Breakdown of an OC-6 Change-Out

Read on for details on the race. Click on images for a larger version.

Seats 1-2-3, stow your paddles!

Each person shouts as they jump out of the boat - 3 out, 2 out, 1 out!

Success! 1/2 boat full of fresh paddlers! Imua!

My turn!!

Leaving the escort boat after 24 minutes of resting, refueling, and hydrating. We line up in order of our seats and wait for the canoe to come and get us.

Getting into Seat 2....F***! My shoulder! Oh, the bruises! Crazy, badass fun!!!

Race Around the Island - Catalina Crew Earns a Blue Ribbon Medal!

Well, here it is....finally, my first long-distance, change-out race in an OC-6 (6 person outrigger canoe). It was also the one and only dress rehearsal for the Catalina Crew before we head down to SoCal for the race in mid-September. The course was a lovely tour of Lake Washington - starting at Sail Sand Point's home in Magnuson Park just north of the University of Washington (go Dawgs!) in Seattle. From there, we headed south and across the lake to Medina, then, paddled down to Mercer Island and did a counter-clockwise circumnavigate of the island, and, finally, back up to the starting line for a total of ~26 miles. Garmin Connect - Activity Details for SSP 26 mile race coed crew ! It was cool that morning - but that was good b/c it kept the recreational boat traffic low so it felt like we had the entire lake to ourselves.

In total, I was scheduled for 3 change-outs: start in seat 5, change to seat 2, back to seat 5, finish in seat 2. Sabine kept it pretty simple and we did 3-seat change outs each time. The stroker in seat 1 changes about every 24 minutes, while all the other seats changed out every 48 minutes. Sabine, was our steersperson and ironed the race and never changed out - and, she paddled for most of the time. She is amazing and my mentor in this crazy sport!!

We were planning to finish the race in 4 hours. But, paddling together in the weeks prior paid off - our strokes and timing were on, steady, and strong. And, our change-outs went smoothly. We finished way ahead of schedule with a final time of 3:47....woot!!! At our last change-out practice, I totally missed seat 2 and did the most dumbass move ever and reached for the aku in a panic. Needless to say, my left shoulder had been in pain the entire week leading up to the race and I kept replaying that image of me missing my marker in my head. So, I had massive butterflies for my first change-out. I jumped out of seat 5 into the cool water and it was invigorating. I climbed into our escort boat and chilled (literally) for 24 minutes.

Since we don't wear our packs on the boat while paddling, the only time we can hydrate and refuel is on the escort boat. But, I wasn't that hungry b/c of nerves and I was focused on calming myself down for my first climb back into seat 2. The time came, I jumped from the escort boat into the water and waited for the boat to come. I spotted the yellow tape and went for the hand-hold. The rest was a blur and before I knew it, I was in seat 2 (yay!) and reached ahead of me to help Diane into seat 1. I did it!! My second change went relatively smoothly as well - again, I don't remember much of it, but I was in my seat and paddling. The only thing I could remember was the pain in my left shoulder as I started to paddle, but in a way, it was good b/c the only way to work around that was to focus most of my power on the big muscles on my back, butt, and legs - what I should be doing anyway!! The race was awesome, and it being a long-distance race, I was completely in my element. But, because we were cruising way ahead of schedule, I didn't get to do my last change and I wasn't in the boat across the finish line :-( And, I was just getting into my groove and could've paddled for another couple of hours with the change-outs. What an amazing race and a job well done by the SOCC CATALINA CREW!! We got first in our division (6 women, 3 men) and we are so excited for the race to Catalina!

Our other SOCC mixed open boat finished under 4 hours as well and came in at 3:52. The overall winner was the crazy men's open boat from Kikaha who finished in 3:11. They've been paddling for years together and do all the badass races like Molokai. My friend, Doug (Slacker), is part of that crew and I can't wait to take up his offer to go paddling with him in his OC-2. It'll be a wicked paddle and there will be no time for whining (though, I'm sure there will be a lot of "Buttercup" ribbing, for sure :-))

I would love to try and iron the race in an OC-2 (c'mon Nay Nay) next year. But, the change-outs are fun, too. Great job SOCC! Thanks, Dave, for being our escort boat. And, many thanks to Mary Ann for being our change-out coordinator!! Imua Seattle Outrigger!! Thanks for an amazing experience. Finally, here's a link to more pics from the race.

