|
|
|
August 30, 2004
Wow! What a morning! Two rides, one counts, and
the boys were out to perform. Dan Simenc, Todd Baker, Justin Patt,
Dane Jackson, Kevin Dombey, and six others who made it to finals
were all going for three spots on the USA Team.
Justin Patt took it away to win and make his
first ever USA Team, while Todd Baker showed up in good form and
made the second spot, giving away his top seed from prelims. Kevin
Dombey, and Skippy made great runs but repeated the same move more
than optimum to come in a very close position behind Dane who nailed
his backstab, blunt, and roundhouses to have a higher variety and
take the final position.
I can’t believe that it is now just up
to me.
This morning I competed in the Men’s Semi-Finals
and had my ideal ride on my second ride to win the round with 1278
points, to Jay Kincaids 1258 points, and then Dustin Urbans, 1150
points. There are still ten men alive and well ready for finals
in about 45 minutes. I am taking a quick break from the scene, since
I was pacing around not knowing what to do with myself. I watched
the “guardians” of a few of the juniors hitting up scoring
pretty hard on why it was Dane and not them, and the scores went
through a fine tooth comb before becoming official, with Kristine
under the microscope. This is where it is not good to be a Jackson,
because Kristine always errs on the side opposite the Jackson family,
making sure that things can never be questioned. Any other scorer
would have told the guys to take a hike after about 30 minutes of
checking and double checking.
Well, at least the Jackson kids are on the USA
Team. Dad is ready to go, but it is always anything can happen day
at an event such as this. I am feeling great, but still need to
turn my good feelings into great rides that better the other boaters
who are also feeling great and trying to better my rides. Such is
the life of a competitor… you have to love the competition
to love the sport, and I LOVE IT! I am getting my heart rate too
high again, so signing off!
EJ
|