By Mark Riley For the CameraFriday, October 5, 2007

 In the spirit of international camaraderie, and also to intensify the competition, the National Fly Fishing Championship organizers invited three international teams to compete in this week's event. The Irish National Team, the British Army Team and Team Canada are all competing on northern Colorado waters this week and staying in Boulder, the headquarters of the championships.As a member of the organizing committee, I had the chance to show the Irish team around Boulder last weekend. These gentlemen represent Ireland well. They are friendly, gregarious, master storytellers and, I've heard, excellent anglers. After visiting a couple of local fly shops, we had lunch at Conor O'Neil's Irish Pub (they don't get enough Irish pub fare in Ireland?). The team was thrilled to see a sign in the pub referring to a small town only a few kilometers from one of their own home towns."We're having a great time in Colorado. The weather is lovely, the scenery is spectacular and the people are welcoming and friendly," team manager Denis Cronin said. "I had read that Boulder is widely considered to be one of the finest cities in America. After only a few hours here, I can clearly see why."The competition concludes today at noon. The individual and team results will be posted at Boulder's Outlook Hotel, the headquarters of the championship.The competition is taking place on the Big Thompson River, near Loveland, the Cache de la Poudre River and Parvin Lake and Dowdy Lake in the Red Feather Lakes area, near Fort Collins. For further information on the competition visit www.nationalflyfishingchampionship.com.

Mark Riley lives in Boulder and is the treasurer of Boulder Flycasters, the local Trout Unlimited Chapter.