Are We Still Rolling???

This weekend of rolling wasn't as super as the World Championships. I won a few matches and "rolled really well" (got two falls on both last year's and this year's world champs... but that doesn't make a difference when they win the match) but still placed lower than I know I am capable of. In the boom run I took fourth place by one stinkin' hundredth of a second. But the good news (for the log rolling world anyway) is that EVERYBODY is amazing this year. Not just one or two people. We all stepped up our games, and it's showing. I have to keep reminding myself that I do this sport for FUN... sometimes it's a bit hard when the tournament we go to isn't fun. I could go on and on about why it wasn't fun, but I'll leave that to Olivia. She did a good job. And she also did a good job talking about it all the way back to Madison. hahhahahaha... it was too funny. The highlight of the day was most definitely the Dairy Queen stop on the way home. Dairy Queen always makes things better. mmmmmmmm, DQ.

The good news is the next two tournaments should be an absolute blast. Hayward is always tons of fun, and I get to miss three days of work! After that is a tournament up in Grand Marias Minnesota.... way up by lake Superior. It will be my first year, but I heard everybody had a blast last year, so I can't wait!

Sunday we taught a make-up log rolling class, then murdered our legs on the boom run. After eating way too much at Qdoba, Ken and I stole boxes out of recycle bins for.... MOVING DAY! That's right folks, we'll be living in sin in exactly one week from today. And I can't WAIT! Our apartment is right on the lake, with a beautiful view... and an ice cream shop right behind us! Okay back to work, but that's the weekend update!!!

Way To Go Tanner!!!

Congrats to Tanner Hallett (son my my log rolling instructor John Hallett) for his feature in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel! He is the current 7 and under log rolling world champion. His brother Torrin also rolled great to earn fourth place in the 10 and under division. Here is the article: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/gen/jul05/341940.asp

Great Weekend...

Log rolling world championships:

4th place log rolling

3rd place boom run

a victory against the current world champion

a VERY happy Shana.

ESPN Great Outdoor Games Air Times

If you are at all interested in watching me get my butt kicked (it was a close butt kicking, but still a butt kicking) please tune in to ESPN or ABC on the following dates:
7/13 Wed. 8-10 p.m. (Central time) ESPN: Women's Log Rolling

7/16 Sat. 1:30-3:00 p.m. (Central time) ABC: Women's Boom Run

Even though you won't see much of me or Olivia, this contest is still totally worth watching. All of us are so equal in ability now, the matches are very exciting! Please tune in, and wish me and Olivia luck for the rest of the summer!

The Not-So-Great Outdoor Games

Warming up with Olivia before the log rolling competition.

After a long hot, weekend full of hurricane delays and sweat, I can't say I had a great time at this year's ESPN Great Outdoor Games. But I also can't say I didn't try my hardest. ESPN uses single elimination for all events, and I got matched up with the best of the best in both log rolling and boom running. My first (and only) log rolling match was against Katie Hoeschler. It was a great match, but she was the victor. I ran against her sister Abby for the first round of the boom run. We had a photo finish, but they gave it to Abby. But I did have my fastest boom run ever, and although the numbers say I tied for 5th, I actually had the third fastest time. That is why I hate single elimitation...BUT it needs to be made for TV, and they pay our bills, so no complaining here. Okay... maybe just a little bit. ;) Ken was absolutely amazing. He has become the greatest coach, and helped me keep my head together throughout the entire weekend. We even got to spend a super-fun day at Disney World! I'll post pictures and more about that later. So to make a long story short... I am very happy with my performance last weekend, but quite disappointed in my finishes. Luckily there are MANY more contests this summer for me to prove myself. I know I'm a better roller than I've ever been, now I need to show it.

Great Outdoor Games... here I come! I'm at work right now, finishing a few clients, then Ken and I hop a plane for Orlando. Tomorrow and Friday I compete in log rolling, and Saturday is the boom run. I'm log rolling and boom running better than I ever have before, and I hope that will help me get something great out of this weekend. And if I don't.... there will be other contests. This is what is constantly going through my head to calm the nerves. :) I'll do my best to post here while I'm out there with results, etc. Have a great week everybody!!!

Holy fireworks!!! Last night I went to Rhythm and Booms with My dad, Ken, Tyler, and Jason... and man were they amazing! I hadn't gone in a few years, and they were 10 times better than last! No joke all we could do is scream and laugh the entire time. Totally amazing. This is the largest fireworks display in the Midwest and ranked in the top 10 in the world! The pictures above were taken last night, one of the fireworks, and the other of us in the light of the fireworks.

It was SUPER crowded at Warner Park, so things were a bit stressful at first, but thanks to Ann, we got sweet VIP passes to sit practically right were the fireworks were being shot off! Ken and I walked around for a while to find my favorite food of all time (Kettle Corn) and when we came back, my dad let these old ladies sit on our blanket! And they wouldn’t move off! They thought they got tickets for the VIP area with tables, and couldn't *stand* the fact they may have to sit on the grass. So we had these rich old ladies on our blanket, who let us sit in a tiny corner. Then, to make things even worse... they TOOK OFF THEIR SHOES! We laid back only to see the nastiest feet right in our faces. That was it... we took our kettle corn and sat in a different patch of grass... far, far away from the nasty feet. My dad and Tyler thought it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. Remind me to never become a rich prissy old lady. Anyway, despite the feet, we still had a blast, and didn't even get stuck in traffic!

Today is a day for laziness, and hopefully a bit of log rolling. Olivia and I are now in complete "ESPN is in 3 days, time to freak out" mode.