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Katrina "showin" the love!
Three
years ago, Katrina DeHaven of Scottsdale, Arizona was told by
her doctor that if she didn’t find a hobby and get outdoors, she
was going to die. Katrina, then 29 years old, had no problem
deciding what she wanted to do. Without hesitation, she put her
successful marketing career on hold and headed for the nearest
tackle shop. She started catching rides to the lake with any
angler who was kind enough and smart enough to see that she was
serious and eager to learn all she could about the sport of bass
fishing.
Katrina is no stranger to fishing.
Her father who passed away 10 years ago had been her mentor as
she grew up in the Liberty, New York, a small town in the
Catskill Mountains. Her memories of their fishing adventures are
vivid now as she travels around the United States chasing her
dream. Katrina’s mother, on the other hand, has been hard to win
over to the idea that her daughter wants to fish for a living.
Her mother came from the Philippines in 1964 through the
Fulbright-Hayes Scholarship program and wanted her daughter to
pursue a more traditional career. Katrina is slowly winning her
over to the idea and knows in her heart, her mother is proud of
her.
While most professional anglers get
their start in local and weekend club tournaments, Katrina chose
to dive head first into the national tournament scene. She lived
out of her Land Rover and was able to qualify for food stamps
since she had no permanent address or job. She befriended many
tournament anglers and truck drivers who knew her circumstances
and they would keep tabs on her and make sure she had a safe
place to park and sleep. Some of her sponsors re-routed trucks
to go through Arizona to make sure she had enough money for food
and buy gas to make it to the next event. She says she wasn’t
afraid to travel alone and sleep in her vehicle. Her biggest
fear was being stung by bees. Katrina is highly allergic to them
and she left notes on the dash of the Land Rover each night
stating if she was found dead, that more than likely it was from
a bee sting.
Katrina has had multiple surgeries
since the age of 13. She is presently battling osteoporosis and
recovering from a surgery she had on her right hand and forearm
last year. Dr. Arthur J. Ting, M.D. in Fremont, California was
her surgeon. He has performed surgery on many superstar athletes
and movie stars. Katrina was his first bass angler so he took
really good care of her. She stayed in California for a month
after the surgery for rehabilitation. She was unable to fish
from June to November 15, 2005. She finally convinced her doctor
she was ready to use her fishing as therapy and get back on the
water. She says that Dr. Ting and she jokes and say that he
installed a bionic arm for the 2006 tours she is fishing.
Another doctor who is truly a
god-send to Katrina is Dr. Edouard Mouaikel, M.D. of Associated
Internists of Ahwatukee, Arizona. Katrina states that he is one
of the few doctors in her world that takes the time to sit with
her and go over all medications and medical procedures. She
feels guilty because he never rushes her. He and his staff are
always there for her and tries to make sure that she is 100% to
fish. Dr. Mouaikel is famous for saying to Katrina; “I will
never give up on you”. Katrina finds it hard to believe there
are still doctors in 2006 with this positive and supportive
attitude.
Katrina knows that with the advice
of her doctors and angling friends she will live a happier,
healthier life. The rugged schedule demands as a tournament
angler helps to keep her focused on the future. She would love
to be the first woman to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.
Someday, she hopes to fulfill another dream of helping to build
an orphanage in the
Philippines. Katrina is a Christian angler and
believes that God has already rewarded her and she has been
blessed from all the experiences and people she has met in her
journey to pursue her dreams. She knows that life can only get
better.
Her 50 plus tournaments over the
past 3 years has put her in the company of some big name pros
who have schooled her on tournament bass fishing. Her most
recent adopted angling family is Jimmy and Lucy Mize whose
daughter Melinda is one of Katrina’s closest friends. She met
Lucy and Jimmy at a Classic in North Carolina and they gave her
their phone number and asked her if she would take care of their
daughter Melinda when she went out to fish the West. She is
grateful for the 5-minute encounter with the Mize family that
has made such a positive impact on her life. Lucy’s constant
advice to Katrina is “to save your money”.
Katrina fishes the Western and
North East Division of the FLW Stren Series (formerly FLW
Everstart Series).and the Citco Bassmaster Western Open circuit.
She will be fishing the Women’s Bassmaster Tour this year. She
believes in giving back to others and is a member of the Fish to
Cure Diabetes Pro Team who help raise money for diabetes
research and public awareness. She has fished the Won Bass
circuit out west and the U.S. Open and she was the only female
to represent the United States as a member of the U.S. Euro-Cup
in Madrid, Spain. They won the first title in 2004.
And what does this multi-cultural
girl from New York like to do when she isn’t fishing? She loves
to 2-step and swing to country music. While growing up, she
dreamed of being an opera singer. Go figure!
Her sponsors include Triton Boats, Mercury
Outboards, Lowrance, Pro Worms, Reaction Innovations, Pepper
Custom Baits, Fish to Cure Diabetes Pro Team, Reel Grips,
Complete Marine, Keelshield, Snag Proof, Gary Yamamoto Custom
Baits, Jilly’s American Grill-Scottsdale, and Kinami
Baits.
Katrina DeHaven
Scottsdale, Arizona
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