Video - Change-Out Practice - Sat., 8/22/09

Here's a video of our change-out practice this past Saturday. It was your typical PNW day (brrrr....) but once we got paddling, it got warm. Anyway, here are the times I show up on the vid. Oh, and note that at this phase of my short, paddling experience, my goal for the change-outs is to successfully haul my lard-ass back into the boat. So, when it comes to style....well, I'll work on that next year :-)

00:47 (seconds): you see my head go under the camera on the aku as I spot the tape indicating where seat 5 is on the boat.

004:10: my graceful climb into Seat 2. I'm in the red rash guard. Oh lordy...

04:50: my change-out of Seat 2. Cannonball!

05:20: hard to see, but in the far boat, it was my last (4th!) climb back into Seat 2. I was totally exhausted at that point but I managed to get in on my own.




Should be warm this coming Saturday for the race! Can't wait....but, my bruises hurt!!

Upcoming Long Distance (Change-Out) schedule

The outrigger canoe racing season is coming to a close - about 1 more month of racing for me with 2 big long distance races with change-outs and *maybe* 1 more long distance (no change-out). While I loved the recent wave of hot weather (when I was out on the water), it kicked my ass and I suffered a bit of heat exhaustion after SOCC's "Da Grind" earlier this month. But, after a couple of "mellow" weeks (i.e., I was still working out, playing hockey, and paddling - but at a lower intensity), I feel like I've got my energy back. And, the cooler weather is helping me catch up on my ZZZZ's.

Yesterday, we headed out of Waterway 18 on Lake Union on a very cool and cloudy morning and paddled out to I-90, crossed to Mercer Island, and then paddled up to 520 and back to Lake Union. Total mileage was probably 18 miles and while we were out, we practiced our change-outs in a race scenario. I am sooooo happy to report that I've broken through my mental block. I've been so apprehensive about practicing change-outs while the boat is in motion. Doing it while the boat is sitting still is one thing, but grabbing on to the canoe as it's moving was another and I haven't felt this type of apprehension in a long time. Seriously, there were times I thought I was going to puke. On top of that, I added more stress to myself because I had agreed to be part of the Catalina Crew. So, I had to break through this mental block and not let my teammates down. But, I did it yesterday!!! Double-Woot!! I was part of the first group to jump out and I had no choice by that point (there was no copping out that morning - Sabine made that clear) and just jumped out. Then, I surfaced and waited for the other boat to come. All I remember about my first change-out were the akus going over my head, and focusing my eyes on the bright yellow tape that spotted the area for me to grab. Then, I literally hauled my ass up on the boat. I couldn't do the "superman" and did a leg hook (ouch) but I got up on my own and was paddling shortly thereafter. OMG.....what a relief to get that first one out of the way....then, we got to do it 3 more times. I was exhausted by the end of practice. Thank you Sabine, Melissa, and Rob (Mango!) for believing in me and calming my nerves. You don't even know how much it meant to me to be able to break through this mental block. Now I'm ready - bring on the next 2 races!

First, Sail Sand Point's Pacific Northwest Outrigger Challenge - a ~26 mile race from Magnuson park, across Lake Washington, down to and around Mercer Island, then back up to Magnuson. This will be a change-out race with a couple of escort boats following us to drop-off and pick up paddlers. Date: August 29 starting at 10:00 am and we hope to finish by 3:00 pm?

Second, Catalina Challenge - U.S. Championships which I wrote up previously. After that race, I will see how I feel about squeezing in one more race.

