26# braemar x 36+
17.5# open x 49+
56# wfd x 41+
28# wfd x 90'2.5" PR (2nd)
22# hammer x 109+ (3rd)
16# hammer x 129+
16# wob x 17 (3rd)
18/135# caber x 85deg
4th overall
Challenge wob x14 (tie 10th)
Championship caber 18/135# x 55deg (8th)
*****
26 braemar - Always a tough stone but a fun challenge. First toss was the best, despite no reverse. Lost the stone too early on the second and came off the inside of my hand way early. On the third I finished too early and didn't get a long enough push. 6th or 7th I think.
16 hammer - Was really looking for something big here but I flat out dropped the ball. 129 was good for 4th or 5th.
56 wfd - The hwd has been iffy for me lately. Having issues with drifting left, waiting too long on my sprint and missing the finish. Ended up fouling my first two and had to lay off the sprint on the 3rd to stay in. 41+ got me 4th here
WOB - 17 first attempt on knockoff bar, pretty stoked about this. 3rd place here.
Caber - 19ft 135lbs, 85 degrees. Caber continues to elude me. Working on figuring out a tech that works for me. Going to spend a lot of time with it this off-season.
17 open stone - First toss dropped to 46 which wasn't bad for just switching to MSA. 2nd and 3rd were both at 49ft which was good for 6th or 7th. Ugh. Need to keep my head up and stop finishing early.
22 hammer - Fouled first two attempts. Pushing it too early on that first wind and orbit getting too flat which threw me off balance. Relaxed and let the hammer sink on the last attempt and didn't worry about getting too fast. Settled for 109 and 3rd place.
28 wfd - Highlight of the comp for me. Went 83 first attempt then 86 second attempt. Was sitting in 2nd behind Scott Rider when Matt dropped a big 91+ for a new field record which pushed me to 3rd. I knew I needed a big on here as I was only 1/2 point behind, sitting in 4th overall going into this event. Sped it up out of the back and hit a massive sprint and a long finish which resulted in a big almost 3ft pr of 90'2.5". Excellent.
Challenger caber/wob were a shit show. No need to discuss. Too gassed. Got it done when it mattered and I'm satisfied with that. Will try to work on a bit more endurance next year to last me throughout.
My first professional appearance at Pleasanton is in the books. By far the most competitive field I have ever stepped foot on. Both days it was up and down battling for every last 1/2 point. Yes I said 1/2 point. Finished 4th overall behind Daniel McKim, Andy Vincent and Scott Rider respectively. 1/2 point behind Scott and 1 point in front of Matt Vincent. Words cannot express how amazing this fie...ld was. We all made our mistakes and we all pulled some clutch throws when we needed to. I can't say that I'm upset with my placing but there are some events that I flat out should have done better on. It is what it is. I had an absolutely fantastic time. Thank you so much to Steve Conway for giving me the opportunity to be present among this elite group of professional athletes ranging from all over the world. Throwing with the Scots Craig Sinclair and Sinclair Patience was a real blast. Canada champ Matthew Doherty brought the heat as well on the stones and hammers and Michael Zolkiewicz destroyed the WOB as usual. I'm still blown away by the competitiveness and camaraderie shown in the professional class. To go from inching each other out on the field to drinking bourbon, smoking cigars and sharing stories around the pool is nothing short of what the living life to its fullest really is. I look forward to continuing this tradition for years to come. Utmost gratitude to to my host, the helpers, my judge, my fellow athletes and most of all my wife, Kristina Sullivan, for taking care of our two sons and giving me the opportunity to build these memories that I will never forget. As always, Sport Kilt providing the threads to keep me looking sexy on the field, I appreciate that. Lastly, I want to express how incredible it is to compete beside and throw with some of the very people I have looked up to since I began this sport in 2010. MattV, McKim, Scott Rider, Jon O'Neil, Rusty Price, MikeZ. I idolized these guys as I came up in the sport. Being handed the chance to throw with them is beyond me and for that I am truly grateful. Loon coming up in 3 weeks. I need to be prepared for another battle royale.
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