The adventure starts at 8:00 AM on Saturday, June 28, 2019. We (Dad, mom, me, Dana, and Rio (our puppy)) load the car, leave, and start our adventure. We will not be back for several days.
Saturday, June 28, is the wedding of a couple of my best friends’ son to a wonderful lady. I had the privilege and honor of being the couples’ Coordinator Extraordinaire. My job starts at that point when the bride does not want to make any more decisions, I start making decisions on her behalf. I also do a lot of cat hearding and making up answers. (You can click on the pictures to see them bigger.)
Ceremony was beautiful. Reception awesome. Everything went smooth. We had a lot of fun.
Time to clean up. Got done at about 12:30 AM and then helped a friend get their car home. About 1 AM we roll out of Chippewa Falls, WI.
Here’s the catch. We need to be in Grand Rapids, MI, on Sunday by 1:30 PM for a Baby Shower for my sister (about 12 hours from then), Mariann, from her husband’s side of the family. 513 miles. 8 hours of driving and losing one hour to a time zone change.
Dana drove until about 4 am. I drove for a couple hours and Dana finished the drive with about an hour to spare. Mariann and mom had a great time at the shower.
We spent a couple days hanging out with my sister and my favorite brother-in-law. Installed her Ring doorbell, went swimming, and mom got to go with Mariann to one of her baby doctor appointments. By the way, Mariann looked like she was trying to hide a watermelon under her shirt, she is that pregnant.
It was time for us to leave on July 3. We were not in a rush to get back, so ma suggested we go to Mackinac Island. She was able to get us a room for July 4th and July 5th in different hotels, but they both took puppies.
We get to Mackinac City (mainland) and take the passenger ferry to the island. On the island we look around. Take in the sites like 17 fudge shops and all the bikes and horse carts and not a single car. Cars are not allowed on Mackinac Island. We stop at the Welcome Center and find the schedule for the next day’s activities, the Fourth of July. This was the first time we saw a schedule. Starts with a stone skipping competition at 10:00 AM and the day ends with a picnic in Fort Mackinac followed by fireworks.
We get a taxi to our hotel the first night. The taxi is a horse drawn carriage with two horses. At the hotel (actually a condo rental), there is nothing to do so we enjoy the sunset, relax, and go to bed.
In the morning we catch a taxi back to town. Arrive in town about 9:45am. Head down to the beach and take a look at the beginning of the stone skipping competition. We enter the stone skipping. Did not really think about it. Just did it cuz, why not?
Then we realize that we have to supply our own stones. We quickly start looking on the beach with a hundred other people where they have been having this contest for 51 years. Not a flat skipping stone to be found. Me and Dana go a couple hundred yards up the beach away from the crowd and find some stones.
We come back and see how this is being run. A person steps up to the beach with your six stones and hands your slip to a judge. You get six throws. The judge counts the skips. This is on Lake Huron. Lots of waves from Mother Nature and from the constant stream of passenger ferries.
Dana went first. After six stones, Dana’s best was 17 skips on one stone. I went and sad to say my baby brother beat me. I had 12 skips with one stone. We get our slips back and time to turn the score slips in.
To turn them you go and hand your slip to the announcer. He takes the slip and announces your name and score and chats with you a little. Lots of people gathered and waiting to turn in their slips. We take our time. As the announcers works through the crowd, he keeps updating the best score.
High score is at 13. Then 14. Then 2-way and 3-way tie. Then 15. Then Dana turns his sheet in. Dana is now high score with 17 skips. Still a few left to go and turn in. No one out throws Dana. Then at the last minute, a guy enters and runs across to throw. He is the last person. He throws his six stones, and can you believe he throws a 17. Now Dana is in a tie at 17 skips. Tie breaker is a one stone skip-off. Most skips win. Dana loses the coin toss and goes first. Dana gets 7 skips. Our hearts sink. The other guy throws and gets a three. Dana wins.
The announcer then announces that Dana is the 2019 Mackinac Island Stone Skipping Amateur Open Champion. Dana is presented with his championship bag and a year’s worth of fudge.
After a while, the tournament management comes to Dana and presents him with an option. Dana can retain his amateur standing, stay an amateur, and keep his year worth of fudge OR by winning the amateur open he receives an invitation to the Pro competition, gives up his amateur standing, gives up his year’s worth of fudge, and becomes a professional stone skipper. Another point is that ESPN 3 was going to live broadcast the professional competition.
So, the choice was amateur and year’s worth of fudge OR professional on ESPN 3. I don’t think Dana thought about it for a second and he said he wanted to go professional. You can always buy fudge and who really needs a year’s worth of fudge? Plus, how often can you be on ESPN as a professional athlete?
On July 4, 2019 Dana gave up his amateur status and became a Professional Stone Skipper. Never to be an amateur again.
Dana competed as a pro with the Pros on July 4, 2019 in the 2019 Mackinac Island W. T. Rabe Pro invitational Stone Skipping Championship.
Here is the original ESPN 3 broadcast. At the beginning ESPN was having some difficulties. The video stutters, freezes, and stops, especially at the beginning. Its not you. Its ESPN.
Streaming from Day of Competition
Streaming Video from ESPN
http://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=877227d0-8c67-465b-8c40-e1e8b17d17c1
Has been taken down
Depending on your internet provider, you may or may not be able to watch this video from ESPN.
Video from YouTube
Video File Download from this site
http://danaolson.com/ProfessionalStoneSkipping-July-4-2019.mp4
It’s a big file (2.8 GB) and might take a long time to download. Try one of the other methods.
ESPN Ohco 2019 Broadcast
Here is the ESPN Ocho (aka ESPN 2 on any other day than August 7, 2019) broadcast of the 2019 Mackinac Island W. T. Rabe Pro invitational Stone Skipping Championship.
Video from YouTube
Video File Download from this site
It’s a big file (3.4 GB) and might take a long time to download. Try one of the other methods.
Pro Invitational Scoresheet
From the official Mackinac Island Stone Skipping website. http://stoneskipping.com/results/2019-box-scores/
Mackinaw City’s Channel 9&10 Local News Coverage
Rio barks at 1:45 in the video.