For someone who's "ramping back" I'm still working pretty hard.

[Martin Roy]

I think I just won a bet but I don't know who will actually pay.

[Alan H]

Is it me? What did I bet?

[Martin Roy]

You're off the hook. I said, "I would bet money" that you were going to do better than expected at Rio Linda. But, technically, you never took the bait, I mean bet. Thus, I won, but there are no losers stepping forward as yet to pay up for betting against you.

[Alan H]

I competed at the new "Big Trees Highland Games" in Felton CA this past weekend. Everybodys numbers were "off", myself included. Really? A 27 foot open stone? That was a 30-footer for sure, I stuck it hard, got some "flick" on it and.........it goes 3 feet less than my usual. Meh. We were throwing uphill. I was a foot-plus off in WOB. I've been clearing 13 in practice and couldn't even get 12 on Game Day. I notched one decent number all day, a 29 foot heavy weight throw.

Then again, we threw caber DOWN-hill and I got three turns on a pretty good stick, so that's nice.

It was a fun day, highlighted by the enthusiasm of a bunch of new throwers that I've been training, but marred by two unpleasant interactions with our announcer. I may have had enough of this.

Anyway, the season is a wash. It's hosed. I'm off to Ventura this Friday with Martin Roy to talk trash in the truck, deliver cabers, eat BBQ, soak in the hot tub and generally be an Obnoxious Old Guy for the weekend. THAT will be fun.

[Martin Roy]

Amen to that

[Alan H]

I had the last practice of the 2014-2015 season last night and for once it was a real practice. I actually *threw* with intent to do better. New Guy Josh A. showed up and while we didn't have the number of people needed to set up the sheaf standards, we still threw. I dreamed up a drill to help him with his tendency to throw far, far *behind* him, rather than UP. I put a sheaf on the ground about 10 feet behind him and a little to his left. The challenge was to chuck the other sheaf at about 2/3's power, up, and then down so that when it hits the ground, it actually hits the sheaf placed behind you.

It took us both a while to do it, but I got it about 3-4 times and he got it twice. We figured out why he was throwing "backwards" so much and that's a *Win*.

Now, just easy gym time, stretching and rest and I'm off to Ventura on Friday.

[Alan H]

I may not have a set of legs under me right now, but I have viable gluteus mediaii, again. And I've been working gunz and shoulders for a couple of weeks. So I feel buff....

...which has nothing at all to do with throwing far, but what the heck.