(In the heat of the competive moment. Photo credit: Scott Moody, Kikaha Outrigger Club - click on the image for a larger version.)
We're already thinking about next year and I think we're going to aim for the Na Pali Challenge on the island of Kauai. What's interesting about this distance change-out race is that you need 6 wahine (women) and 6 kane (men) and every 30 minutes, you change out all 6 six seats (6 wahine out, 6 kane in, etc.) It's a 38 mile race but, with all the change-outs, one will likely only paddle a total of 3 hours. I can't wait to sit in the escort boat and take in the Na Pali coast - it's going to be breathtaking and an amazing experience! OK - back to the now....a week of warmer weather and time to perfect my change-outs. Aloha! Imua Seattle Outrigger!

Da Grind - OC Distance Race 08/01/09

After a week of scorching heat in the northwest, the fog was a welcome relief (albeit, temporary) in West Seattle the morning of SOCC's very own "Da Grind" distance race. A 2-lap course for a total of 10 miles with a bonus portion: a 1-person run up from the boat to the beach and back into the boat after the first lap.

Guess who was designated to do that in our boat...yup, that would be me. LOL!! After a 2-hour delay, we started in the fog which instantly dissapated about 20 minutes into our race. It was a grind, literally, for me anyway. I've been fighting a bug all week and with the heatwave, my body was completely lethargic. And, I had timed my caffeine and food intake for a 9:30 start - not an 11:30 am start (with some football tossing, burpees, and general horsing around in the sand on top of that to kill time). Yeah, we hadn't even made our first turn and I knew it was going to be a grind for me.

After the first lap, I disconnected my hydration pack and jumped out of the boat - and went face first into the water....exactly what Sabine told me NOT to do. Then, it was a run up the beach, around the cone (plus an added JRitchie Flair - a pirouette) and back into the boat. Sabine showed me how to do it (one hand on each side of the boat and then swing my butt in...well, all the adrenaline gave me a major brain fart and the boat was cruising by....so, I missed it. SPLOOSH! Face-first into the water and off I went to chase the boat. LOL! Nice! And, it's all captured on film by photos taken by Scott Moody from Kikaha OCC. Great.

We got 4th place in the Open Women's division and we battled it out with Mountain Home's boat the entire way. Sigh....it was a grind. But, we were neck-in-neck right from the get-go. In fact, we were so close around our first turn that we collided with their ama. In the end, they edged us by 10 seconds. Oh well...next year.

Good times for sure. The SOCC men's boat did well too! No huli! Great turnout from the clubs around the northwest I'm done for sure now....until later this month. Hope this lethargic feeling goes away soon.

Catalina Crossing - 9/12 - 9/13...I'M IN!!!!

It's official....I got a spot on SOCC's co-ed crew for the 50th annual Catalina Crossing. It's a 27-mile race that starts from Newport Beach, CA and a one way paddle out to Catalina Island. Because of the length of the race, we'll be doing change-outs with people swapping seats during the race I think every 45 minutes or so. I'm guessing it will take us anywhere between 4.5 - 6 hours to complete the race. I am so excited!!!! We'll spend the night on the island and the men will race the following morning. Just one baby-step closer to my ultimate goal - the Na Wahine O Ke Kai race from Molokai to Oahu which is approximately 40 miles. Imua!!

More pics from the Gorge Distance Race '09

Photo courtesy: S. Woody (Kikaha OCC)

Last night was an awesome night for paddling - temps in the upper 80s and the lake felt so great during our practice. As expected, we set out for a long paddle with power & stroke intervals to prep for the rest of the season. At our mid-way point, we took a break to learn change-outs and practice getting back into the boat - I knew that was going to happen. I did it a few times w/out seriously bruising myself so it was a good start. I just wanted to get into the lake - it was so dang hot! THEN, Sabine (who is always pushing me) put me in the steersman seat....what?? Once again, she gave me that look like "you have no choice" so I complied and steered....the novice way (zig a little here, zag a little there). But, I did it...now that I am out of seats to try, maybe she'll tie me up to be the ama :-)

Anyway, here is a link to some pics from the Gorge distance race (http://tinyurl.com/l5ywp5) - the pics really don't show how topsy-turvy it was out there because they were all taken from the shore and the conditions were "calmer" closer to shore. However, the shot of a canoe and a kite-surfer (above) kind of gives you an indication of how strong the winds were blowing. Thanks to S. Woody (Kikaha) and N. Pacheco (SOCC) for some of the pics. Aloha and Imua!

