Outdoor sports clubs at UF won’t have to shop online for supplies in the future because Bass Pro Shops is opening its 13th Florida store in Gainesville.
The 80,000-square-foot building is planned to open west of Interstate 75 on Archer Road in 2016, said Sarah Cecchettini, construction coordinator at Bass Pro Shops.
With its close proximity to campus, the store may become a resource for different outdoor clubs and organizations.
Stephen Carlisle, a 27-year-old UF marketing senior and president of the UF Bass Fishing Team, wrote in an email that he hopes the store will be able to build a partnership with the team and become a possible sponsor for it.
He said team members currently have to buy their own equipment, including fishing rods, reels, motors and even boats in order to compete.
“We constantly get students that come to our meetings that want to fish but don’t have a boat,” Carlisle said. “Our club just doesn’t have the resources to provide boats for each pair of students.”
Hunter Daniel, a member of the UF Trap Skeet and Sporting Team and manager at Gator Skeet and Trap Club, said the Gainesville Bass Pro Shops location means he will be able to buy ammo and supplies cheaper than from other retailers.
“We try to find places around here that we can get them from,” said Daniel, a 22-year-old UF law student. “Sometimes we end up buying them online, but all that we’ll be able to do at Bass Pro.”
The team also has to pay shipping costs to have the supplies and equipment delivered, Daniel said. But once the new store opens, members will be able to buy their supplies in person without the hassle of shipping fees.
Alex Rennert, a 21-year-old UF aerospace and mechanical engineering senior, and member of the UF Trap Skeet and Sporting Team, said the team receives discounts from specific retailers but does not currently have any official sponsorship.
Having Olympic aspirations, Rennert said he would love to see the local Bass Pro Shops build a sponsorship with the UF team or its individual members once it opens.
