BAXTER, Minn. – Dianne Kendall carefully surveyed her surroundings as she settled in for an evening of tournament ice fishing. Ranked seventh among more than 500 female tournament anglers, Kendall wanted things to be perfect, and they were.
The satellite television reception was excellent. A fine wine was on ice. A corkscrew was at the ready. So, too, were stemmed glasses, frozen pizza, plates and napkins.
"We're all good," said the 50-year-old pathologist as she plunked onto a couch in her ice fishing house. "Now I just need some crappies to bite."
Kendall, who by day advises fellow physicians at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd, Minn., is among hundreds of women who spend evenings and other hours competing in the Ice Queen Virtual Ice Fishing Tournament. New this year, the contest is a mash-up of old-fashioned competition, smartphone technology and savvy marketing to women's interests.
"I am not aware of anything else like it," said Kristin Merwin, president of Women Anglers of Minnesota, the tournament host. "We tailored our tourney to accommodate women's busy schedules and it is working well."
How do you tailor a tournament to women?
One, you have it last weeks, not hours. This eliminates conflicts with children's weekend hockey tournaments, social events and the like. The contest began Jan. 1 and ends Feb. 28.
Two, you don't hold the event on one lake. Instead, you allow women to fish any frozen water. This eliminates hassles with overnight lodging, unpredictable driving conditions, and arrangements for family or pets. It also makes the contest affordable. In fact, the contest doesn't even have an entry fee thanks to generous corporate sponsorships.