Paddles Up!

I just had to post this pic - taken at the Silverdale Sprints (I think we won this race - 500m sprint). I love the starts....it's so intense to hold that pose and be ready to dig and paddle like hell when the starter goes from yellow flag to red and then Sabine yells "Imua!!"

Gorge Distance Race - July 18, 2009

Last distance race for this month - thank goodness, because this was a doozy of a race to get through. I'm going to need some time to recover - it was a sufferfest! The Gorge Distance Race was another race down on the Columbia River - starting line located in Stevenson, WA - a 2-lap course for a total of approximately 10 miles. Last month, we were further out west at Rooster Rock for our last distance race which I thoroughly enjoyed. But, compared to this race, those conditions were downright placid and tame.

For this race, we faced wind gusts up to 35+ mph and swells at about 3 feet....these swells were spaced so close and just constantly pounded us as we battled upwind. I swear, no matter how hard we dug in to grab water and pull, we felt like we were going nowhere (if, not backwards!). Downwind wasn't much better - we had to keep up the pace in order to try and not only catch a wave, but to keep us moving through those lulls in between waves so we weren't dead in the water. Yeah, it was rough and one of the most grueling things (physically and mentally) I've ever done - both upwind and the downwind.

Sabine, as always, did an excellent job steering and keeping our boat in line preventing us from a huli (flipping over and capsizing). We had a lot of close calls though - I admit my strokes on my right were very tentative as I kept my eye on the ama. When it would catch air, I would shift my weight to my left cheek to help keep the ama down but at the same time, reach out on my right side to maintain my stroke. I tried to make up on my left side where I was leaning into the ama side. We saw 3 hulies and I'm sure there were more. Other boats were constantly bailing b/c their spray skirt wasn't keeping out all the water. Crazy, insane conditions!! On top of that, there was a sailing regatta to contend with, along with the wind and kitesurfers. We collided with one of the sailboats (dumb-ass didn't see us until it was too late), and had quite a few close calls with the wind and kite surfers. I tried not to pay attention to it, but there were a lot of distractions during the race, for sure.

So, we survived....and, yes, it's a race I want to do again! We finished in the middle (6 out of 13) with the top 3 teams from Jericho and False Creek, BC - some of the top teams out there! So, overall, we were pleased - we finished, we didn't huli, and we gave it our all. Our final time was 2:06 - the winning boat came in at 1:51. We ate and drank well after the race!!

Our men's boat didn't fare as well and DNF due to a huli after the first turn. They paddled right after us and the conditions were howling. I felt so bad for Rob, Mike, and Paul and the disappointment on their faces were obvious. But, most important, everyone is safe and they sacrified enough items to keep the river goddess at bay (sunglasses, gel seat, wood paddle, and a couple of pairs of slippers). Thanks to the 2 guys from Canada for filling in the last seats of the men's boat.

Time for a rest - but, looking forward to some leisurely paddles this week, though, I have a feeling that Sabine is going to want us to start practicing change-outs. Well, at least the weather outlook is HOT so it will be nice to jump into the water. Imua Seattle Outrigger!

Twist - Reach - Pull

Yesterday was the final day of sprint races for the season: The PNW - ORCA (Pacific Northwest Outrigger Racing Association (Ohana) which was held at the waterfront park at Dyes Inlet in Silverdale, WA. Home of my paddling bruddah, Rob, which he gleefully showed off (took all of 30 seconds :-)). It was a LONG day but in the end, glad to be there because it was the last set of sprint races and the rest of the season will be distance (10+ miles). Sprint races are so different because there are so many races all day - 500m, 1000m, 1500m; co-ed, women, men; novice, open, masters, etc.... So, it's a chance to paddle with a bunch of different people (from within our club and other clubs) and an excellent opportunity to try out different seats in the boat. My coach, Sabine, threw me into the #1 seat for a couple of our races which has so much responsibility (eek!!!). I've NEVER stroked in the #1 seat - but, basically, you set the tempo for the boat, pull the hardest, and have specific duties during the turn. Haha....I was hesitant but I really had no choice. Thanks so much to Melissa who was sitting in the #2 seat for coaching me on pacing and reminding me what to do during the turns - in the end, I had so much fun and want to do the #1 seat again!! I did it twice - once for a 500m sprint (1 turn), and then a 1000m sprint (3 turns) - the latter was the first time the statement "paddle 'til you puke" felt so true to me.

