Badger State Inline Marathon
Please Excuse grammatical errors I wrote this fast and did not check it
The race started off in an untraditionally slow manner. Bont present with a strong line up of three skaters’, Rookard, Jono, and Anderson, put the control of the race in there hands. I knew what they were going to do and my plan was just to keep answering the attacks that I knew would occur in order to tire me out. I just knew that if I was there at the end I would give anybody a run for there money. Needing practice on pack finish I was hoping for a large group to be present to battle it out at the end. The first attack came at about mile three when Jono attacked with a huge acceleration after his teammate Anderson had just put in a large pull. I heard Teammate Greg Major yelling at me that he was coming and I quickly started to accelerate and chase. After a few moments of chasing I thought there is no way that he is going to skate the rest of the race solo and retired back to the pack. Racing with intelligence was the only way for me to win this race. Soon we caught him and and we all filed in behind him. I gave him a regular push on the rear as accordion affect of the pack gave me a push. This is when tensions started to build. He freaks out on me and tells me not to touch him. I told him to settle down and he looks at me and says, “who are you?” Shocked I reply, “who are you?” He replies, “I am a World Champion.” Shocked even more I decided that this kid had some sort of ego that in his mind no one was going tarnish and so I proceeded to race on knowing the “bigger they are the harder they fall”(That is a metaphor). Then Alan Marcoson went on an attack and started to get a pretty significant gap. Not wanting this race to get away from me with a lucky break I chase him down with the help of Matt Robinson and Herb Gayle. A few attacks occurred from there to about mile 12 when Rookard goes off on a break away attempt and gapped the pack at one point by 500 meters. Though she was out on the break for a while I could tell she was starting to labor. After we caught her came Bont’s Hardest attempts to tire me out. First Anderson would go off on the attack and I would chase him down then the pack would catch us and Jono would go on the attack. This kept happening for about 4 miles. I was still with them and feeling strong. Soon enough mile mark 20 came and bont began to get in formation at the front. They lined up Anderson, Rookard, and Jono. I filed in right behind Jono. Behind me sat Greg Major, and Dan Zaker. Also in the pack were Murphy Quinn, Alan Marcoson, Herb Gayle, and one other guy. As we neared the line the pace was strong. Then Anderson dropped off after his lead out and Rookard started to take her turn to lead out Jono. As we neared the line she was out in front pushing hard but I was felling great right behind Jono in the Rocking Chair. The pace was not fatiguing me and the line was starting to get real close. I decided with lots of sprint still in the tank to make my move and take my 3rd Badger State Games Victory. I stepped to the side and new at this point that the victory was going to be mine. Whether or not it would have been nobody knows but I felt strong. All of a sudden Jono takes a few crossover steps and slams into me. Not with his skates but with his body. Jostled, I was scrambled for balance that I did not have. Before I knew it, Jono’s hands were gripping my uniform as he proceeded to try to throw me out of the race. It was only a moment but it was intense and I was just fighting to stay up. I bit of a scare but I had no time to do anything go finish what I came here to do and that was win. At this point Jono had started to make his move on the other side of Rookard. I sprinted to the line not having much track to work with I began to catch Rookard who at this point had a good lead after the I composed my body after being thrown. It came down to a hawk where all three off us crossed the line in a 16 inch window. Rookard the overall winner and Jono edging me out by about 5 inched. I crossed the line really mad that someone would pull such low class and very dangerous move at a grass roots event. I felt that for the setting of the race his sportsmanship was really immature and was yelling at him about what was he thinking pulling such a dangerous move like that. He replied “That is how a world champion skates.” I feel Jono may have been the winner but not the champion and he was DQ’d. I would like to congratulate Team rainbow with a men’s 1,2,3,5 finish. Also this is another one of my favorite events and a great Job to the organizers.
