An 89-foot fishing tender helped Haines’ wrestling team reach the state tournament in Anchorage
The Haines wrestling team hadn’t even arrived at the state tournament yet, and it already had its back to the mat: Pinned down by a blizzard and unable to leave Haines, the Glacier Bears were in jeopardy of being disqualified from competing at state. But a local fishing boat owner offered to get the team to Juneau and, despite some choppy seas, helped deliver the Haines team to state. Brent Crowe, whose son is an eighth-grade wrestler in Haines, heard about the team’s difficulties. He offered to shuttle the team to Juneau on the Pavlov, his 89-foot tender. The team got the OK from school administrators and took the trip overnight into Thursday morning. Winds were still high but the team and coaches left around 6 p.m., traveling overnight in what was about a 12-hour voyage. The Pavlov encountered some high winds and 6- to 7-foot waves, and one wrestler experienced a little seasickness, according to Hale, but the team made it to Juneau in time to catch a flight. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 12:27
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