The importance of getting our children involved in outdoor activities.

                As a father of three it is becoming more and more difficult to get our kids to explore nature. They go to school all day, come home and do homework, eat dinner, take showers and before you know it, bed time. A few times a week we also have to manage sports practices, and the occasional running of errands. The weekends are when we try to cram in all of the housework and look to spend time with each other. The large structured family life leaves little time to go camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, and all of the other fun things needed in a child’s life. The importance of being outdoors as a child go beyond just getting some sun. 

1)      Social life

Having children go outside and participate in outdoor activities allows them to interact with others in a non-constricted environment.  By interacting with other children outside, a child improves their self-confidence, improve their feeling of acceptance, it helps learn to interact with others with limited resources, and helps gain new friendships. There is also a undeniable bond with family as well. Teaching a child how to get involved with an outdoor sport or activity strengthens the bond between parent and child. According to Healthyplace.org being outdoors can help “Find common ground topics and activities immune to judgments and criticisms”, allowing for a better relationship experience. 

2)      Creative thinking

Here’s a stick, what can you make out of it? Well if you are a 90’s child like myself I would automatically become Donatello from the ninja turtles. But research shows that being outdoors improves creative thinking skills. Using their creative thinking to have fun outdoors exercises the brain, and opens up new windows of opportunity to explore and create new things. Building a fort out of scraps or claiming the small creek is lava and you can’t touch it are common ways for a child to get creative. It may seem silly to us adults, but the effort used to make up those scenarios are extremely beneficial. Besides the extreme creativity, problem solving skills are developed through creative thinking. For example, last week I took my daughter fishing from the shore of a local lake. She asked if we could fish by the bridge since “there was shade for the fishes and we could let our legs hang off”.

3)      Exercise

This should seem obvious but in reality it is often overshadowed. Most kids in contemporary America get less than one hour of exercise a day. While structured sports are essential and beneficial, doing the same drills everyday can become boring and may not allow every muscle group to get a workout. Playing outside increases balance, motor skills, endurance, strength, and pain tolerance. According to Robyn Bjorrnson, executive at the Children and Nature Network, “It damages physical and mental health, contributing to nature-deficit disorder, which is the term used to describe the human costs of alienation from nature.” How has this effected our youth? Here are the facts about obesity in our children from 2-19 years old, according to the American Heart Association.

    For non-Hispanic whites, 17.5 percent of males and 14.7 percent of females.

    For non-Hispanic blacks, 22.6 percent of males and 24.8 percent of females.

    For Mexican Americans, 28.9 percent of males and 18.6 percent of females.

The long term effects of this rising obesity rate has effected childhood diabetes, heart and lung defects, and has also had negative effects on mental wellbeing. Exercising outside also helps a ton of vitamin D through sunlight, which researchers claim has decreased in children during their most important periods of growth.

4)      Mental strength

Being outside generally makes people happier. The freedom of not being enclosed and having the sense of exploration is very beneficial. A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Essex and published by the mental health organization Mind found that taking a walk in nature reduced depression scores in 71 percent of participants. That’s pretty good, considering an estimated 5 percent of adolescents suffer from some type of depression. The sun, fresh air, open play space, and the feeling of being able to explore all contribute to positive mental health in children.

This new idea of “green therapy” doesn’t have to be expensive either. Just taking children to a local park or nature trail for an hour or two will boost their mental awareness and focus. One of the biggest complaints (including my own) is the lack of resources to help parents get their children outside. While many outdoor enthusiasts make the outdoors part of their lifestyle, not everyone is involved in these activities. Check your State website for a list of state parks in your area. Many of these parks have programs dedicated to child education and programs dedicated to the outdoors. Many programs are free or cost a few dollars with the parents being free. There has also been a large conservation effort to gets kids outside, the decline in hunters, anglers, and campers has been increasing over the last decade.  Below are some links to help with getting children engaged with the outdoors. 

https://www.raiseemoutdoors.com

Erin Crooks is a Northwest Mom who is also an outdoor enthusiast. Her site offers summer camps around the country and also has a very cool link that allows you to donate or request outdoor gear for children. 

https://www.childrenandnature.org/

This is a global network that has been gaining a lot of interest, their mission is to connect children to the outdoors. They have a program for kids living in the city to get outside and explore, and offer countless resources to help the reader engage their youth.

