Honey Lake Plantation Resort and Spa Plays Host to Former Professional Athletes
Tom Keer 03.28.12
While on a business trip at Greenville, Florida’s Honey Lake Plantation Resort and Spa (www.honeylakeplantation.com) I met a few athletes who were playing pro ball when I was a kid.
The first was former Atlanta Falcon’s quarterback Steve Bartkowski. I was a 7th grade middle linebacker and remember everyone going crazy when Bartkowski signed #1 in the NFL draft (which was ahead of Walter Payton 1975). Bartkowski wasted no time in picking apart defensive secondaries, and at Honey Lake Plantation he showed no mercy in the trophy bass department. Bart’s an avid sportsman and conservationist, and check out this good bass pictured above before it was released. It was one of several big fish.
Another retired athlete was former Pittsburgh Pirate Bob Svetich. My uncle lived outside of Pittsburgh, and when I visited him we used to go to games at the old Three Rivers Stadium. Bob and his twin brother Ronn were playing in the IronCityin the mid-late 1970’s, too. After retiring Bob, launched an outdoor travel business called the Outdoor Group (www.theoutdoorgroup.com). His brother stayed in baseball and is currently a coach for the Colorado Rockies. Bob had a field day on bass and bream. Great guys and great role models!
Tom Keer is an award-winning freelance writer who has written over 900 pieces across some three-dozen publications (www.tomkeer.com). His first book, the Fly Fisher's Guide to the Northeast Coast was published by Wilderness Adventures Press in 2010. He also owns The Keer Group (www.thekeergroup.com), a branding, marketing, advertising and public relations company.
