April 24, 2012
By Ned Kehde
A number of times since Feb. 14, 2006, I have said that Travis Perret has made me a better angler.
Perret of Overland Park, Kansas, is a personal trainer and exercise therapist who specializes in chronic-pain therapy. From 2004 to 2008, he was director of The Egoscue Method Clinic of Kansas City. Now he is an Egoscue affliate with a private practice, working in conjunction with Henry Marquardt, who is a chiropractor in Overland Park, Kansas. He has been working on my 72-year-old body for more than six years, and I am essentially pain free and stronger than I was 20 years ago. A blog was posted on Feb 20 about my relationship with Perret, and it can be seen at http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/02/20/perret-egoscue-and-me-my-quest-for-pain-free-fishing/
In August of 2011, Perret began working with Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kansas.  Perret worked with Chapman and his wife, Bobbi, for an hour of rigorous exercises two to three times a week  throughout the fall and until Chapman's tournament year commenced in mid-February.
Chapman, 39, is a professional tournament angler.  For 18 years, he has been plying various Bassmaster trails, as well as some FLW events and several other venues.
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Perret and Chapman focused on a number of  exercises aimed at  preventing fatigue and pain from confounding Chapman during the extremely demanding hours he has to endure when he is competing in a bass tournament.
Perret said that their six-month aim was to have Chapman at the top of his game mentally and physically when he wields his last cast at every tournament in 2012.  According to Perret, a strong body can create a strong mind. Likewise, a strong mind creates a strong body.  Perret thought that Chapman would eventually reach what he called the  strong-mind, strong-body pinnacle if he kept working as hard as he did from mid-August to mid-February.
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During the Feb. 2 workout session, Chapman mentioned that his  confidence level had reached an all-time high. Even though some of their workouts had been extremely grueling, Chapman and his wife declared without hesitation that their six months of working with Perret had been fun and astonishingly rewarding.
As of April 22, it looks as if Perret has helped Chapman even more than he helped me as an angler. The results of Perret and Chapman's endeavors are reflected in a headline posted on a April 22 blog by Ken Duke on bassmaster. com. It headline reads "Chapman having a career year".  In his lede sentence, Duke wrote: "Brent Chapman is on fire!"
Here's what Chapman has accomplished since his training sessions with Perret ended in February.  He won the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open at Lewisville Lake - Lewisville, Texas, on Feb 9 - 12, 2012. He finished  18th at the Bassmaster Classic.  At the Bassmaster Elite Series events at the St. Johns River, Florida, on Mar. 15-18, Lake Okeechobee, Florida, on  Mar. 22-25, and Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas, on April 19-22, Chapman finished in the top 10.  Now his name graces the top of the leader board for the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. As of April 23, he has accrued 286 points, which is 23 more points than the Randy Howell of Springville, Alabama, has accumulated.
Chapman is pleased, indeed, with how his 2012 season has begun to unfold, but he is quick to note that he has to compete in  five more Elite events  and two more Central Open tourneys before his 2012 draws to a close and the angler-of-the-year trophies and awards are bestowed.
Anglers who are interested seeing if Perret can help them as much as he has helped Chapman and me, can contact him at tperret @felixfishing.com or 913-424-9354.