The big rise of small fishing businesses

                Open up any outdoor magazine and you will more than likely find ads and stories from the same 10 powerhouse companies. The product reviews always reflect the companies who pay for full page ads, and the biased is found between the lines. It works, successful companies don’t make it to the top without marketing strategies and everyone has to tip their hat to what they have accomplished…Or do they?

                Over the last 10 years there has been a secret uprising, a bunch of small town companies have started popping up all over the country. They sell fishing supplies which include any kind of baits, tee shirts, hats, rods, reels, and there is even a company who sells homemade bobbers. The power of the internet deserves most of the credit for this uprising. Social media giants such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and my personal favorite GoWild have given ambitious anglers the power to market their ideas for free. There are free web builders such as Wix and Godaddy, and free blog sites such as wordpress and blogger (the site you are on now). Anyone with the passion to be successful can be, but it also takes vision. A vision to be different than any other business out there. And not just the big companies, you need to be able to compete with the little guys as well. So how can this happen? After talking with three great guys who took a vision and made it successful, I found that it actually takes more than a vision, it takes a rebellion.

TND Lures

            

    TND lures is a rising soft plastic company that has been getting a lot of attention on social media. Tyler and Nick are brother in laws who reside in a small town where the local Walmart is the only fishing store for miles. I asked the guys what sparked their interest in starting a line of soft plastics.

 “We wanted to be able to make different colors that you could not find any more or colors you haven't seen before…. We have tested many different variations out and are finding what truly works for us”. 

Their brand consists of bright, vibrant colors and glitter to attract the attention of fish. The extra time and effort spent in handcrafting these lures isn’t something you will find on Walmart shelves. Tyler and Nick take pride in their work. Besides hand crafting every bait, they inspect every bait before they sell it. Big companies that either purchase their baits overseas or mass produce lures in a factory don’t put any time or effort into the quality of the product.  According to Nick,

 “It may be time consuming but once you start making your own plastic baits, you realize the small defects you may look over when you buy them. Once we started making our own, we went back and looked over some baits from other companies and bigger companies still have small defects. No, it may not affect how they work or you may not notice them if you don't make your own, but they are still there”.

                The Ohio natives hope to expand their business into new and used fishing gear and open a store in their hometown of Washington court house. Like many small businesses, TND started out as a hobby, a part time gig with a dream of being a full time success. Every week it seems as though the company is putting out new products. Stick baits, crawfish, ribbed grubs, etc. The amount of color they put in their products is something to behold. The guys wanted something new and fresh, and that’s what they did. Their Instagram account has 20k followers, compared to the 2k that they had when I met them 2 months ago. The prostaffers are very loyal and active on social media. That is a huge marketing factor, having everyday anglers and pros backing a company that relates to their brand and vision.

NWEO

                North West Extreme Outfitters may sound familiar if you follow my blog. Steve Lamb founded the company, a retired Veteran from Boise ID. The company specializes in spinnerbaits, called tactical tackle. His brand is unique compared to others in that tactical tackle fixes everything that is wrong on the big name market. As a veteran he understands the importance of USA made, and USA quality.

   “For me starting a tackle company was about offering something that was USA made at an affordable price. I was tired of seeing the “made in China” stamp on everything year after year as prices kept going through the roof”.

 I own five of these spinners and what I have learned about spinner baits through reviewing his products is astonishing. Any lure in any size is heavier, made with better materials, and is crafted better than any other spinner I’ve owned. The NWEO brand is known for this quality and for its willingness to give back. Some products offered support large charities, something that is very appealing to the American market.

          

      Being able to relate to a market with limited resources is tough. Looking at small businesses online can become confusing. Just as a career resume only gives you 4 seconds to impress a company, small businesses have a small window to capture the computer shoppers. When you visit the NWEO site you know exactly what they are selling. Steve offers a down home product that is made with the consumer in mind.

