Many of us sit back and think to ourselves, “If only ‘X’ would happen, I could make good and be happy.” But for whatever reason, most of us never do. This is the story of ‘X’ for one particular Freeporter - Mike McNett. While this story is ultimately about his winning the 2005 North American Ice Fishing Championship, along with his tournament partner Tony Boshold, I’d like to tell you more about how he got there. It’s a lifelong story; full of patience, perseverance, planning and a bit of risk taking.

McNett was introduced to ice fishing by his Uncle Jack, and like so many things in life for most of us, it wasn’t a lightning-strike realization that he had just found his life’s ambition at the age of 10 - it was simply fun. Mike went on through his young life as kids do; going to school, competing in sports (in McNett’s case running long-distance), graduating (McNett graduated from Freeport High School in 1983) and continuing on in life. Some decades later, McNett owns a successful and respected business in the Chicago area and has a beautiful family of his own. Being self-employed and raising a family are difficult. Very long hours, worries over income, expenses and work load, spending time with his family and the usual stuff we deal with in life left him little time for himself - for his own wellness.

Until he met a new friend, whose name is Greg Wilczynski. Greg is a native of Poland who shares a common experience; he too had been mentored as a youth in ice fishing - but in a very different way. The method of ice fishing he knew was that of European champions, and through their friendship over several years Greg taught this method to Mike McNett - and Mike excelled as a student of “the system”. This partnership only worked because of two things: a patient mentor and a willing student. As time goes on, this type of relationship is ever more important because it seems to be dying out in our society. If nothing else, there seems to be a kind of embarrassment or stigma attached to being a student of life or a mentor of those younger than ourselves. “The System,” as McNett calls it, is not a single book or video to be pounded through, nor a kit of items one can order off an internet site. It’s a system, as explained in McNett’s own words, “I realize [now] that to succeed at something you have to put all the little pieces together to form perfect success.”

That perfect success is something one has to pursue. It is never, ever something one can sit idly waiting to spring upon and achieve. Mike and Tony won, not just because of their fishing methods, but because of the hard work they put into it. Yes - I just said it. They worked hard at something they both really love to do. They spent countless hours of research along with many very cold hours on the ice perfecting their techniques and knowledge. All parts of a system being perfected.

McNett goes on to say that his own success is ‘…directly related to the teachings of Greg… and the ability to teach Tony the same system.” Mentor teaches student, student becomes mentor and life progresses while ‘the system’, whatever that thing might be, is passed on again. Perhaps the new student can improve on the old ways. More likely than not, the partnership is what gets improved upon. Some of you readers out there will undoubtedly know Mike McNett and maybe even share some of his past. I don’t doubt that there are some who shake their heads wondering how he ever got this far. Some, like me, always knew he would somehow end up on top of his game - whatever game he happened to choose. I’m glad that it involves friends; friends whose lives are about sharing rather than making and perpetuating personal rivalries. I’m also glad that Mike understands how to be a student and a mentor and as such has come full circle, emulating his Uncle Jack.

Greg, Mike and Tony have all found “X”. They have rejected the ridiculous, false ‘weirdness’ society tags onto mentorship for the truth of what it truly is: helping and allowing to be helped in making dreams in this real world come true.