In any case - I only had 5 races that day. I was happy to give up my novice seat to the "oh-so- effervescent" Loryn (her first sprint races). I went home with another fistful of ribbons thanks to my awesome teammates who paddled their hearts out. And, it was the first race where I got to use my new paddle - luvin' it. The rest of the season will be single distance races - that will definitely free up some time ;-) I do like the frenetic pace of sprints but it makes for an incredibly long day to get through all the races (up at 4:30 am and got home at 10:00 pm). Today, my back doesn't hurt at all so I like to think I did the 'Twist-Reach-Pull' and my technique is getting better. And, my hybrid paddle is also much lighter than the wood paddles I've been using.

Next up - 10-mile paddle in The Gorge. I'll be in the women's boat and we're coming home with a trophy!! Imua Outrigger Seattle - I heart you all. Good energy....good Ohana. Aloha! Now, off to give the legs a little workout on my bike.

(Pre-race stretching: Back-off kids and I'll show you how it's done!)

Rooster Rock Distance Race - June 28, 2009

(Click on images for larger versions or click here to view my photo gallery. More shots of the race available www.verycunning.com.)

I heart paddling. More than I thought I would. At the end of June was my first distance race. Saturday morning, I met Sabine and Diane in the Tukwila P&R and we drove down to Rooster Rock State Park in Oregon (30 mins east of Portland) for a 10-mile paddle. About a week before the race, we practiced a 'huli' drill - i.e., wtf do we do in the event we capsize? We had to go through that practice because the Columbia River, particularly around Hood River is known for for its winds. We will be further into the river later on this month for The Gorge distance race. Can't wait....

SOCC had 2 oc-6s representing the club at the Rooster Rock race: womens (Kristi, Meg, Melissa, Bethany, me, and Sabine), and; co-ed (Janelle, Karissa, Rob, Mike, Diane, Murray). Our co-ed boat totally rocked it out there finishing 2nd in the co-ed division and 3rd overall finishing the course at 1:21. Our womens boat also did pretty well....we placed fourth in our division finishing in 1:27 and 8th overall (including both womens and co-ed boats - 26 boats total?). But, it was a great victory for us b/c we were battling with 2 other canoes for most of the race for the fourth place finish. Thanks to Sabine's excellent steering, we maneuvered tightly around the rock and then later around the last buoy and then she screamed at us to do 4-power 10s....(it seemed like) one right after the other. She pushed us hard and we pushed each other even harder. I think I only got 2 sips of water during the race and polished off the contents of my bladder AFTER the race. I felt great after the race but, surprisingly, the most sore part of my body were my glutes! Sabine (who is also our coach) said that's good b/c that meant I was using my legs in part of my stroke to push the boat forward. But, I must admit that I had a *little* trouble walking there for a while. Big CONGRATS to the bad-ass co-ed boat!

The following Sunday, we watched videotapes of our strokes and Sabine and Doug critique our style. I *thought* I was twisting and reaching with my paddle...HA! Not even close. So, from now on, it's "TITS TO THE GUNNEL." That's the only way I will be able to reach out far enough with my BRAND SPANKING NEW HYBRID PADDLE - A 48" KIALOA AXEL II. Then, twist my torso and pull the paddle straight back to mid-thigh all the while keeping both my arms straight (got it with my top arm but still bend my lower). I'm going to head out and try to hit all 3 practices this week so I can play with my new toy. Imua Seattle Outrigger!

Self-righteous Cyclists (LOL!)

Gotta see the humor in everything.

SOCC Open Women - the boat to beat!

My second sprint regatta under my belt. It's only been 1.5 months of paddling, but I can feel my stroke has improved so much since my first race back in May. And, I got my reward(s) for working on my stroke...ribbons galore! On Saturday, we raced on Silver Lake in Everett, WA.

