Olympia Artesians Co-Ed Traveling Team Home | SSUP Board | Team | Leagues | Contact Us | Links Hanford Howl '02 | Hanford Howl '03 | Geofest '04 | Spawnfest '04 | Hanford Howl '04 | Wenatchee '05 | Potlatch '05 | Hanford Howl '05 This report was written by Andrew.

Spawnfest 2004

(official excerpt from my newest book: "What Happens When Artesians Get Wet")

"It was a dark and stormy night. Actually, the first night was clear and peaceful, without a hint of the struggles that would soon face the mighty Artesians from Olympia. Game one, Artesian's were victorious. Matt push-passed, Nick and Sherrie popped, Sukey swung, Jarod ran, Jacey flicked the forehand, Jeremy leaped, and Andrew clogged. All was well with the world.

Then, the storms hit. Midwest-style. Hard rain poured as the Artesians faced Scuber Du. "Water is supposed to bubble up from the earth, not rain down on it," one Artesian lamented. Those teams with a bye began building arks, just in case. On one point, seven consecutive drops were recorded before the pencil stopped working. The rain continued. In the end, the Artesians lost the hard fought battle. The Artesian cheer used the word "wet" 32 times, intermixed with many colorful adjectives. Mike Santana, always the fashion inspiration of the team, donned the garbage bag rain jacket.

During games three and four, the rains continued unabated. (if this isn't an incentive to keep practicing all winter long, I don't know what is.) Clothes were soaked beyond recognition. Everything was wet, and I don't remember anything from these games except that we lost them both, and it was really, really wet.

After four games in the rain, camping just didn't seem like the thing to do. But there was no room for the Artesians in the inn. Even attempts by Ian and Sherrie and little Cole to find a stable ended in defeat. Finally, the Artesians found the one last hotel room north of Seattle. Twelve people, two beds, one shower, 36 pounds of wet T-shirts. That night, it was dark and stormy.

Day two, Artesians awoke to a glimmer of sunshine. Game one was a struggle, and the Artesians could not grab the victory, setting up an match between the Artesians and the mythic Trogdor - half man, half dragon. The Artesians grabbed the quick lead, Shawntel getting the spectacular flying defensive, Jim catching a score while dancing the sideline with such grace than the stands erupted, Chad going ho, Noel providing that extra bit of flash when we needed it most, Chris smacking anything that floated, Kate and Beth anchoring the middle and shredding the zone defense. The Trogdors made a great comeback, the Artesians battled on. Tied 12-12, game point. The beer bracket hung in the balance. Who would be victorious? Who would go home champions, and who would hang their heads forever? The Trogdor's pulled, Matt received, up field to Andrew, swing back to Matt, the Artesian exhibited grace, spirit and skill. A pass to Chad seemed beyond his reach. As the Artesians held the breath, Chad dove and grabbed the disk, then two summersaults back to his feet, juke left, huck right, long pass to Shawntel in the endzone for the score! Artesians win! Artesians win! When beer is up for grabs, you know that Chad will always come through.

Ah, savor the victory, forget the rain. Captain awards went to Ian and Shawntel, the play of the day to Jim, and the quote of the day to Jeremy: "We probably won't be able to use the hot tub at the hotel because all the women from the elite women's teams will be in there." ?What?

Stay tuned for the next chance to participate in the Adventures of the Artesians, and until then, stay healthy, get a weekday job (you got that, KIRK!), and invest in non-cotton clothing.