Lopez And Team Adjust Accordingly
While the majority of attention fell on B.A.S.S. Tournament Director Trip Weldon during last week's weather shortened Elite Series event on the St. John's RIver, Director of Event Operations Eric Lopez had his own battles to fight. Lopez and his staff were given a very challenging set of circumstances to deal with in Palatka, FL but in typical fashion dealt with them accordingly. "While the anglers and the fishing are obviously a focal point of our events, there are a lot of moving parts that are involved with our expo as well. From law enforcement, to vendors and entertainers, when weather throws us a curve ball all of that has to be rescheduled and adjusted," says Lopez. With the Palatka stop being one of the historically highest attended events on the schedule, Lopez felt it was imperative that they received as much of the full Bassmaster Elite Series experience as possible. "Palatka has always been a great stop for us on the schedule, and the fans always show up to support us. While weather forced the cancellation of two days of our event, our team pulled together to give the community the best experience possible given the circumstances." Lopez concluded. The Palatka community turned out in droves per usual, packing Riverfront Park to watch Paul Mueller hoist his second career Elite Series trophy, even though the event concluded on a Monday.
