The rules need to be applied fairly to all RRWT teams

Dear Editor
My wife and I have been privileged to participate in the Rainy River Walleye Tournament as a team for six of the eight years that it has been held. It is our opinion that this is one of the most successful events that has ever been held in Rainy River. Kudos to all of the volunteers and organizations involved.
At the 2007 tournament, on the second day of fishing, we witnessed a boat going to shore on the U.S. side of the river, with one of the participants going up on shore to pick something up. As this was after the morning boat inspections this appeared to be an infraction of the rules to us and anyone else who saw them. We were not the only ones to see this happen, as at the end of the day another team came forward with this information, and at the encouragement of the Committee this team lodged a protest. As we had seen this incident take place, we supported the protest when asked.
Following receipt of the protest the Tournament Committee confronted the team who had apparently breached the rules, and the team admitted that they had done exactly as the protester had said, and went to shore on the U.S. side after their boat was inspected. Their excuse was that one of the volunteers had told them it was okay to do so. Following their admission of guilt and subsequent excuse the committee did the right thing and disqualified the team in question. This was without a doubt the right decision as the rules are made quite clear at the mandatory rules meeting prior to the tournament starting, and I am sure that no team believes that any volunteer has the authority to authorize any exceptions and/or changes to the rules during the tournament.
In our opinion the protest process was handled very poorly by the committee as they did not keep any of the information confidential, which resulted in the protestor, and the witness to be put in a very precarious position as they were confronted by the disqualified team in full view of the public and the committee. This situation came very close to getting out of hand as the disqualified team verbally attacked the protester. The very public handling of this process also caused a lot of grief for one of the volunteers who has basically been hung out to dry by the committee. It is our understanding, in talking with a member of the committee, that a letter of complaint has been received by the committee from the disqualified team, and has subsequently resulted in their receiving a credit for $300.00 towards their 2008 entry fee. How is this warranted? The Disqualified Team not only broke the rules, but also acted in an unsportsmanlike manner. It seems that the protestor who followed the rules, and did what the committee encouraged him to do, as well as being subjected to verbal abuse, deserves nothing, not even an apology. What about the volunteer, who in our opinion has been saddled with the entire responsibility for this unfortunate situation.
If the committee has determined that this process was handled incorrectly, (and we feel it was) all parties involved should receive the same consideration, namely the volunteer, the protester and the disqualified team. Participants pay a lot of money to participate in this tournament, and it is important that the rules be applied fairly and consistently to everyone.
–Thank you.
Good luck in 2008.
Howard and Bonnie Crowe, Team # 46