By Dane Konop (2022.03.29)
Beauty is truth, truth beauty. That is all you know on Earth, and all you need to
know.
The Larry Selby Cup is a thing of beauty: a 10-inch tall loving cup surrounded by
four leaping trout, mounted on a 11 3/8-inch tall, faux walnut box. The cup is the
traveling trophy for the Gabby Hayes Memorial Trout Fishing Tournament, with
name tags for each winner since the first tournament in 1976. Named for the late,
three-time Gabby winner Larry Selby, the cup has been passed from winner to
winner since 1997, when it was introduced to Gabby camp by the late Dr. Steve
Mueller.
Truth be told, the Selby Cup is beginning to show its age and is approaching an
end of life crisis.
Let me explain.
Considering the trophy has changed hands 23 times over the years, it’s still in very
good condition, with no loose or broken components or major scratches. There are
scuffs on the laminated wood on the corners and along the edges of the bottom and
top platforms, but these could easily be touched up.
On the right side panel are 14 tags with the names of the first 14 Gabby winners,
beginning with yours truly in 1976 through Jaymie Smolens in 1989. On the back
panel are 21 tags for winners from Glenn Dworkin in 1990 to Zach Anderson in
2010. On the left panel are 10 tags from Jeff Cousin in 2011 to Dane Christian
Konop in 2021. There is no tag for 2020 because there was no tournament. There
are two blank tags and space for two more. In all, there is space for 49 tags
covering 50 years of the tournament.
This presents a dilemma. In 2025, the last space for a tag on the trophy will be
taken. So then what?
Shall we retire the Selby Cup and create a new one? This would present three
problems. What would the new trophy look like? Who would design and create
it? What would we do with the “old” Selby Cup?
Shall we make space for more tags, perhaps by adding a new base section? I
figure this could be done without expanding the 15x12-inch footprint of the
existing base. A new 5-inch-high addition would hold 30 more tags and would
take us through 2055. This could probably be constructed in such a way that
future sections could be added, indefinitely extending the life span of the trophy if
not the trophy seekers.
These decisions do not have to made yet, but soon, setting the stage for discussion
in this year’s Gabby business meeting.
With apologies to Keats, when old age shall this generation waste, there will
remain the spirit of the Gabby.
Beauty is truth, truth beauty. That is all you know on Earth, and all you need to
know.
The Larry Selby Cup is a thing of beauty: a 10-inch tall loving cup surrounded by
four leaping trout, mounted on a 11 3/8-inch tall, faux walnut box. The cup is the
traveling trophy for the Gabby Hayes Memorial Trout Fishing Tournament, with
name tags for each winner since the first tournament in 1976. Named for the late,
three-time Gabby winner Larry Selby, the cup has been passed from winner to
winner since 1997, when it was introduced to Gabby camp by the late Dr. Steve
Mueller.
Truth be told, the Selby Cup is beginning to show its age and is approaching an
end of life crisis.
Let me explain.
Considering the trophy has changed hands 23 times over the years, it’s still in very
good condition, with no loose or broken components or major scratches. There are
scuffs on the laminated wood on the corners and along the edges of the bottom and
top platforms, but these could easily be touched up.
On the right side panel are 14 tags with the names of the first 14 Gabby winners,
beginning with yours truly in 1976 through Jaymie Smolens in 1989. On the back
panel are 21 tags for winners from Glenn Dworkin in 1990 to Zach Anderson in
2010. On the left panel are 10 tags from Jeff Cousin in 2011 to Dane Christian
Konop in 2021. There is no tag for 2020 because there was no tournament. There
are two blank tags and space for two more. In all, there is space for 49 tags
covering 50 years of the tournament.
This presents a dilemma. In 2025, the last space for a tag on the trophy will be
taken. So then what?
Shall we retire the Selby Cup and create a new one? This would present three
problems. What would the new trophy look like? Who would design and create
it? What would we do with the “old” Selby Cup?
Shall we make space for more tags, perhaps by adding a new base section? I
figure this could be done without expanding the 15x12-inch footprint of the
existing base. A new 5-inch-high addition would hold 30 more tags and would
take us through 2055. This could probably be constructed in such a way that
future sections could be added, indefinitely extending the life span of the trophy if
not the trophy seekers.
These decisions do not have to made yet, but soon, setting the stage for discussion
in this year’s Gabby business meeting.
With apologies to Keats, when old age shall this generation waste, there will
remain the spirit of the Gabby.
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