by Kevin L. Miller
The first annual Yakima IMAC Gambit is now in the history books. What a great weekend!
Most of us showed up on Friday afternoon to sunshine, and about 10 to 15 MPH winds. We had plenty of time to get a few flights in and get used to the wonderful flying site.
Saturday Morning Registration got kicked off along with a quick pilots’ meeting and we were flying by 9:00am. We had the smallest turnout of the season with 15 registered pilots which allowed us to run just one flight line making for a really relaxing and enjoyable weekend. The sun was a slight issue early in the morning, so we ended up giving pilots the option to skew the flight line if need be, but it seemed to be no real problem.
We finished two known rounds by 3:00pm and then it was on to the Freestyle. Francis Garcia coordinated the Judging Pool and got us all setup for two rounds. This was the largest Freestyle group we’ve had this season with 5 entrants: Chris Sells, Ryan Winslow, Ethan Raforth, Kyle Woyshnis, and myself. As the first round kicked off, the wind started picking up with some pretty severe gusts, but everyone adapted their sequence well to the changing conditions and put on a great show.
As we kicked off the second round, the wind actually started to let up a little which made for some great flights. This was Chris’s first freestyle and he did an excellent job. He appeared to have a really good time with it. Great job Chris and keep up the good work. Ryan put on a high-energy sequence with some really precise flying thrown in the mix. Ethan had a very polished routine that would have made James Bond (007) himself hang on to his chair. Kyle débuted a new sequence for the first round, unfortunately due to a fuel leak that damaged part of his fuselage, he had to take it easy and pulled out some of the more violent maneuvers from his sequence. In spite of this, he adapted very well and flew great. As for me, well, I was just happy to hang on for the ride! I changed music selection at the last minute based on the wind picking up, and through some stroke of luck, the wind died and made for a much more relaxed round. These young guys are making me work too hard! I am always amazed at the talent we have here in the Northwest. Most of the flights flown by the younger guys would have been very competitive at the TOC a few years ago. Great job to all of you; you’re truly an inspiration to us all.
Sunday morning, we started later than normal to avoid having to fly Unknowns while contending with the sun in our faces. We finished up the Unknown round and went right into the last round of Knowns with some good battles being fought. Noteworthy were Tim Jacobs and Rick Sowell in Basic whose contest was tight right down to the end. The Advanced guys with Ethan Raforth, Keith Bodeau, and Ryan Winslow, slugged it out. Intermediate had Kyle and Danny Watson neck and neck for first, while Ron Smith and Chris where fighting for third. Bill Burgad was also in the running for third place until he missed a couple of unknown maneuvers. In Sportsman, it looks like John Mann finally has his Edge dialed in and put in some really nice flights. Jeff Cackler got better with every round, and Greg Zettler did great contending with the high winds with a light plane. For Unlimited, Francis was flying near perfection. He is really getting tuned in with his new Composite-ARF 3M Extra.
I have to give a special thanks to Debbie Sells, Sue Woyshnis, and Justine Woyshnis for all of their help this weekend. You guys made it easy on us (except for Justine harassing everyone during lunch) and we thank you for your efforts. Bob Raforth and Ethan took care of all the coordination with the club; from getting a date at the field, to setting up food, PA system, trophies, you name it. I was completely shocked, after Bob had his bike accident, Ethan showed up at the last contest with a note from him letting me know that they had everything taken care of. It was great to see you at the field Bob, and thanks a million for all your work.
Overall, a great contest with a laid back atmosphere. The facilities where terrific, the club members welcomed us with open arms (and pancakes!) and bent over backwards to help out in any way. Put this one on your calendar for next year, it’s definitely a “don’t miss” contest. The breakfast and Zillah Burgers alone are worth the trip.
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Yakima
Gambit 2004 |
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Basic |
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Sportsman |
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Intermediate |
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1st |
Tim Jacobs |
5000.00 |
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1st |
John Mann |
5000.00 |
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1st |
Kyle Woyshnis |
4957.92 |
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2nd |
Rick Sowell |
4948.80 |
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2nd |
Jeff Cackler |
4468.45 |
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2nd |
Danny Watson |
4936.45 |
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3rd |
Greg Zettler |
4057.91 |
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3rd |
Chris Sells |
4437.44 |
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4th |
Ron Smith |
4421.52 |
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5th |
Bill Burgad |
4196.77 |
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Advanced |
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Unlimited |
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Freestyles |
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1st |
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4973.79 |
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1st |
Francis Garcia |
5000.00 |
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1st |
Kevin Miller |
3675 |
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2nd |
Keith Bodeau |
4963.00 |
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2nd |
Kevin Miller |
4867.76 |
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2nd |
Kyle Woyshnis |
3160 |
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3rd |
Ethan Raforth |
4867.29 |
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3rd |
Ethan Raforth |
2970 |
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4th |
Ryan Winslow |
2925 |
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5th |
Chris Sells |
2000 |
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