Where to begin! Getting the nod from fellow throwers and an invite from the IHGF to the “Women’s Worlds” was a pretty giddy day for me. Any event called a ‘world championship’ is bound to be pretty exciting.
And it truly was, in many ways. From travel snafus, to hotel changes and a revolving door of players every minute of the Spokane Games was full of surprises and adventures. It couldn’t have happened with a more entertaining group of folks.
The trip started with curb side pick-up at the airport and we were whisked directly to a potluck dinner at the festival location. This gave all the throwers a chance to spy the field before game day; a lovely flat field with no ruts or runnels to ruin a good throws. Afforded me the opportunity to catch up with a few of my West Coast sisters, and meet my roomie for the weekend.
Few places offer the pedigree of female throwers that were to be seen in Spokane. Everything from Olympic style weight lifting champions, coaches, college throwers and all those in-between. While few in number we were big on variety of background, for sure. The Men’s class had throwers from the US, Europe and Japan, and was twice the size of the women’s class.
Come games day the boys were dropping bombs on the infield, while the girls were chucking out of the secondary trig in the outfield. With a midafternoon start at nearly 2PM it was a uniquely speedy game with only two classes on the field. Eschewing sheaf, as is common in this part of the states, an eight event day also helped with the timeline, with a close out before 6PM.
Kristy Scott started the day off by showing us all that the new kid on the block is not to be dismissed, with a light hammer out near 90 she is going to be one to watch. Kristina Sisseck had us all hands down on open stone with a pop out over 42 for a personal best that had her giddy enough to do a little dance. Melissa Genisauski and Ingrid Marcum were going punch for punch in heavy weight for distance nudging the 39 foot mark. Heather McDonald kept everyone on their toes pushing forward in each event. Ingrid also had the only turn on the caber that gave the entire class a bit of trouble. For me, it was a learning experience all around, both on technique and sportsmanship. Kristina was the champion at the days end with 18 points in 8 events. Beth Harper, who gave her all to help make these games a go, made sure all the ladies felt like princesses at the end of the day with special prizes of tiaras and boas.
That evening saw all the competitors treated to a lovely night of pub grub and beer at a local Irish Bar. The invasion was near complete taking up half the table space and all the waitresses. Jon and Jess, our host ADs, ran shuttles and picked up the tab for the crew. Heck of a way to treat your throwers! Laughs all around with the mix of accents and exhaustion. Be sure to ask Jess for the scenic tour back to your hotel.
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