The SOCC's Open Women rocks and there's talk in the PNW outrigger paddling community that our boat is the one to beat in the upcoming distance races. And, here's why: our last race of the day was a 1500 sprint with 5 turns - the longest one of the day and the last race for women. I had already done 5 races prior (should've been 6 for 7 total races that day but I will explain later) so we all had to suck it up, dig in, and leave it all on the lake. After a little shaky start, we found our timing, and Sabine steered us around the buoys for some of the best turns I've ever seen...tight around the buoy and we paddled strong out of our turns towards the next buoy. We won the race - actually blew everyone out of the water and finished strong about 29 seconds ahead of the second boat!! With each turn, we kept building on our lead which is why everyone is looking at our boat as the one to beat in the distance races. I was really excited to be picked to paddle in this boat because in the prior race that I had missed at Green Lake, they blew the competition away and won by 20 seconds over the next boat. As we finished our last turn, there was such amazing energy coming from everyone on that boat and in the end, we all felt like we could've kept going for 5 more turns! It was a perfect ending to what turned out to be a fabulous day. Woot! Mahalo Kristi, Melissa, Janelle, Naomi, and Sabine for the most awesome race of the day. F'ing A....we kicked some serious ass!!

However, we didn't get off to a great start - we, um, missed our first race. It was a 500m sprint and somehow we missed the last call to get our boat out there and before we knew it, the horn sounded and the boats were off!! But, I had plenty of chances to paddle because I was signed up for 7 races. Of the remaining 6 races, I got 3 1st place finishes (1-500m, 1-1000m, and 1-1500m) a second place finish for a 1000m sprint, and a 3rd place finish for another 1000m sprint - all a mix of women and co-ed boats. I should've gotten one more but we missed 3rd place in the 1000m novice women by .30 seconds...yes, you read that correctly..... 0.30. M***** F*****!!! Oh well, guess I can't be too greedy. Definitely, one of the most satisfying days ever for me in any of the activities I've done in my life. And, when it was time to dig in and turn on the power, there was no doubt that everyone was giving their 110%.....excellent team effort! As far as OC-1 races, I may give it a try but I must admit that there is nothing more enjoyable for me than team events and I am really luvin' the OC-6 boats.

Great all-day event in the warm sun....I am so happy to be paddling with this club and to have a new set of good friends to hang out on the water with. Imua Seattle Outrigger!

Outrigger Kanu Racing Schedule - Summer '09

(Image Source: Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club)

Racing schedule? What the hell?! Well, I did the usual JRitchie thing and found a new sport that I absolutely love so I've completely immersed myself into it. This summer, I had planned on just practicing with the Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club and then enter a race or two towards the end of the season. Well, it didn't exactly happen that way and pretty much just jumped right in and signed up for a slew of races.

This morning I had my first long-distance practice. We paddled from our put-in site on North Lake Union, through the cut into Lake Washington, and down to I-90 which turned out to be 14 miles. Paddling time, it took us 2 hours and 20 minutes but we were out for over 3 hours as we practiced various elements of our paddling. Yes, I am *really* looking foward to the long distance races because that's more like what I am used to doing on a bike. But, on top of that, I will be training for the change-outs which is the reason why I got into the sport in the first place because it just looks so bad-ass! I'm really happy with how my paddling stroke has been progressing and have been getting awesome feedback from Sabine and others. And, my very own hybrid Kialoa paddle is on its way in time for my first long-distance race in Portland. Whee! So, here's the schedule so far.

June 13: Hui Wa, a O Puget Sound Regatta - Everett, WA
June 20: Hui Heihei Wa, a Sprints - Silverdale, WA
June 27: Rooster Rock Distance Race - Portland, OR

July 11: PNW - ORCA Sprint Championships - Silverdale, WA
July 18 - 19: Gorge Distance, Gorge, OR

August 1: Seattle Grind (Distance) - Alki Beach, WA (SOCC sponsored race)
August 15: Race Around the Island (Distance) - Mercer Island, WA

September 12: Catalina Change-out race and US Championships - Newport Beach to Catalina Island, CA (I'm an alternate)
September 19: Race Around Hat Island - Pac NW Long Distance Championships - Hat Island, WA

Unfortunately, my cycling has taken the brunt of the time I spend paddling. I no longer go out for 5+ hour rides and can only fit in a couple of hours, max :-( So, my Seattle-to-Portland ride in 1 day will have to be put off for another time while I work on my outrigger kanu paddling obsession. I think it's a fine trade-off. Imua!

