World goose calling champion, Sr. Robert Dick, walked on to the stage with his lip quivering and a sudden rush of emotions, realizing that he is actually the number one goose caller in the world.
Dick has been hunting ducks and geese since he was 9. He has learned, through many years of practicing, how to perfectly demonstrate the calls that waterfowls make. He participated in his first goose calling competition when he was 11. Only a year after he attend his first goose calling competition, Dick won his first major award, the Michigan State Goose Calling Championship. Dick continued to dominate the Michigan State Championships for several years. As he kept on sharpening his skills, he prepared to try and win the most prestigious competition in goose calling: The World Goose Calling Championship.
On Friday, November 13, the World Goose Calling Championships were held in Maryland. Dick went out east to prove that he is the best goose caller in the world. He entered the competition with a modest attitude and was just focusing on making the best goose call he could. “As I started my routine, everything else just faded away and I only concentrated on two things, giving my best effort and sounding the best I could,” Dick said. “I knew I was going to place in the top five. Once they called the fifth and fourth place winners, I thought I was definitely going to get third place.”
“My name did not get called for the third place award, and I started to have a little bit of hope. When they announced that I had won, I was stunned and speechless. I could not believe that I had actually won $7,500 and the World Goose Calling Championship,” said Dick. This is an experience that will go on with Dick for the rest of his life, and is already giving him a huge jump start into making money and this provides him with a skill that he will use the rest of his life.
Dick has worked hard for many years, mastering his outdoor skills and learning the ways of the goose. This hard work, determination, and love for hunting, has led him to create many meaningful relationships and ultimately gave him the title of the best goose caller in the world.