Mark Davis second edition
Category: Tournament
May 7th, 2014 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified May 7th, 2014 at 12:00 AM
Let’s go back to 1995. Mark Davis wins the Bassmaster Classic and his first of three Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY) titles. Heck, he had a signature crankbait on the market. Really, each crankbait had a copy of his signature on them. Anyway, he was clearly a threat to win almost any event he participated in. In fact, this run went on for many years. Sure, there was a time when Davis only fished the FLW Tour, but he qualified to fish the Elites again and planned on doing damage to the B.A.S.S. crew all over again. However, for the last few years, Davis faded into the background. Instead of being mentioned as a contender Davis was written off by many as a “legend” which, for an active participant in the sport, means no longer a threat to win, place or draw in any event.
Starting with the 2013 Elite Series season, in particular the last event, fans and fellow anglers now expect to see Davis near the top of the leaderboard at every event. So far in 2014 Mark Davis is back with a vengeance and fishing in a “zone”.
Davis is recommitted to success.
“Well, there is nothing different physically with me,” said Davis. “However, I have to say, I am mentally recommitted. That is the one thing that has really changed for me since the end of last season. It has been a while since I’ve been in a zone.”
Mentally committed means different things to different people, but in Davis’ case it involves putting in the time he needs to produce the success he is currently enjoying. Plus, using the positive power of experience that age brings.
“I’m now working harder than I have been in recent years,” said Davis. “I’m getting to the lakes ahead of cut-off so I can check them out. I’m putting in the hours during practice.
“I’m 50 years old. I was using getting older as an excuse. I let myself get into a mental stupor. I allowed myself to think I can’t compete with the younger guys. All the aches and pains you get as you age, I allowed that to be an excuse for me. I was guilty of that.
“I always thought things would get easier in this sport as I got older. The opposite is true. You have to work harder due to aging. Sure, you have the added experience and knowledge gained from years of doing this, but you really need to commit to working to make it happen.”
The joy is back for Davis.
“I am joyful on the water again,” said Davis. “I think any time you work at one thing for over 20 years, it can become a grind. I’m sure that anyone working at the same job for that long has days where they’d give anything not to go to work. It was getting like that for me. It became a job.
“Now, I can’t wait to get to the next event and see what lies ahead.”