Roger Saunders 2013 Season Log

[Alan H]

Wow, thanks for breaking it down for us like that.

I know, intellectually, that one 12:00 turn beats 3, 11:45's but I always figure that the best guy will turn the stick to "close to a 12:00" more times. I saw your three turns, I only turned it twice and figured, that was that. Then with Jim in between us in WOB, I figured that was the clincher. I knew it was close but wow....

I did NOT realize that you set a HWFD PR on Saturday, congratulations!

[Alan H]

You know, it's really fun when it's that close. Steve Elliott and I had a good season and a half of Games like that. On any given day, we'd be within a point or two. I'd always win hammers, he'd always win WOB, and usually caber. Weights and stones, we'd split, with me usually taking the weights and him usually taking the stones. Every now and then I'd get him in Braemar and he'd surprise me with a HWFD toss. It was a kick. Now you and I are about in the same place.

You know, if we'd gone back to the field and grabbed another trig board for hammers, I bet we all would have done a lot better.

[RogerWS76]

Saturday I went to see a friend of mine's Nationally ranked 50+ softball team play. He is a player/Manager and one of the Premier 50+ players in the country. Naturally I was wearing a kilt as I have every day for about 6-7 months now. It happened to be the one AlanH helped me put together at our NorCal Rabble Stitch and Bitch in January. It's a generic blue Stewart Plaid. It was a great game going back and forth and then into extra innings.

I didn't get there until the second inning and his team had fallen behind by several runs. But they started to come back. Superstitious as ball players tend to be, my friends wife walked over to me from the dugout and said a couple of players were saying to her,

"You know, since that guy in a kilt showed up, we've started hitting again."

We both had a good laugh!

Then because the game went longer than anticipated one of his players had to leave. Having no other substitutes on the bench, his team would have to take an out if his spot in the order came up again. My friend, Dan, came out of the dugout and walked up to me and said,

"You're over 50, right?"

I nodded my head.

"Good, I need you to hit for me if we get to that spot again."

It happened in the bottom of the 2nd extra inning with score tied, no outs and a runner on first.



I came to bat WEARING MY KILT (fortunately I was also wearing sneakers). The first baseman yelled out,

"Hey, this isn't a Co-Ed game!!"

I smiled and motioned for him to move a little closer ... He did ... So did the outfielders.

I fouled the first pitch down the left field line. The 2nd pitch was in the dirt. The pitcher laid the next one in and I lined it to the fence in left field and the winning run scored from first base! I had a whole team of properly dressed ball players run on the field congratulating the guy in a kilt with high fives and fist bumps and HUGE smiles!

It was quite an experience for this guy who's used to carrying a much bigger piece of lumber!!!

[o1d_dude]

Hope you didn't try to slide into third base.

Now you can claim driving in the winning run in a nationally ranked Men's 50+ softball game.

Good stuff.

[RogerWS76]

Nah, the winning run scored on my way to second but the BEST thing was doing it in a kilt!!! BUT ... it WILL be a great story and one of those that is likely to get better with each telling!

[Alan H]

Nah, the winning run scored on my way to second but the BEST thing was doing it in a kilt!!! BUT ... it WILL be a great story and one of those that is likely to get better with each telling!

It was two out, and the bases loaded at Fenway Park....seventh game of the World Series, and.......

[RogerWS76]

My brother Paul and I drove down to Bakersfield Friday night in the tiny little commuter car my wife uses. It's a Toyota Hybrid and I wasn't sure we could fit into it but I was willing to take the chance to squeeze a few more dollars out of the gas tank! We successfully embarked AND disembarked and 46 miles to the gallon was GREAT!

It was a beautiful sunny day where I don't think it passed 70 degrees! March is a good month for Bakersfield. There was just a little heat on the field, though, when it was announce that since more throwers showed up than they had planned for we not only would have to forego sheaf but we would be missing Braemar and Heavy Hammer as well. However, everyone got down to business pretty quickly.

First was the Open Stone. It's a nicely shaped little rock but my stones, which used to be my best event have gone eratic on me.I only managed two tosses over 30 but 31 and change was enough to win. Sometimes in the stone I think that I need someone else to huck one out there to get me to think it through better!

Then we moved to Heavy Weight. I have been concentrating more on the lightweight and that thing felt as heavy as it ever has. Gonna have to do more reps with it. Paul, however, has been working hard on it and got a PR over 32 feet and I was 2 feet behind that on this day!

