This is my last...

post about regionals. After this one, I'll have to find something else to blog about(not broken equipment, I hope).

Anyway, here's Clint This was his first time qualifying for regionals, and his first tournament on the 5.5 foot ramp. The stiff head wind blew his tips into his face off the top, causing him to lose a lot of distance.

(remember, my camera sucks).
He was not happy with 105'. He was jumping solid 120 in practice the weekend before.

This just might be the best skiing picture I have ever taken. It looks like I took the time to set up the shot like a professional photographer. Don't be fooled, it was just dumb luck.

06M051B 2006 MIDWEST REGIONALS WOMEN 3 SLALOM
6 LINDHORST, AMY IA 35 CARTER LAKE, IA 3.50 551600 75.50 M 858.0

Cory Piercy's best event is jump. Naturally, I got a picture of him tricking. M3 jump Ran concurrently with M2 slalom, so no pics of Cory or Jim. If anybody out there has some, email them to me and i'll post them.

Not being a tricker, I think he was pleased.
06M051B 2006 MIDWEST REGIONALS MEN 3 TRICKS
9 PIERCY, CORY NEO 37 FREMONT, NE 560 810 1370 M 474.0
06M051B 2006 MIDWEST REGIONALS MEN 3 OVERALL
4 PIERCY, CORY NEO 37 FREMONT, NE 851 474 984 2308.8 X

Speaking of M2 slalom, I finally ran an opening pass at Water's edge. I tanked the opener there in 02 and 05. I missed a headwind 32off, but I did throw a big monkey off my back.


Driving home due west for three hours during the late afternoon/ early evening gave me a headache from constant squinting. I was happy to see the sun go down.

Job offers still pending...

I have time to continue posting.

This picture proves two things:

1. Bob made it on the ramp
2. I need a camera with a shorter shutter delay.

But I digress..
Hey, any of you young punks out there think you're tough?

You're probably not as tough as these ladies. Women's 6, and Women's 8, and they're still hitting the ramp.



I'm not sure if this is Janet or Janice, but neither show signs of slowing down.




That's Mary Jo Pinkerton, still grippin' it and rippin' it.


The Doctor is in... the slalom course.




Too late to make the turn to #5 on that one. Just like surgery, sometimes your cut just doesn't have enough angle.
STELZER, MARIE NEO 26 OMAHA, NE 4.00 522300 58.00 S 623.7


Next time you see her at the lake, or the surgical suite, ask her about ballsac point on Coralville lake, I believe it's some sort of geographic anomaly, or maybe it's where some guy flashed her from shore.

I can't top lakeside exhibitionism, so I'll save the final post-regionals post for another day.

"Part the Second," of...

regionals, as I bastardize "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."
I'll start with my part-time tricking partner, Pat Pickford. Not bad, second place in M3 tricks, He missed the title by a mere 90 points.

1 ANDERSON, ERIC ILO 40 CRYSTAL LAKE, IL 1160 1730 2890 E 1000.0
2 PICKFORD, PAT IA 42 FORT MADISON, IA 1850 950 2800 E 968.9




By the way, folks, here's a link to the results:

2006 Midwest Regional championships

Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. Unfortunately, Bob doesn't live next to any of them in Farmington. But he still managed to ski respectably.





SHUMAN, ROBERT MNO 4.00/2300 LX 12 1570 LM 3 89(27.0) LF 7 1955.0X 3

Don't let the pictures fool you. I tricked like shit.




5 TOLEDANO, RYKERT IAO 30 CORALVILLE, IA 810 650 1460 M 387.3

My less-than desirable trick skiing was the main reason I missed 2nd overall by a mere 20 points.
2 HEFLEY, GRANT MOO 26 BLUE SPRINGS, MO 1000 618 653 2271.3 M
3 TOLEDANO, RYKERT IAO 30 CORALVILLE, IA 984 387 880 2251.2 M

Excuse me, 20.1 points

Well, if misery loves company in tricks, Steve Hansen (formerly of Dream Lake, Now living in Minnesota-kinda like Bob) was right there with me. Admittedly, he was off his game as well.



10 HANSEN, STEVE MN 37 KILKENNY, MN 500 780 1280 M 442.9

After falling in a tournament remember:
1. Throw ski.
2. Put face in water.
3. Cuss like a sailor.

still more to come...


can you stand it?????????

I can't come up...

with anything witty and/or profound, so I'll just start posting pictures of Iowa and Nebraska (what's the difference, they're both full of corn and livestock, Ok, Nebraska has more cattle and Iowa has more hogs, I think) skiers at Midwest regoinals.

gratuitous banquet shot



I heartily enjoyed the company, but the chicken was dry, the pasta bland, and the discussion concerning rankings v. ratings nonexistent. A few minutes of open debate would have shown at least a smidgen of deference to the region's rank and file. Maybe the Midwest region brain trust decided to steer clear of controversial topics, given that most banquet patrons were nursing their second or third cocktail when the meeting commenced.

but enough about the politics of skiing, or I will break my first ski-blog commandment: not to mix politics with waterskiing. On to skiing stuff.

It just so happens that I have two shots of each of my three jumps. This is kinda cool, especially the recovery on jump one. Jump one also has an eerie sense of deja vu.

Libby took the first shot of each jump, and Marie (Dr. Stelzer, I presume?) took the second of each

jump 1-- oh crap


luckily, I managed to pull my skis down enough to stay out of the back door.

jump 2



jump 3


solid, but I was too narrow on my counter to get everything out of that one.

Brian Ansel spanked my 132 footer with a 150 footer,


(as you can tell by the spray, he did get wide enough)

and a 165er that he could not quite ride out.

That got him 1st place in M2 jump. Nice jumping Brian. I'll try to keep up.

Speaking of nice jumping, Brett Mommer won M1 jump with 150 feet. However, he did not win the way he wanted to, as Curtis Thredkeld (sp?) went out the front.

Sorry, Brett, I have a cheap camera.


He got second overall too

he loves, no, he LIVES, to trick!




Stay tuned boys and girls, more pics and commentary from regionals to come...