Trey McKinney has spent most of his professional fishing career being the youngest guy in the room.
asserted
McKinney → spend → room
And apparently, the Bassmaster Elite Series veterans weren't exactly waiting at the dock with open arms.
asserted
veterans → wait → arms
McKinney arrived on the Elite Series as a teenager and immediately started making noise.
asserted
McKinney → arrive → noise
But according to McKinney, earning all those accolades was one thing.
uncertain
earning → accord → accolades
Earning the respect of the other Elites took a little longer.
asserted
Earning → earn → Elites
"They're not a very welcoming crew to begin with," McKinney told OutKick OutDoors.
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McKinney → begin → OutDoors
"If you're somebody that's coming on the Elite Series, don't expect a warm hand of, 'Come on, buddy.
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that → come → hand
"
McKinney isn't complaining about it.
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McKinney → complain → it
In fact, he thinks that's probably how it should be.
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it → think → fact
"Rookies coming in, you get a hard time.
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you → come → time
You've got to learn how to prove yourself," he said.
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he → get → yourself
"And once you do that, it honestly makes it that much sweeter."
Watch Trey McKinney's full interview with OutKick OutDoors here:
asserted
it → do → OutDoors
For McKinney, proving himself happened quickly on paper.
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proving → prove → paper
He finished second in the Angler of the Year standings in each of his first two Elite seasons, both times behind Chris Johnston.
asserted
He → finish → Johnston
But he said the first couple of years were still a "hard road" when it came to being accepted by the veterans around him.
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it → say → him
"This year, it's kind of watching things turn around a little bit, gaining respect from certain people that I would never see it from," McKinney said.
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McKinney → watch → it
"Now that I see that they respect me, I respect them just as much.
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I → see → them
He laughed while describing just how different those interactions are now.
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interactions → laugh → ?
"Now I can go out and have a normal conversation with somebody, and they don't just — I'm like, 'Hey,' and they just turn around and walk off," he said.
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he → go → somebody
"Now we can have a conversation like man to man, and it's pretty special to see where it was to where it is now."
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it → have → man
"Exactly," McKinney said.
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McKinney → say → ?
"I feel more welcome.
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I → feel → ?
I feel like I'm out there having fun.
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I → feel → fun
We're doing our job.
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We → do → job
We're competing.
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We → compete → ?
We're competitors, and we realize that.
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we → realize → that
But at the same time, we have the same respect as we do for everybody."
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we → have → everybody
If there were any doubts left about whether McKinney belonged among the sport's best, he pretty well erased them on the St. Lawrence River.
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he → be → River
McKinney entered the final Elite Series event of the season with the Angler of the Year title within reach.
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McKinney → enter → reach
He then caught a 30-pound, 11-ounce five-fish smallmouth limit on Day 2 — the heaviest in Bassmaster history — and put himself in position not only to win AOY but also to win the tournament.
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He → catch → tournament
By Sunday morning, however, the normally cool 21-year-old was feeling every ounce of what was at stake.
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what → feel → stake
"I'd never been so nervous that it affected my fishing, really," McKinney said.
asserted
McKinney → affect → fishing
There was a tournament win, $200,000 and the title he'd spent three years chasing all hanging on one final eight-hour day.
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he → be → day
"I'd be lying if I said it didn't affect me because it did," he said.
asserted
he → lie → me
"I just didn't fish very good.
asserted
I → fish → ?
I got nervous.
asserted
I → get → ?
I got impatient.
asserted
I → get → ?
I wanted it to be over quickly, and it just wasn't."
asserted
it → want → ?
The fish weren't cooperating early, either.
asserted
fish → cooperate → ?
McKinney hit his first few spots and came away with little to show for it.
asserted
McKinney → hit → it
…and 31 more, not listed.
The Aporia
