Click here to see the Millennium Hall of Shame, focusing on Paddling Pards from 2000 on!
Who’s been lucky enough to paddle with the Ratt Boy, and how often?
Click on selected names to see a picture.
If your picture isn't linked here, please
send
me a picture (or a link to a picture) and a bright, shiny new $20-dollar bill, and I'll think about it.
Place Buddy Overall 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2K 99 98 97 96 95 94 93 1 Whitney, R 192 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 4 4 6 12 20 21 24 20 22 53 0 0 0 2 Lang, P 109 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 11 6 29 9 14 17 6 9 1 0 0 3 Kiehl, C 93 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 3 10 4 3 5 18 37 7 1 0 4 Kobak, J 89 2 0 1 0 2 1 2 1 3 3 4 9 5 5 24 8 13 6 0 0 5 Hammond, R 77 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 2 1 6 15 10 9 19 7 3 1 0 0 5 Debalski, S 77 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 20 0 1 9 11 7 13 4 5 2 0 1 7 Hendren, B 65 0 0 4 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 10 34 6 0 0 0 8 McGill, G 60 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 4 10 10 8 3 8 6 4 2 0 9 Drozdowski, C 56 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 8 2 19 15 8 0 10 Wire, C 53 10 0 5 3 3 0 2 2 0 6 7 4 7 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 10 Ratt 53 3 2 2 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 2 5 1 4 1 18 9 1 0 0 12 Duvall, M 51 4 0 3 0 2 1 2 7 2 2 5 7 3 3 8 2 0 0 0 0 13 Zukerman, J 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 14 19 14 0 0 14 Whitney, S 47 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 1 9 11 5 4 5 3 0 0 0 15 Lewis, G 46 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 3 9 2 10 10 4 3 0 0 0 16 Hammond, D 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 22 15 2 1 0 0 17 Young, P 42 0 0 4 2 12 7 14 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 Laubaugh, B 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 4 2 5 10 4 9 4 0 0 0 0 0 19 Broer, D 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 11 7 7 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 19 Lichty, D 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 9 21 4 0 21 Cramer, J 35 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 6 15 5 0 0 21 Duke, D 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 13 12 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 Roberts, J 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 16 4 0 0 0 24 Adams, B 30 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 18 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 24 Mauser, R 30 0 2 1 5 2 6 6 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 Cronin, T 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 3 15 6 0 0 0 27 Simcox, J 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 4 12 7 0 0 28 Becker, D 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 9 7 3 3 0 0 0 28 Waickman, B 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 3 1 2 6 7 0 30 Drysdale, E 25 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 3 3 5 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 Markoff, T 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 31 Chaney, M 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 6 3 2 2 0 0 33 Benedict, S 23 2 0 2 0 3 5 1 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 Bethea, E 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 35 Sutton, T 22 2 0 7 2 1 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 VandenBout, A 22 0 1 3 1 3 3 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 Petit, K 22 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 5 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 35 Koster, S 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 2 4 0 2 4 1 2 1 0 0 35 Carroll, G 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 8 5 0 0 0 0 35 Narotski, M 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 13 4 2 0 0 0 0 35 Chaney, B 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 1 11 2 0 42 Tomallo, R 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 1 4 3 4 2 0 0 0 1 0 42 Ingalls, S 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 42 Pavkovich, M 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 45 Zeltner, C 20 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 45 Wassinger, C 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 45 Kmieck, A 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 48 Turney, R 19 0 1 0 0 6 6 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 48 Curley, C 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 48 McCormick, C 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 51 McCormick, G 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 Knechtel, J 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 Huebschman, J 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 Huebschman, K 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 White, A 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 0 2 6 3 1 0 0 0 0 56 Schmidt, S 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 1 0 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 57 Nicholson, B 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 2 4 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 57 Turkaly, P 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 5 3 0 0 1 0 0 57 Thompson, L 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 0 7 3 0 60 Voelker, J 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 6 4 1 61 Bell, C 14 3 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 61 Hunt, J 14 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 3 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 61 Cook, A 14 0 0 0 0 0 8 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 61 Glick, B 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 5 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 61 Weible, B 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 5 3 0 0 66 Dobbins, J 13 0 1 1 0 3 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 66 Briechle, S 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 5 0 0 68 Singer, C 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 2 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 69 Kremperger, V 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 69 Reno, K 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 1 0 0 0 0 69 Wick, M 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 