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Ed Maurer interviews Ken Morrow, AFFI President, for Florida Fly Fishing Magazine. ________________ Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute 415 South Mesa Hills Drive, Suite 1169 El Paso, Texas 79912
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Temple Fork Outfitters Partners with the Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute To Develop Greater Access To Fly Fishing For the Disabled
El Paso, Texas. It is with great pleasure and pride in our industry that today I can announce that Temple Fork Outfitters of Dallas, Texas, has joined forces with the Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute in our work to increase access to therapeutic and adaptive fly fishing and fly tying programs for disabled children and adults around the world. The unique work of AFFI requires the institute’s certified instructors to have access to a wide range of fishing equipment; sometimes on short notice, often in single units, and occasionally in significant quantities. And this sort of demand dynamic simply cannot be met through convention retail channels, nor is it cost-feasible for the vast majority of professional fly fishing instructors. Therefore, we set out to explain our requirements to some of the manufacturers in the fly fishing and adaptive equipment industries and some of them have responded positively to the challenge, including Rick Pope of TFO. When we told Mr. Pope what we needed, he responded affirmatively without hesitation. TFO has long been a leader in the industry in support of therapeutic and adaptive fly fishing organizations. So it came as no surprise when he agreed to help us by providing our certified instructors with equipment as a part of TFO’s longstanding commitment to reach people with special needs through the restorative and therapeutic sport of fly fishing in keeping with their corporate priority on investing in the development of previously overlooked market sectors to help grow new interest in the sport of fly fishing. And for us, it’s a perfect partnership. Temple Fork Outfitters is one of the premier manufacturers of high quality, affordable fly rods and reels, as well as a new line of excellent convention fishing rods, fishing accessories, rod cases, fly boxes, and more. For more on TFO, you can visit their website at www.templeforkflyrods.com. The Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute is dedicated to the education and certification of fly fishing instructors, guides, medical professionals, educators, and other service providers in order to ensure the highest possible quality of service to the special needs community and provides instruction, certification testing, program development and management consultation, technical support, event management, product and process research and development, and direct services through out network of certified instructors and facilitators to individuals, groups, small businesses, and institutions. To learn more about the Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute, visit www.adaptiveflyfishing.com.
Ken Morrow, AFFI President Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute
The Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute
Mark Andrews, MEd, founder of Therapeutic Adventures Inc., joins AFFI Advisory Board
January 2, 2010. El Paso, Texas. The Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute's board of directors is excited to announce the newest addition to the institute's technical advisory board. Mark Andrews, the founder and Executive Director of Therapeutic Adventures Inc., brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our organization. Mark's vision and leadership with no less than three different therapeutic and adaptive fly fishing programs in Virginia and over three decades of experience as an adaptive outdoor recreation professional represent our ever-expanding quest to bring together the most authoritative body of professionals in the industry to guide our training, research and development, and certification efforts in the field of therapeutic and adaptive fly fishing.
Mark has a Masters in Education, is a published author, and has received numerous prestigious awards for his career in public service. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Therapeutic Adventures Inc. provides increased access to adaptive wilderness adventures, water sports, and snow sports in the mid-atlantic states and is headquartered in Virginia. TA serves people of all ages with physical and developmental disabilities, chronic medical diagnoses, and other special health needs by providing innovative, cutting edge services to increase outdoor access, education & training, research & development as well as adaptive equipment & assistive technology for clients and professionals.
The Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute is dedicated to the education and certification of fly fishing instructors, guides, medical professionals, educators, and other service providers in order to ensure the highest possible quality of service to the special needs community. __________________________________________________________________ | |
| _____________________________________ Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute Return To Duty This US Army Special Forces soldier lost a finger and suffered burns to his face in an ammunition explosion in Afghanistan in 2007. During his rehab, he found the fly tying and fly fishing were the most beneficial exercises for restoring motion and dexterity to his hand. "And it was a lot more fun than anything in the Occupational Therapy clinic," he wrote in a recent article. Look at the right hand. He is missing his forefinger. These photos of him were taken within the past several days. He is back in Afghanistan, carrying the fight to Al Qaeda and the Taliban once again. His name, rank, and location have been withheld for security reasons. We don't get to tell these stories nearly as often as we should. Most reporters want to tell the stories and show the pictures of disabled anglers in wheelchairs with obviously missing body parts who they believe evoke great sympathy from the media audience. But we also have a lot of stories of tremendous healing - especially of military personnel and cancer survivors who bounce all the way back from their injuries and illnesses in part through fly fishing therapy. And we're honored to have participated in these stories, too! ___________________________________________ Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute
Savlen Studios Joins AFFI To Help Disabled Anglers
 El Paso, Texas. Savlen Studios of New Hampshire has teamed up with the Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute to raise money for the training of adaptive fly fishing instructors who teach disabled veterans, adults, and children to fly fish. World-renowned wildlife artist, Mike Savlen, has offered to donate a portion of the proceeds from all purchases of his newest line of commission paintings, his “Bragging Rights Portraits” to the Adaptive Angling Training Fund at AFFI.