Light weight felt better but 46+ was all I could get off the ground. Still have yet to hit a 50 this year and after tweaking my knee in Sonoroa I have been single spinning it. However, my knee didnt do too badly on Saturday so I think I will try to get the two spin up by Ardenwood again.

Next was lunch but a highlight of the day was getting to see two College friends who came out to the games. I hadn't talked to them other than on Facebook for 30 years! It is so cool to pick up with friends like that after such a long time!

After lunch we went to WoB. I decided to come in at 13. Paul was still in and hit his first attempt! I, however, found it in my heart to throw that thing about 15 feet high ... and then watch it land IN FRONT of me!!! On my second attempt at 13 it was more of the same. I guess I have been developing a bad habit of not following through with my eyes OR my hands. On the third throw, facing a no height and dropping to last place I finally relaxed and did it right. It sailed well over. Whew! We continued at 14 where I opened the door for Paul again by missing my first attempt but I got it on my 2nd and then it was just me and Bill (Malibu Ken) Stillwell (who in the 40's decided to grace us with an attempt at 15). We both were able to clear the bar at 15. (Of course that is a gross understaement for Bill who threw it about 18 -20 feet it seemed like). So we moved the bar to 16 which would be a PR for me. Bill did it with ease. My first attempt was closest I think but it was out in front. The misses at 13 and 14 came back to haunt me and I ran out of gas so 15 it was!

Light Hammer was next. The hammers have been troubling me this year and I havn't seem to find the rythym yet so on this day I tried to bring my focus point about two feet farther to the right I usually try for about 45 degrees but I purposely exagerated it to about 60. It seemed to help. I finally got 3 pulls over 80 for the first time this year.

We ended with the Caber. We pretty much had a choice between the green and white caber that Alan won with at Pleasanton or the newly repainted Lyon Caber. Even though the Lyon is about 3 inched longer they chose it because it was just a bit lighter; but man that thing is still a bear of a pencil with a little crook in the end. NO one in our class turned it. I THOUGHT I had BARELY turned it for about a 9:05. (Even Mike Q who usually very generously calls Fifers from his announcers standpoint, mused that it was close but had in act gone over) However the judge behind me didn't see it that way and gave me an 89. Personally I could not have told you which guy was right. I would probably have leaned toward Fifer too if I had to make a call. But ... it was enough to win.

All in all a fun day. No PRs but added about 30 points to my NASGA Score. Here's the tally.

Open Stone	31' 6"	1st
Heavy Weight	30' 3"	2nd
Light Weight	46' 6"	1st
WoB	15'	1st
Light Hammer	86' 10"	1st
Caber	89	1st

It was awesome being able to be on the field again with old friends and to make some new ones! Marty and Garrret have obviously been working their tails off this winter. Form has improved dramatically and you can see the confidence on their faces! It's gonna be a great year!!!

[Alan H]

Yeah, that's a bit off for you in the open stone, and a little bit off in the HWFD, but on the other hand, sounds like a really good hammer day. That's kind of nice after the headache that was Sonora hammers.

The Lion is a right pain in the butt. I can turn that thing and then the next Games comes...and I can't, again. It took me FIVE years before I turned it the first time. That bluidy stick has been my nemesis for 7 years!

I heard that there were only two judges. Ouch. That's not good.

[RogerWS76]

It rained all day today. I notified everyone that we would start an hour later to let it dry a bit and had the East Idaho Scots Instructional Video with Ryan Stewart and Duncan McCallum. It was wet ... only Rob and Paul came. We watched all the videos and then had time to throw a little sheaf. We laid out a huge tarp behind the bar and a 4x8 piece of plywood from which to throw. Both Paul and Rob listened to Duncan well on tape. Rob's PR is 19 and today he hit 20 and just missed 22 ... PAUL hit the inside of the upright at 26 and it fell back. BUT ... what you have to know about these uprights is that they are only 8 feet apart. On a regulation set he makes that easily! Watch out for Paul on the sheaf on Saturday!!!

[o1d_dude]

Good work on the sheaf!

Rob seems to excel on the events for height. We need to get him to approach the other events with the same explosiveness.

Paul doesn't surprise me with a 26' toss. As big and strong as he is, he needs only get everything working on the same page and he'll we be an even bigger monster in the throws.