1 0 0 72 Farster, B 10 0 0 4 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 72 Morais, D 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 72 Mitchell, C 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 5 0 1 0 0 72 Gross, K 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 8 0 0 0 72 Bolton, B 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 6 1 0 0 77 Greer, J 9 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77 Henry, P 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77 Corey, A 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 77 Koster, B 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 1 1 1 0 0 81 Miller, B 8 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 81 Hoselton, Dr 8 0 5 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 81 Merritt, H 8 0 1 2 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 81 Hopwell, J 8 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 81 Poljak, M 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 2 0 0 81 Poljak, P 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 2 0 0 81 Geiger, L 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 2 1 0 0 81 Mitchell, L 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 3 1 0 0 89 O'Hora, L 7 0 0 3 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 Deets, N 7 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 Laflair, Mi 7 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 Twist, P 7 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 Ludwig, I 7 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 Fisk, K 7 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 Bachtel, B 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 Wake, S 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 Kovacic, R 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 2 0 0 98 Herron, D 6 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Edmonds, S 6 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Steele, D 6 0 1 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Doran, D 6 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Bachtel, J 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Baker, Z 6 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Conley, S 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Garcia, J 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Miller, J 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Strange, S 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 98 Ranson, D 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 98 Kaufman, J 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 98 Boyce, B 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 98 Reames, S 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 98 James, P 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 98 McFarland, R 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 114 Yingling, S 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Baldo, A 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Cochran, D 5 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Shafer, M 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Meyer, D 5 0 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Gallivan, S 5 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Watson, A 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Pablo, T 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Janoski, J 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Balkey, M 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Clinger, J 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 114 Haas, K 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 114 Wood, C 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 114 Zachary, H 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 114 Hoven, F 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 114 Albright, S 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 114 Fralick, J 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 114 Lowe, C 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 114 Brabender, E 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 114 Taylor, T 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 114 Fremon, S 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0
(Updated 9/27/12.)
Rules:
Only Class II or better counts. Paddling two sections
counts as two Ratt Points. For instance, if you run the
Top Yough and the Upper Yough with the RattBoy, you get
two points that day. Rolling practice, though fun, don't
count for squat.
These
rules are necessarily subject to interpretation. In the
case of disputes, Helen Frye, a trained arbitrator, has
been retained. So if you feel that you have not been given
due credit for paddling with the Ratt Boy, I’d suggest
that you go to Helen Frye.
Note:
in odor to keep download times to a minimum, only the Top
100 (or so) are listed. If you have fewer than 5 Ratt
Points, you’re a valued paddling bud of the Ratt Boy, but
you haven’t quite made it to the Hall of Shame.
August-September, 2012: Shawn Yingling got another Ratt Point with a summer run of Tinker's, which is also awesome; Cliff Wire earned two Ratt Points at the Ohiopyle Falls Festival, which included a Wildwater run of the Middle Yough. And finally, GauleyFest Weekend, where Cliff earned another four Ratt Points, as he and Perfesser Reform Schooler ran the Marathon with the Ratt Boy. Hans Kempf and Mike Mays got their Upper Gauley virginity popped with some good runs down to Woods Ferry, and a whole bucking funch of Keel-haulers got them some schweet Ratt Point Action on the Lower G.
July-August, 2012: A bunch of Keel-haulers ran the Upper Yough and the Cheat (and the Narrows) in mid-July; in early August, Keel-haulers celebrated the Cuyahoga Falls Bicentennial with some runs of the Upper Upper Gorge. Soon a couple dams will be removed! And, on August 10, Shawn Yingling and Cliff Wire got Ratt Points with a great run of Tinker's Creek, which Ratt Boy had not been on in over 9 years. Man, that is some schweeeet whitewater.
May, 2012: After quite a bit of inactivity, Ratt Boy came out for Cheat Fest, following a quick run of the Upper Gorge of the Cuyahoga. Lots of paddlers, too many to list, got their first Ratt Point. We will note Corey Spoores, who's kicking up Wednesday Paddling into high gear; Max Posner, Matt Adams, and Brenton Petrillo, who gave me shuttle to Albright for the Race; and Brandon Conrad, who's made the commitment to amass two Ratt Points already.