 “When my wife and I started NWEO the goal was to make the highest quality lure that ANYONE could afford. We build everything by hand one piece at a time and could easily charge a premium for our work. The problem with that is that you lose the guys who are just trying to enjoy a day, or even a couple hours on the water when they get a break from their hectic lives”.

                These businesses and others are all trying to get away from foreign made products that have lost touch with its consumer base. While TND and NWEO specialize in different products, they are both Veteran owned, focus on quality, American made, and you know what the brand means. These small companies that we see don’t have board rooms or stocks, they have you in mind and the same passion that you have for the outdoors. Staying active on social media allows these businesses to remain connected to the fans. You can see the owners taking photos with their families out on the water, and if you reach out to them they respond with a personal message, not an automatic reply. These big companies need to take notice, in 2010 99.7 percent of the economy was made up of small companies. With big names like YETI shooting themselves in the foot there is less and less room for error. The small companies will be right there doing what they do best. Reaching out to you.

“We are both blessed and honored to be able to do what we do each day. Getting to hear the stories, see the pictures, and share the smiles from clients everywhere means more than anything to us”

Steve Lamb

Check out these two amazing companies and help support small fishing businesses…tell them Derrick Sent you.

www.tndlures.godaddysites.com

www.nwextremeoutfitters.com

If there is anything you would like me to write about please contact me via email, I would love to share your ideas.

Lacking Diversity in the Outdoors

acing tradition with quality: Northwest Extreme Outdoors spinners"

This blog entry may not sit well with some readers, it is honest and straight forward and to the point. I would like to start off by saying that it is not my intention to misguide or insult any individual, but rather state facts. I hold a Business Management degree with a concentration in Diversity Management, and have devoted a lot of time on the issue of diversity. The biggest issue with diversity in our country is the uncomfortable feeling people get when the issue comes up. I often say in my studies, the first rule in creating a diverse environment is not being afraid to talk about it. As always I’m open to opinions and welcome any feedback via email. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this entry.

Many people are aware that outdoor related activities are on the decline in America. Only 6 percent of eligible hunters actually hunt, fishing is on the decline for numerous reasons, and our technological age is keeping children indoors. These are all valid statements which can be proven through a number of credible sources. One topic that many people haven’t talked about is the lack of diversity in outdoor sports and activities. In the United States, every eight out of 10 people live in cities or towns with populations of 50,000 or more (U.S. Census Bureau). The restrictions on outdoor activities in urban areas have created problems for conservation efforts. While agencies do offer programs that encourage people to get outside, most don’t take advantage of these programs. Outdoor camping doesn’t fit some cultures standard of living. Often times people hear, “that’s not really camping” when a pop up camper pulls into the state park. There is a stereotype of what camping and hiking are, and it limits the lack of freedom associated with the outdoors. Another reason our lifestyle lacks diversity is media and advertising campaigns. There is a large percentage of outdoor retailers who focus on the attention of light skinned consumers rather than the entire community.  “There are so many people who are shouting to be included and made to feel welcome in the outdoors. It’s something that’s truly frustrated me in the outdoors community—there’s an aesthetic of the way outdoor retailers advertise” says Ambreen Tariq of @brownpeoplecamping. We need to open our doors to all kinds of people in order to increase conservation efforts in our country. We need to be more open with how we manage our advertising and create positive experiences for everyone. Mattel had great success when they finally addressed the lack of diversity in their dolls. My best friend’s daughter is half Korean and I’ve heard the question come out more than once, “why isn’t their doll that looks like me?” Since then, Barbie has rolled out numerous diverse products and their sales of skyrocketed and the idea was met with applause, but there will always be backlash. In the outdoor world, we need to embrace the idea of backlash and take the leap. A product will gain more respect over time, it’s not going to happen overnight but it could change our industry. Darius Rucker accomplished this as a Black Country singer, Bari Musawwir is one of the only nonwhite monster truck drivers, and the list goes on.

Every industry needs to embrace the change, including ours. If this blog seemed like I was preaching I apologize now for the tone. Our outdoor lifestyle is at risk of negative changes. We need to find way to come together to make our hobbies more enjoyable for more people so that we can keep following the trail