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| | Saturday, July 29 Coverage of inaugural event in primetime July 27-30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
July 25, 2000
Coverage of the inaugural ESPN Great Outdoor Games will begin Thursday, July 27 with a primetime telecast on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The 90-minute program will feature Sporting Dog Fly Ball racing, Speed Climbing, Shot Gun Grid and Bass Fishing. On Friday at 8 p.m., ESPN will showcase competition in the Hot Saw, Fly Casting, Rifle Targets and Dog Agility events in a two-hour telecast. ESPN Great Outdoor Games programming totals 38 hours, including 17.5 original hours.
Overall, more than 200 competitors took part this past weekend in Lake Placid, N.Y., in 21 events in four sport categories - Fishing, Sporting Dogs, Target Sports and Timber Events. A list of winners follows.
A- Two world records were set. "Heidi," a seven-year-old Labrador retriever owned by Beth Gutteridge of Northwood, N.H., jumped an unprecedented 22.44 feet in the Big Air competition. "Rocket Relay" of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, became the first to crack the 16-second barrier in Flyball when the foursome (Border collies 'storm," Shayla," "Radar" and "Blazer") clocked a 15.98 in a semifinal race. (Big Air on ESPN2 Sunday, July 30 at 9:30 p.m. Flyball on ESPN2 Thursday, July 27 at 8:30 p.m.) B- As in most sports, strategy played a key role in the One Fish Fly Fishing Tournament. Each angler was given up to three hours to fish, but could only designate one fish as his or her official entry. Thus, many fish were returned to the Ausable River in hopes a larger one would come along soon. Unfortunately for six of the 12 competitors, time elapsed with them wishing for the one they had let get away. (In fact, one angler returned 12 and came up empty.) The winner, Tom Rowland of Key West, Fla., wisely decided to stick with a trout he caught after just 30 minutes. It was 18.5 inches long, as was the second-place fish of Doug Swisher of Corvallis, Mont., but was named champion on the tie-breaker, girth: 10.5 inches to 10. (The One Fish Tournament will be seen on ESPN Sat., July 29 at 12 noon.) C- Honest, we gave no unfair advantage to Jean Matushek's five-year old Belgian Tervuren from Elgin, Ill. named "Disney." (Agility, Large on ESPN Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m.) D- There's a story behind the lime green fishing line used in the Fly Casting competition. Tests the day before the event showed that traditional clear line didn't show up well on camera, which sent people to the phone and the Internet in search of a different color. A supply of lime green line was found and was driven four hours to Lake Placid that night. (Fly Casting on ESPN Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m.) E- Family battle lines were drawn in the Run, Roll and Drive competition where a brother and sister won gold medals - J.R. Salzman of Hayward, Wisc. and Tina Salzman of Lake Geneva, Wisc. - edged the brother-sister silver medalists, Fred Scheer of Hayward and Judy Hoeschler of LaCrosse, Wisc. (Women's on ESPN Saturday, July 29 at 8 p.m.; Men's on ESPN2 Sunday, July 30 at 9:30 p.m.) F- Here's something you"ve never read before in the sports pages: the winning dog in the Retriever Trials, 'skeet," owned by Barry Lyons of Pineville, La., was actually a late replacement for "Dallas," Lyons" other dog. "Dallas" couldn't compete in the ESPN Great Outdoor Games because two weeks before the event she went into heat. (Retriever Trials on ESPN Saturday, July 29 at 12 noon.) G- Jon Kruger of Owneton, Ky., fires his shotgun with his pinky. Why" He lost most of his fingers on his right hand in a trick shot accident. The 39-year old was eliminated in the quarterfinals. (Shotgun Grid on ESPN Saturday, July 29 at 12 noon.) H- The family that aims together, stays together. Archery included the champion, Jackie Caudle, 47 of Gadsden, Ala., as well as his daughter, 30-year-old Shannon who came in fourth having lost to her father in the semifinals. Also, his wife, Kathy, lost in the first round. (Archery on Sunday, July 30 at 3 p.m. on ESPN and 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.) I- Thanks for coming"here's your parting gifts. The competitors with the quickest exit from any one competition were Karl Bischoff of Celista, British Columbia and Rick Halverson of Alma Center, Wisc. In the opening round, in which the field was cut from 10 to eight, their chain saws failed to start and they were disqualified. However, it is important to note that unlike some competitions, every participant at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games received prize money. (Hot Saw on ESPN Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m.) J- He shoots, he scores! (or, Shotgun Wedding") Bob Mastroianni of Monson, Mass., did not only win the Rifle Targets event on Saturday, July 22. After shooting perfect 100s in all his matches to take the Gold Medal at the North Elba Showgrounds, he won his girlfriend Patti Wright's heart, proposing marriage right there on the spot. "I told myself, if I win this, I"m going to propose," Mastroianni said. "We"ve been together for six years through highs and lows, and this is truly a high." By the way, she said yes. (Rifle Targets on ESPN Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m.) K- First on the list for next time: waders for the crew. In a first-year event, many lessons are learned. Based on the "rash" of Poison Sumac cases among the crew covering the One Fish Fly Fishing Tournament, the first thing they'll pack next time is hip waders. (One Fish Tournament on ESPN Saturday, July 29 at 12 noon.) L- A Foreign Flavor at The Games. Of the 72 medals presented (three each in 20 events, 12 - four people on three teams -- in Timber Events" Team Relay), competitors from other countries accounted for 21 (29%), including six of 24 Gold Medals. Of the 21, 18 were in Timber Events, including a clean sweep in Hard Hit and Two-Board Jigger. The other three represented Gold, Silver and Bronze in Flyball. M- The Big Winner. Dave Bolstad of Traumarunndi, New Zealand, won the most medals - 4. The Timber Events expert left Lake Placid with two Golds - Hard Hit (fewest chops through a log) and Team Relay - and two Silvers, Men's Endurance and Two-Board Jigger. N- Wisconsin Reigns Supreme. More medal winners came from the Cheese State than any other. Wisconsin residents won eight medals, just edging out the host state, New York, which accounted for seven. As expected, Badgers dominated in Timber Events, as all eight medals came from that category, including a clean sweep in Women's Run, Roll and Drive.
