce Development Center.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., March 26, Augusta County, Buffalo Gap High School.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., March 26, Salem, Glenvar Middle School.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., March 26, Warsaw, Warsaw Campus.
Appalachian Highlands Chapter Ruffed Grouse Society Sportsmen’s Banquet, March 28, Holiday Inn, Johnson City, Tenn., information from Donna Vance.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting/trapping proposal public input meeting, 7 p.m., April 1, Chatham, Chatham High School.
Roanoke Valley chapter National Wild Turkey Federation banquet, April 2, Corned Beef & Co., $55 single, $80 couple, ticket info from Crystal Hockenbery, 366-9700.
Smith Mountain Striper Club meeting, Aril 3, 7 p.m. Moneta Community Center.
Tidewater Boat Show, April 3-5, Hampton.
Youth spring turkey hunting day, April 4, 2009.
Smith Mountain Striper Club Spring Striper Tournament, April 4, 5 a.m.-4 p.m., weigh-in at Captain’s Quarters, tournament chairman is Frank Skillman, 540-721-1220.
2009 spring gobbler season, April 11-May 16.
Ninth Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, April 18 and 19, on the banks of the South River in Waynesboro, $15.
Bassmaster Blue Ridge Brawl, Smith Mountain Lake, April 23-26, Parkway Marina, Huddleston.
North Carolina State University Sport Fishing School, May 31-June 4, Hatteras, N.C., $1,445, limited to 45 participants.
Board meeting of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to finalize hunting/trapping regulations, 9 a.m., June 2, DGIF headquarters, 4000 West Broad St., Richmond.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
