Changing of the Guard - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

YakMedic · 11-30-2015, 11:47 AM

As some of you may already know or have noticed. I have been slowly stepping away from my position as Chapter Coordinator for SoCal Heroes on the Water. I’m now at a point in my life that I have decided it is time to leave HOW in the hands of some very capable volunteers. Effective immediately Mike Weist is the new Chapter Coordinator and I am certain that he is the right person to lead this chapter. With the amazing support of the SoCal HOW leadership team of Mike T., Jay, Bernie, Jackie, Ryan, and Josh, the SoCal Chapter will thrive.

Five years ago myself and three other people founded the Southern California Chapter. We got off to a fairly slow and rocky start in our first year hosting three events and serving a total of 40 participants. It took a few years and some repositioning of leadership at the local level to get to where we are today. This year we hosted 10 Vet events and served nearly 400 veterans and family members. With the help of the current volunteers the SoCal chapter has become a flagship chapter of the HOW organization.

I have put hundreds of hours and thousands of my own dollars into this chapter and I strongly believe in what HOW can do for the disabled vets. It is this belief that has kept me pushing forward including driving 300 miles round trip from my home in the mountains to San Diego for our monthly events. I have a rare opportunity to start an exciting new phase in my life and focus on my education. After five years of making HOW a priority in my life it is now time to focus on my family and myself.

I would like to personally thank every person who has came out and volunteered. OEX Mission Bay and Sunset Beach have been instrumental in the success of the chapter and they deserve special thanks. I have made many friends through HOW and have met some amazing people.

Thank You,
Grisso, Matt
Heroes on the Water
Former SoCal Chapter Coordinator

MrPatrick · 11-30-2015, 11:55 AM

You are the man Matt!
Your dedication has helped so many people, volunteers included. Good luck in the future and keep making us proud to call you FRIEND.

momo fish · 11-30-2015, 12:21 PM

Thanks Matt for your work with this organization.

Mike has been great and seeing all the work he puts in you left the organization in great hands.. Besides he doesn't fish anymore so he has plenty of time 😊

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Iceman · 11-30-2015, 01:10 PM

Good luck Matt you deserve it. I hope you and I get to fish together in the not too distant future!

Mike seems to have hold of the reins!

Looking forward to helping out in the coming year!

Geno Machino · 11-30-2015, 02:43 PM

Thanks for getting the ball rolling here in Southern Cal! I'm new to the sport and to HOW as well, however I truly believe, donating my time to the HOW organization, I end up getting more out of it - than the vets.
Best Wishes and Success in all of your future ventures!

Geno

Deamon · 11-30-2015, 03:19 PM

Matt...

And also...no worries as I will kick Mike in the ass if ever needed...

Jim

ful-rac · 11-30-2015, 04:00 PM

Matt you have definitely served the Veterans well during your time with HOW. I'm glad to see you are moving forward in life and in your career. It was a tough couple of years you put in trying to make HOW better than it was...and you succeeded.

Im sure Mike is gonna do great taking over for you. He definitely has the passion, and is highly motivated to do the job. I know mike is the guy to take HOW to the next level.

Next year I will continue to support Mike and HOW as much as I can. I'm probably not gonna be able to go to every event but I will try...

tacmik · 11-30-2015, 04:06 PM

You will be missed. Don't forget we are always looking for a few good mentors. We will give you some training and tips. Hope to see you at Steve's tournament next sat if you can make it.

FISH11 · 11-30-2015, 04:50 PM

Thank You for all your hard work and time you put into making SO CAL HOW the success it is now. It has been my privilege to be able to volunteer and help mentor at the HOW events. I will always remember your guidance and hope that some time you will be able to just visit. I know Mike and all the other guys will do a great job in the future. Good luck in you career path. Mark

YakMedic · 11-30-2015, 08:10 PM

Thanks for all the kind words guys. I'll still be around to help out as a volunteer occasionally. I look forward to showing up after the unload and leaving before the loading

.

I'm going to try and make it to the Steve Green on Saturday so I hope to see some of you then.

RookieYakker · 12-01-2015, 04:01 PM

Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication!

Kayak_Bernie · 12-03-2015, 12:30 PM

Matt,

I really want to personally thank you for all that you have done for the vets and for this chapter! I have had experience with a couple of other HOW chapters and you have done an extraordinary job getting the Socal Chapter to where it is today!! I am proud to have worked with you and I look forward to seeing you at future events as a volunteer. Thank you so much, you are a great role model for all those involved both veterans and volunteers. I am happy that I will help preserve the legacy of the SoCal Chapter that you have worked so hard to develop. Hopefully me and the other guys can continue the upward trend and have an amazing year in 2016 and beyond!! Best of luck in your future endeavors and don't be a stranger!!

Cheers,
Bernie

monstahfish · 12-04-2015, 04:31 AM

Thanks for all you've done Matt. It's been a pleasure getting to know you and participating in HOW. I will continue to do so and wish you luck moving forward.

