Peace King Cup Fishing Tournament Awards Ceremony

On Saturday, May 14, the Peace King Cup Luncheon and Awards Ceremony celebrated this year’s fishing tournament and True Parents’ 56th Marriage Blessing anniversary. Sponsored by Mr. Joshua Yashiro of Ocean Providence Inc. and hosted by Rev. Manoj Jacob and the Clifton Family Church, the program included a delicious sushi lunch and award presentations.

The winners of this year’s tournament are:

First Place: Rev. Jesse Edwards

Second Place: Hobin Lee

Third Place: Yusuke Kimura

Fourth Place: Takashi Yashiro

Fifth Place: Miguel Consoro

In this year’s tournament, 145 people braved a day out on the Hudson River, the biggest turnout in the tournament’s history. Twenty-two boats were used from May 7-13 as groups went out on the water each day aiming to catch the biggest fish.

Unfortunately, not all winners and competitors could make it to the awards ceremony; however the event on May 14 included a group of die-hard fishing lovers, guests and family of the winners, the board of the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP), and members of the Clifton Family Church. The atmosphere was a cheerful, lighthearted and family-like feeling, where everyone could feel comfortable and relaxed as they celebrated a successful week of fishing.

To start the ceremony, Pastor Jacob said a prayer, and young Unificationist Karlsun Allen proceeded to emcee the event. Dr. Keisuke Noda opened the event with a presentation on the history of the tournament and True Father’s vision for the ocean, which proved to be a wide-reaching insight into the value of the ocean, as well as a reminder that though this is an award ceremony for one tournament, the backstory, vision and potential of working on the water is incredibly broad.

Dr. Keisuke Noda

Then, Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Chairman of FFWPU North America, gave an upbeat talk, addressing specifically Rev. Edwards, this year’s tournament winner. He opened up by jokingly stating that God sent the fish to the wrong bishop, Bishop Edwards rather than Bishop Kim. He also amicably challenged Rev. Edwards to consider what he would do with the prize money, hinting that portions should go toward tithing, tipping the captain who helped him catch the fish, and also to his spouse, Pastor Tanya Edwards of the Family Church of New York City. The audience rippled with laughter which carried on throughout the program.

Dr. Ki Hoon Kim

Rev. Edwards then had the opportunity to share a testimony of his fishing experience. He admitted that he had recently been experiencing leg pains, and would have skipped out on fishing this year had it not been for his wife’s encouragement to go. He told the story of the many occasions in which he’d had the chance to go fishing with True Father, and how every time, True Father was the only one on the boat catching any fish. One day, Rev. Edwards asked True Father why he was able to catch fish when no one else was. True Father replied, explaining that one needs to become one with nature, and one with the fish. Last week, while out on the water and experiencing pain due to his leg, Rev. Edwards prayed with True Father’s words in mind, asking God to show him how to achieve oneness with the ocean and the fish. Then, from the minute his prize-winning fish caught onto the hook, he was so distracted trying to reel it in that he didn’t feel the pain in his leg anymore. He caught the winning fish at a whopping 44 inches on the very first day of the tournament (May 7), setting the bar all week long and letting participants know from the get-go that the stakes were high.

Rev. Jesse Edwards

Dr. Michael Balcomb, President of FFWPU USA, then briefly followed up by sharing his experience fishing. Determined to beat Rev. Edwards’ record, he went out a second time on the last day of the tournament to try to catch the winning fish, and actually fought with a big one for 10 minutes before losing it. Apparently destined to win this year, Rev. Edwards enjoyed a prize of $3000 and a trophy.

Dr. Michael Balcomb

The awards ceremony came to a close with fellowship around lunch. As a whole, the afternoon reflected the reason why we go out fishing and why so many people keep coming out year after year: to experience togetherness, remember the times with True Father out on the water, and spend quality time with friends and family. Captain Manuel Liba, a captain of the Staten Island Ferry and a former Ocean Church captain, took a whole week off work to captain the tournament. A Unificationist from Kodiak flew all the way to the East Coast to be a captain for this tournament, and young people from all over the country came out to experience or re-experience the joy of fishing. “The tournament has caught on,” said Susan Bouachri, one of the tournament organizers.

Here comes the good news: you don’t have to wait a whole year to fish for a week! Ocean Church boats are available anytime. Contact Captain Kensaku Takahashi (ktaka10591@gmail.com or 914-629-7660) and he would be more than happy to take your party out fishing.

Captain Ken Takahashi

A special thanks goes to Mr. Takashi Takanaka of Pacific Food, Inc. for sponsoring the 2016 tournament and prizes. Go to peacekingcup.com to see this year’s day-by-day updates and the full leaderboard.