Savlen’s “Bragging Rights Portraits” are a completely new product offered by the artist, who generally specializes in fish illustrations, marine sporting art, and landscape art rather than portraiture. “Bragging Rights Portraits” are executed when the customer presents Savlen with a photo of themselves with a trophy fish and he then interprets that photograph into his own unique style of painting.
Since Mike Savlen tossed his cares to the wind and took up art as a full-time vocation five years ago, he has made a huge splash in the sea of marine art. His paintings and designs have graced the covers of numerous sport fishing, bass fishing, and fly fishing magazines, gourmet tuna cans, and Johnny Cabo beachwear in addition to hanging in some of the most prestigious museums collections of sporting and marine art in the world.
The Adaptive Angling Training Fund was established to help finance the costs associated with teaching lay and professional teachers and coaches the unique skills and principles of adaptive fly fishing so that they may better serve disabled anglers of all walks of life. A great deal of the focus of the Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute is on Wounded Warriors, Disabled Veterans, and disabled children’s rehabilitative and therapeutic programs where adaptive fly fishing may be of benefit. As a veteran of two of the four armed forces of the United States and an avid fly angler himself, Mr. Savlen has a particular affinity with the mission of AFFI; and is very excited about this opportunity to contribute. ___________________________________ Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute
El Paso, Texas. The Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute (AFFI) is excited to announce a new, comprehensive Adaptive Fly Fishing Instructor Certification Program (AFFICP). The purpose of the AFFICP is to educate and ensure the quality of training of adaptive fly fishing guides and instructors worldwide through the establishment and teaching of a standardized apprenticeship-based curriculum and the administration of an objective examination process. Candidates who achieve certification through the AFFICP will be entitled to display the title “Adaptive Fly Fishing Instructor” TM or “AFFI” TM following a comma after their names in all promotional literature, advertisements, and so forth so as to inform the public that they have been certified by the Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute as fully accredited to teach and guide fly fishing for special needs students and clients.
The Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute exists for the professional development of adaptive fly fishing to better serve the needs of the disabled community. The AFFI Advisory Board consists of Colonel Rick Morrow (USAR), a service-disabled combat veteran Army Medical Command-qualified Chaplain who did substantial work to help establish the Army’s new Warrior Transition Program for wounded soldiers; Mrs. Kerri Russell, a physical therapist with a doctorate in education who is also a state coordinator for Casting for Recovery; Mr. Gregory Burchstead, MS, an expert in the field of PTSD and retired Veterans Health Administration official who volunteers much of his time with Rivers of Recovery; Mr. Dustin Berg, mobility-impaired founder of Global Opportunities Unlimited; Mr. Bob Schtewein, MCI, who is one of New Mexico’s most prominent fly fishing guides and is a Master Certified Casting Instructor with the Federation of Fly Fishers; Ms. Char Bloom, Orvis-endorsed fly fishing guide, graduate of the Joan Wulff School for fly casting instructors, and certified ski instructor; and Mr. Ken Morrow, Wapiti Adventures Pro Guide, publisher of UPSTREAM, fly fishing columnist for Newsvine.com (MSNBC), and founding Southern Region Coordinator of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. who is also a disabled veteran.
The AFFICP training program consists of a lengthy apprenticeship for the candidate to a certified instructor or member of the advisory board followed by a standardized written examination. The exam covers subjects ranging from the Americans with Disabilities Act and fundamentals of adaptive sports theory to fly casting, fly tying, and basic water safety. First aid and CPR certifications must also be kept current. Upon passing the written exam, the candidate will be observed teaching an actual course or guiding an actual trip for special needs students or clients. And if the evaluator(s) believe they sufficiently meet the standards set by AFFI for certification, they will be certified as Adaptive Fly Fishing Instructors and may begin using the official designator “AFFI” following their name to denote certification. AFFI founder, Ken Morrow explains, “This isn’t a certification you can get by attending a one day workshop and then taking a test. Our goal isn’t to make money, become popular, or impress our friends. Our goal is to train effective teachers, coaches, and mentors to use adaptive fly fishing to enhance the rehabilitation and lifestyles of disabled people. Half the folks on our board are disabled, and fly fishing has profoundly improved all of our lives. We are passionate about the healing we’ve seen and experienced through fly fishing and, when properly applied, we know what it can do for others.”
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