He may not be entirely satisfied with his finish. Then again, the great competitors of any sport rarely are. But Boyd Duckett’s 12th place finish at the Bassmasters Classic is impressive on a number levels.

After suffering what he called a fatal first day in 2008, Duckett set out for a strong opening in 2009. He accomplished just that this go-round, pulling more than 20 pounds of bass from the Red River. That mark was good enough to have him in first place after day one.

Duckett fell victim to unfortunate circumstances while putting up back-to-back 13-pound performances over the next two days.

He isn’t terribly excited about his finish, but Duckett understands he is off to a much better start in ‘09 than he was just a year ago.

While Duckett and his followers would have loved to see him hoist another Classic trophy this year, it must be remembered that his accomplishment is no less impressive and is certainly no less important to the City of the People.

Duckett entered the weekend as one of the best 51 people in the world at what he does. By Sunday’s end, he was still able to be regarded as no worse than Top 12.

There are very few people anywhere who can say they are one of the best 51 in the world at their chosen vocation. Duckett gets to say that and he can prove it.

And the people of Demopolis get to say that Duckett is one of them. That is a pretty big deal for a rural West Alabama town that takes pride in its location on the Tombigbee River and enjoys a healthy and somewhat fanatical fishing community.

Aside from being a successful business owner, Duckett, one of the city’s most prominent citizens, contributes positively to Demopolis every time he enters and Elite Series event. But finishing with a Classic win in 2007 and a Top 15 finish in 2009, has taken him – and by association the name of Demopolis – to an entirely different level. That’s something we should all be able to appreciate.

Jeremy Smith is sports editor of the Demopolis Times.