11-30-2015, 11:47 AM	#1
YakMedic Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Wrightwood Posts: 623	Changing of the Guard As some of you may already know or have noticed. I have been slowly stepping away from my position as Chapter Coordinator for SoCal Heroes on the Water. I’m now at a point in my life that I have decided it is time to leave HOW in the hands of some very capable volunteers. Effective immediately Mike Weist is the new Chapter Coordinator and I am certain that he is the right person to lead this chapter. With the amazing support of the SoCal HOW leadership team of Mike T., Jay, Bernie, Jackie, Ryan, and Josh, the SoCal Chapter will thrive. Five years ago myself and three other people founded the Southern California Chapter. We got off to a fairly slow and rocky start in our first year hosting three events and serving a total of 40 participants. It took a few years and some repositioning of leadership at the local level to get to where we are today. This year we hosted 10 Vet events and served nearly 400 veterans and family members. With the help of the current volunteers the SoCal chapter has become a flagship chapter of the HOW organization. I have put hundreds of hours and thousands of my own dollars into this chapter and I strongly believe in what HOW can do for the disabled vets. It is this belief that has kept me pushing forward including driving 300 miles round trip from my home in the mountains to San Diego for our monthly events. I have a rare opportunity to start an exciting new phase in my life and focus on my education. After five years of making HOW a priority in my life it is now time to focus on my family and myself. I would like to personally thank every person who has came out and volunteered. OEX Mission Bay and Sunset Beach have been instrumental in the success of the chapter and they deserve special thanks. I have made many friends through HOW and have met some amazing people. Thank You, Grisso, Matt Heroes on the Water Former SoCal Chapter Coordinator Last edited by YakMedic; 11-30-2015 at 12:53 PM.

11-30-2015, 01:10 PM	#4
Iceman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 1-2 miles off the point Posts: 6,943	Good luck Matt you deserve it. I hope you and I get to fish together in the not too distant future! Mike seems to have hold of the reins! Looking forward to helping out in the coming year! __________________

11-30-2015, 02:43 PM	#5
Geno Machino "Relax" Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: O'side Posts: 553	Thanks for getting the ball rolling here in Southern Cal! I'm new to the sport and to HOW as well, however I truly believe, donating my time to the HOW organization, I end up getting more out of it - than the vets. Best Wishes and Success in all of your future ventures! Geno __________________

11-30-2015, 03:19 PM	#6
Deamon Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 1,972	Matt... And also...no worries as I will kick Mike in the ass if ever needed... Jim __________________ Recreational Fisherman's Catch...2% Commercial Fisherman's Catch- 98% Recreational Fishing Kayakers Catch- .00001% "The reality is that the wall was built to keep all Asians ~specifically Japanese and those that think they're japanese~ out of the U.S"

11-30-2015, 04:00 PM	#7
ful-rac Emperor Join Date: May 2009 Location: Buena Park Posts: 3,649	Thank you Matt! Matt you have definitely served the Veterans well during your time with HOW. I'm glad to see you are moving forward in life and in your career. It was a tough couple of years you put in trying to make HOW better than it was...and you succeeded. Im sure Mike is gonna do great taking over for you. He definitely has the passion, and is highly motivated to do the job. I know mike is the guy to take HOW to the next level. Next year I will continue to support Mike and HOW as much as I can. I'm probably not gonna be able to go to every event but I will try... __________________ There's nothing colder than yesterday's hotdog.

11-30-2015, 11:55 AM	#2
MrPatrick Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Waiting to launch Posts: 1,381	You are the man Matt! Your dedication has helped so many people, volunteers included. Good luck in the future and keep making us proud to call you FRIEND.

11-30-2015, 12:21 PM	#3
momo fish Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Camarillo Posts: 1,491	Thanks Matt for your work with this organization. Mike has been great and seeing all the work he puts in you left the organization in great hands.. Besides he doesn't fish anymore so he has plenty of time 😊 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

11-30-2015, 04:06 PM	#8
tacmik Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: East County Posts: 914	You will be missed. Don't forget we are always looking for a few good mentors. We will give you some training and tips. Hope to see you at Steve's tournament next sat if you can make it. __________________

11-30-2015, 04:50 PM	#9
FISH11 Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla Posts: 2,642	Thank You for all your hard work and time you put into making SO CAL HOW the success it is now. It has been my privilege to be able to volunteer and help mentor at the HOW events. I will always remember your guidance and hope that some time you will be able to just visit. I know Mike and all the other guys will do a great job in the future. Good luck in you career path. Mark __________________ MARK ......... 2016 MALIBU X FACTOR, 2020 SOLO SKIFF (Fishing Kayak on Steroids )

11-30-2015, 08:10 PM	#10
YakMedic Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Wrightwood Posts: 623	Thanks for all the kind words guys. I'll still be around to help out as a volunteer occasionally. I look forward to showing up after the unload and leaving before the loading . I'm going to try and make it to the Steve Green on Saturday so I hope to see some of you then.

12-01-2015, 04:01 PM	#11
RookieYakker Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: San Diego Posts: 130	Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication!

12-03-2015, 12:30 PM	#12
Kayak_Bernie Live Watersports ProStaff Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Rolando Village Posts: 224	Big Thank You!!! Matt, I really want to personally thank you for all that you have done for the vets and for this chapter! I have had experience with a couple of other HOW chapters and you have done an extraordinary job getting the Socal Chapter to where it is today!! I am proud to have worked with you and I look forward to seeing you at future events as a volunteer. Thank you so much, you are a great role model for all those involved both veterans and volunteers. I am happy that I will help preserve the legacy of the SoCal Chapter that you have worked so hard to develop. Hopefully me and the other guys can continue the upward trend and have an amazing year in 2016 and beyond!! Best of luck in your future endeavors and don't be a stranger!! Cheers, Bernie __________________ Heroes on the Water SoCal Chapter Safety Director

12-04-2015, 04:31 AM	#13
monstahfish Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 419	Thanks for all you've done Matt. It's been a pleasure getting to know you and participating in HOW. I will continue to do so and wish you luck moving forward.