Flying Pigs - 2nd Place PNW Women's Tourney?!

Time for that annual pink ritual where I don my all-time favorite jersey and play for The Big Fat Flying Pigs at the annual Pac NW Women's Tournament at Canlan Ice in North Vancouver, British Columbia. One thing that is ALWAYS guaranteed is good times with my pals from NoCal (many who I met through the Northern California Women's Hockey League) sprinkled with some ladies I brought on from the Seattle Women's Hockey Club to complete the roster. This year, something very magical happened - the Pigs won a game....again, and again, and again. Once we caught our breath, we found ourselves playing in the Championship game. Here's a brief wrap-up of how we got there.

Game 1 vs. Eugene Extreme: Wish I could tell you about this game, but KT and I were a *little* late after a passport snafu ("uh....KT, you packed your passport, right?") But, we were determined to get up there for some ice time and made it in time to play the 3rd period. Our roster was already short with only 9 skaters so for the first two periods, the Pigs were down to 7. We got to the rink and I saw the score 3-0 and assumed the other team was winning. But, we got to the bench and to our amazement, the Pigs were ahead. We got there just in time and managed to help the team to a 5-1 win. Oink!

Game 2 vs. Stanley Cupcakes: This was a great team to play after Eugene Extreme because a lot were fresh novice players so it was a good recovery game for most of the Pigs after Game 1. It was an easy victory but we used the time to work on passing and puck handling. The final score was 5-1 and the realization that we were on a winning streak. Huh?!

Game 3 vs. Motherpuckers: I don't know what it is about our team - maybe it's the pink jerseys. But, we only got 2 penalty minutes the entire tournament and it was during this game. Generally, we thought the refs were letting the other team get away with a lot of chippy moves and it was a bit frustrating. Before the final game of the tourney, this was definitely the hardest game for us but we managed a 2-0 or 2-1 victory. I can't remember - the tournament extracurricular activities were starting to take effect on my memory :-)

Game 4 vs. Patriots: Sunday morning. Always the hardest game to play in a tournament and it was also our fourth game. One thing for sure about this tournament, you get your money's worth!! We figured if we won this game, we were in the finals and if we tied we were out. A lot of mixed feelings: on the one hand, we wanted to win since we had come this far and wanted to play in the finals; but on the other hand, it would mean we play our fifth game at 2:30 on a glorious Sunday afternoon. But, once that buzzer went off, our instinct kicked in and we skated hard and pulled out a win. Final score was either 2-0 or 2-1. I can't remember - again, memory is foggy and, I had just enough energy to focus on the task at hand (I keep asking myself "why?" when I feel like crap the next day). Woot! Victory and we were in 1st place - the PIGS UNDEFEATED!! Huh?! What was going on?

Game 5 vs. Eugene Extreme: Rematch of Friday night. And, what a game it was. Eugene went ahead 2-0 but with 4 minutes left in regulation, Superstar Shauna scored a goal and then another to tie the game with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Crazy!!!! For OT, we played a 4-4 sudden death but 2 minutes into it, Eugene scored on a breakaway goal. Nonetheless, it was good fun and probably my favorite tournament to date. Well, OK - maybe my co-ed tourney with the Mudflaps :-)) but that was my favorite for another reason (yummy). But, I would definitely recommend to any woman ice hockey player to participate in this tourney - one of the best out there!

Congratulations Big Fat Flying Pigs!! Nice bling!! See you next year! "Loving you, is easy 'cause you're beautiful. La la la la la. La la la la la. La la la la la la la la la la la. Dootin' dootin' doo doo. Aaaaaaahhhh!"

5 games in 3 days - "I'm fuckin' done!"