An UNBELIEVABLE day at Livermore

[Alan H]

One of the nice things about taking up something new is the speed at which you improve. It's very gratifying to get better at something! I'm no huge veteran, I threw last season, and this is my second season. Livermore was my sixth Games.

Three weeks ago set a new PR at the Woodland Games in the 28 pound Weight for Distance. THAT was quite a high, to see the tape stretch out and see 40 ft 3 inches! But if that's a high, then, yesterday was just amazing. I set FOUR PERSONAL RECORDS AND

...turned a caber in competition for the first time, yesterday at the Livermore Games.

Stones were....well...stones. I'm not that great at them and I did my usual thing. I really need some serious coaching in the stones,though some of the guys got some good pictures!. After stones we moved to the 22 pound hammer. On the first throw I kind of went on "auto", did three turns instead of two and threw 57 feet and change. That's not a BAD throw, but I can do a lot better. I regularly throw 59-61 feet. However, on throw #2 got my head settled, did two turns, really snapped power into the last downstroke, and lo and behold.....a new HUGE improvement PR of 65 feet 9.5 inches. There's NOTHING wrong with a 65 foot, 22 pound hammer throw! I even scared my training buddy Jim, who's significantly better than I am at this stuff. He had to really dig to beat that one!

My third throw was perfectly OK at 61 feet, but I was amped for the 16 pound hammer.

In the 16 pound, my first throw beat my previous PR by a few inches...78 feet and change, which is a *very* repsectable toss. A new PR! My previous was 77 feet and change. THAT was cool....but I wanted 80 feet. The judge mentioned to me that this had been one of the few tosses he'd ever seen that was maybe TOO high. Most guys throw line drives, I tend to heave it pretty high. High is good, actually..but within limits. The second throw was ideal. I could tell that I'd unleashed one. It wasn't quite as high and everything had gone just right....I did quite a bit of yelling and screaming and dancing around when the tape read 81 feet 3.75 inches.

WOOO-HOOOO! I finally cracked 80 feet! That's been one of my two big goals for a year and a half! I got the firs tone at Woodland three weeksago....over 40 feet in the 28 pound WFD, and now this!

We squeezed in the heavy weight for distance before lunch and I actually got another PR, there, though I almost didn't notice it; 27 feet 2 inches. I don't focus on that event as much as I do on the light WFD, but there is was, my work on technique has paid off .

After lunch was the light weight for distance. I got off one decent toss of 38' 6" but the other two were disasters. I needed more warm up to get settled into the rhythm. 38 feet is a good throw for me, though I was hoping for 40 again. Caber was next.

We have a new caber. It's only two weeks old, and the oil finish is still smelly. In fact, after the first round, I think the pine tar on the guys hands was getting slicked up by the solvents in the stick, I lost my second pick while re-adjusting my hand position and the thing slipped through my hands like a greased banana. I wasn't the only one talking about that,either. But my first pick and toss were picture-perfect. I didn't dance around with it so much...pick-readjust once, wiggle the hands around once or twice, and go. BAM! It was a 12:30, might have been a 12:00, but the second I saw it go over I let out a whoop, screamed and shouted....Joan says I danced around...fell down on my knees and pounded the grass. It's been a long time coming!

I figured that was enough for the day but the Weight over the Bar was last, and we toddled over there. Yesterday was a disastrous day for several of the guys including my friend Steve who has cleared 15 feet, but just couldn't settle down and smacked the weight into the bar three times at 12 feet. I came in at 10 feet...first time,no problem. 11 feet, first time over the bar, no problem.

I sometimes clear 12, actually I USUALLY clear 12, but I have to work for it. So I worked for it, yelled a lot, dug deep and *BAM*, no problem first time. I was talking to some folks, a couple of the other Masters and some friends from X-Marks (Farlander and WalkerK) and shinty players and said I would be jazzed if I cleared 13, but it'd be kind of a miracle. When I was up, I just walked up there, got positioned....reminded myself to "dig deep and STAND UP" (don't arch back)...and POW..

...over she went, first time. For the fifth time that day...LOTS of shouting. 13 feet, that's a real benchmark in weight over the bar. Lots of guys top out at 12 and never break through.

WHAT a day. FOUR PERSONAL RECORDS AND turning a caber in competition for the first time

WalkerK captured most of it on video so hopefully there will be stuff to watch in a day or two....THANKS, WalkerK.

Happy Camper, Yup!