"This was one of the most difficult and technical events I have ever run. It's the highlight of my career." - Barry Lyons, handler of Retriever Trials champion "Skeet." Lyons, a 47-year-old offshore oil worker from Pineville, La., has won numerous previous championships with 'skeet" and his other dogs. "This will definitely increase my popularity with my students." -- Tina Salzman, an 11th grade English teacher from Lake Geneva, Wisc. and winner of the Women's Run, Roll and Drive competition. "This is the toughest event we've been in. For us, this was like the Olympics." --Linda Verna of Border Patrol A, the Silver Medal-winning Flyball team from Mt. Hope, Ontario, Canada "Oh god, please" --Fly Fishing competitor Karl Svebek of Sam Rayburn, Texas as he carefully positioned his net to snare a big ol" lunker caught on his hook. "I'm having a great time; these are great people. This is a great opportunity to get to know people with all different styles." -- Brent Taylor, winner of the Fly Casting competition. Although just 25, Taylor has fished for 20 years. He is a professional guide in Montana, where he lives, and Chile. "ESPN did a fantastic job presenting this event. I had a lot of fun." --Shotgun Grid Gold Medalist Doug Fuller of Claremore, Okla. The 41-year-old shooting instructor has diabetes but has competed in shooting events since 1989 and has numerous state and national titles. "Believe me, it gives me no pleasure defeating my daughter." --Judy Hoeschler, Women's Run, Roll and Drive silver medalist, who defeated her 19-year-old daughter Katie in the semifinals. The elder Hoeschler is a 42-year-old mother of four from LaCrosse, Wisc. "They"re working fine, but I think some of the anglers have turned them off." --Jerry McKinnis, bass fishing analyst, on the cell phones by which he was to converse with the competitors during the event. "Yes." --Patti Wright, girlfriend of Rifle Targets champion Bob Mastroianni of Monson, Mass., who was inspired by his victory to propose. "Ruff!" --Big Air champion "Heidi," owned by Beth Gutteridge, a 40-year-old elementary school teacher in Northwood, N.H., when asked what she thought of the competition at the inaugural ESPN Great Outdoor Games. "Heidi" set a new world record in the event with a first-round jump of 22.44 feet. What they said chatting on greatoutdoorgames.com The following questions and answers come from online chats with users of ESPN.com and GreatOutdoorGames.com. This week, the following chats are scheduled:
A- "It was very interesting to watch the competitors exchange their normal easy-going manner for the intensity that this competition brought about. They all commented about the amazing adrenaline rush that came from fishing with a clock ticking down and the pressure of trying to catch a fish. It was unlike anything they had ever experienced. One angler said the intensity he felt in pursuing a rising trout was not any different during the competition as he normally has when fishing." - John Barrett, Fly Fishing analyst and host of ESPN's Fly Fishing the World. Q- "What type of training do Target Sports competitors go through in order to train for these types of events"" - Cooker A- "The Target Sports are like any other sports; they require a lot of physical training. In archery, the back muscles are very important, so the competitors do a lot of lifting to increase their arm and muscle strengths. Some of these archers are pulling 70-pound draws." - Shari LeGate, Target Sports analyst and executive director of the Women's Shooting Sports Foundation Q- "Do bass fishermen ever talk to fly fishermen" Or are the two groups completely different kettle of fish"" - Confused A- 'The two groups are different. Because of the fact their fish normally live in different regions and their equipment is different. But they mostly fish for the same reason, and they have more in common than they think. They have been known to talk to each other." - Jerry McKinnis, bass fishing analyst and host of ESPN's The Fishin" Hole Q- "One problem I"ve had with my lab is him eating the duck on his way back to me. Any way to solve this"" - Ryan A- "There are two basic ways to correct that. One would require consulting with a trainer and using a technique that teaches him to be consistent in his handling of the bird. The other one would be a dummy that makes it uncomfortable to clamp down." -- Sarah Sanford, Retriever Trials analyst and producer/host of Outdoor Life Network
| ALSO SEE ESPN's Great Outdoor Games Fuller wins gold in shotgun AUDIO/VIDEO   Bass fishing finalist Carl Svebek hooks himself a big one.avi: 1780 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Team Rocket Relay sets a new world mark on its way to the gold.avi: 1600 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Wade Stewart takes the gold in Speed Climbing after a close decision.avi: 1210 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1   Wade Stewart describes his winning strategy that gave him the gold.wav: 87 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 All the hard work has finally paid off for Aaron Robbins and team Rocket Relay.wav: 89 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 It was a wonderful day for finalist Carl Svebek, who nabbed the biggest bass.wav: 114 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||