The race started off in an untraditionally slow manner. Bont present with a strong line up of three skaters’, Rookard, Jono, and Anderson, put the control of the race in there hands. I knew what they were going to do and my plan was just to keep answering the attacks that I knew would occur in order to tire me out. I just knew that if I was there at the end I would give anybody a run for there money. Needing practice on pack finish I was hoping for a large group to be present to battle it out at the end. The first attack came at about mile three when Jono attacked with a huge acceleration after his teammate Anderson had just put in a large pull. I heard Teammate Greg Major yelling at me that he was coming and I quickly started to accelerate and chase. After a few moments of chasing I thought there is no way that he is going to skate the rest of the race solo and retired back to the pack. Racing with intelligence was the only way for me to win this race. Soon we caught him and and we all filed in behind him. I gave him a regular push on the rear as accordion affect of the pack gave me a push. This is when tensions started to build. He freaks out on me and tells me not to touch him. I told him to settle down and he looks at me and says, “who are you?” Shocked I reply, “who are you?” He replies, “I am a World Champion.” Shocked even more I decided that this kid had some sort of ego that in his mind no one was going tarnish and so I proceeded to race on knowing the “bigger they are the harder they fall”(That is a metaphor). Then Alan Marcoson went on an attack and started to get a pretty significant gap. Not wanting this race to get away from me with a lucky break I chase him down with the help of Matt Robinson and Herb Gayle. A few attacks occurred from there to about mile 12 when Rookard goes off on a break away attempt and gapped the pack at one point by 500 meters. Though she was out on the break for a while I could tell she was starting to labor. After we caught her came Bont’s Hardest attempts to tire me out. First Anderson would go off on the attack and I would chase him down then the pack would catch us and Jono would go on the attack. This kept happening for about 4 miles. I was still with them and feeling strong. Soon enough mile mark 20 came and bont began to get in formation at the front. They lined up Anderson, Rookard, and Jono. I filed in right behind Jono. Behind me sat Greg Major, and Dan Zaker. Also in the pack were Murphy Quinn, Alan Marcoson, Herb Gayle, and one other guy. As we neared the line the pace was strong. Then Anderson dropped off after his lead out and Rookard started to take her turn to lead out Jono. As we neared the line she was out in front pushing hard but I was felling great right behind Jono in the Rocking Chair. The pace was not fatiguing me and the line was starting to get real close. I decided with lots of sprint still in the tank to make my move and take my 3rd Badger State Games Victory. I stepped to the side and new at this point that the victory was going to be mine. Whether or not it would have been nobody knows but I felt strong. All of a sudden Jono takes a few crossover steps and slams into me. Not with his skates but with his body. Jostled, I was scrambled for balance that I did not have. Before I knew it, Jono’s hands were gripping my uniform as he proceeded to try to throw me out of the race. It was only a moment but it was intense and I was just fighting to stay up. I bit of a scare but I had no time to do anything go finish what I came here to do and that was win. At this point Jono had started to make his move on the other side of Rookard. I sprinted to the line not having much track to work with I began to catch Rookard who at this point had a good lead after the I composed my body after being thrown. It came down to a hawk where all three off us crossed the line in a 16 inch window. Rookard the overall winner and Jono edging me out by about 5 inched. I crossed the line really mad that someone would pull such low class and very dangerous move at a grass roots event. I felt that for the setting of the race his sportsmanship was really immature and was yelling at him about what was he thinking pulling such a dangerous move like that. He replied “That is how a world champion skates.” I feel Jono may have been the winner but not the champion and he was DQ’d. I would like to congratulate Team rainbow with a men’s 1,2,3,5 finish. Also this is another one of my favorite events and a great Job to the organizers.
posted by Peter S. @ 8:41 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Pete,
I competed in many Badger State events between 1986 and 1989. It used to require that you be a Wisconsin resident to compete. Anyway - what you describe here is one of the most outrageous examples of competitive behavior I have ever heard of let alone encountered. I have read on another forum that Bont coach has apologized and I kind of accepted that - but now after reading your account I feel that the DQ of Jono was an insufficient punishment and that he should be banned from any competition for life at the Badger State Games and I intend to let them know how I feel I was not a skater back in the 80s - I am now - about to enter my first marathon in Spokane WA, I raced XC skiing and won several events and placed in others. I've also competed at the World Masters level and only once did I here of and even witness a confrontation rivaling this - where a German skier allegedly tripped a skier attempting to pass him after he had failed to prevent the pass by repeatedly and illegally changing lanes to prevent the pass.
The young man in question, in my opinion, is in fact a world champion alright - but it's not in skating - it's as a world class A.H.!
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