In just two weeks...

I'll have high speed internet. Then, maybe I'll post more often. It's hard to stay motivated when everything takes 10x as long as it should because you spend









so















much












time









wai





ting for stuff to process. But anyway, here are a few shots from the Omaha Open. This tournament is supposed to be at Carter Lake. But it had to be moved TO Championship Lake Estates in Yutan, NE because of one teeny little problem: Not enough water in Carter Lake. I swear, some people freak out over the tiniest little detail.

my obligatory lake shots:

The north end:


The south end:


One of the unfortunate consequences of AWSA's 2008 switch to a rankings-based system will be the renaming of streets around ski sites. Just ask Bud and Janet Piercy



How about Rank Road, or Cut-Off Average Court? Top 30% for each event, including overall, Thoroughfare? More brainstorming is in order.

Back to the tournament. There was a stiff north wind all weekend, and slalom starts on the North end. Very few skiers made it through their third pass , yours truly included. Your fearless blog moderator even dropped his opening pass in round 1.


Jim Mclaughlin


Bud Piercy


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Trick pictures were, dare I say, tricky. My rope leg hamstring still ailing, I sat out tricks this weekend. That meant lots of trick judging. It is extremely difficult to call tricks and take pictures at the same time. I had to point the camera at a spot on the lake as soon as the boat pulled the skier up at the far end of the lake. Not staring directly into the screen (I was judging), I had to wait for the boat to enter the screen and wait for a second or two, then click the button. I also had to figure a significant shutter delay. I was hoping to get the skier in the center of the shot. It didn't work

this one was a little early

Mary Jo Pinkerton

This one was a little late, and I didn't zoom in enough.

Merill Magelli, 2k6 W3 tricks champ

Way late on the button.

Jim Mclaughlin


The persistent north wind brought near-perfect jump conditions all weekend.

Cory Piercy, 140' His best jump since returning from a two-year tour of duty in Iraq


Unfortunately, he was the first jumper of the weekend, and a guinea pig for my pictures. After he jumped, I realized that I could get better shots at the other side of the lake, closer to the ramp.

Steve Prociw, 101' and a huge monkey (more like a gorilla) off his back



Jim Lindgren, 136' at his first tournament in M4



Jim Mclaughlin, didn't catch the distance


I popped out a 145 footer, despite some problems with my jumpsuit. Thank God for duck tape

Now available in fashionable yellow!


Next post: cussing, straining, and head bumping with jammed props!