December, 2011: Angela Baldo collected the troops for a cold-weather run of Fish Creek. The water was flowing nicely, and we all got ice on our helmets. Anja thus got onto the Big Board, and Steve Edmonds collected his sixth Ratt Point. That might be it for 2011...
October, 2011: After months of not much paddling for the Ratt Boy, several people stepped up to earn some Ratt Points. Drew Hoselton and Dave Steele improved their positions with runs of the Lower Moose and Indy, respectively; and Don Cochran and Mike Shafer got their fifth Ratt Point, and thus put themselves on the Big Board. Along with the above runs, several paddlers got a Ratt Point with a run of the Middle Branch Moose, improving Anja Baldo's position on the Y2K board.
May, 2011: A couple runs
of the Canandaigua Outlet and a hsigh-water, playful
run of the Salmon gave Ratt Points to a few. Richard
Mauser came out of retirement, got his first roll of
2011, and earned two Ratt Points to move into 24th
place on the Big Board.
April, 2011: The year begins
with seven runs of Flint Creek and a Personal
First Descent of Cattaraugus
Creek. Steve Benedict heads up the early '11
race, with Hoppy, Hans Merritt, and Ron
Turneys improving their positions. Dave Meyer and
Drew Hoselton get on the Big Board with their
fifth Ratt Points. And in one action-packed week, Anja
Baldo finds herself on the Millennial HoS with three
runs of Flint.
October, 2010: Another
MooseFest had high water and great boating. Steve
Edmonds and Tom Sutton got four Ratt Points
apiece over only two days with runs of the Indy,
Otter
Creek, Woodhull
Creek (a personal PFD), and Fish.
Liane O'Hora, Norm Deets, and Dave Steele added
to their totals, as well.
Flint Creek finally came up with some heavy rain which
inundated all of New York. Jim Dobbins, Richard
Mauser, Hans Merritt, and Adrian VandenBout took the
opportunity to earn a Ratt Point; and with his third,
Drew Hoselton got onto the Y2K Board--a proud day for
him.
September, 2010: Everyone at GauleyFest had the thrill of hanging with the Ratt. A few made the effort to get extra Ratt Points by running the Marathon, including Perfesser Chris Bell, Bridget Brennan, Cliff Wire, and Peter Abeles. Bridget has four Ratt Points, butt two were in the prior millennium, so she hasn't yet earned a spot on the Big Board. Dave Steele, Brian Hart, and Steve Edmonds also put in the effort, driving from New York to earn a coveted Ratt Point.
July,
2010: Tom Sutton
made the effort to gain some Ratt Points over the weekend,
with two runs of Ausable Chasm and one of the Black. It was a long drive--670 driving miles for
~14 river miles--butt the Chasm is an awesome place, and
it was well worth seeing. Eric Nies also got a chance to earn a couple Ratt
Points. May he earn many more!
May, 2010: After a few runs of Flint Creek and Canandaigua Outlet, a few boaters made the trip to Cheat Fest to get themselves some coveted Ratt Points. Brad Farster and Brandoon Hendren each earned four Ratt Points; the Family Whitney split four, and assorted Keel-haulers got a few. That includes Cliff Wire, Michael Duvall, and Kevin Moore with 3; and assorted boaters including Chuck Singer, John Kobak and Elliott Drysdale with one apiece. Special props to Brent Hendren, who, after several years, finally put forth the effort to earn a Ratt Point.
2009: Not many boaters got Ratt Points last year, due to circumstances beyond their collective control. There was a Beaver Fest and a solo overnighter on the Piercefield Section of the Raquette; that's about it.
December, 2008: Heavy snow, followed by rains, gave three FLOWboaters (Steve Benedict, Adrian VandenBout, and Drew Hoselton) a chance to get their last Ratt Point of 2008, as we hit Flint Creek at 1600 cfs a few daze after Christmas. Check it out on EveryTrail.com!
October,
2008: Yet another great Moose Fest saw a number of
Keel-haulers and FLOW boaters gain some more coveted Ratt
Points. Paul Young moved into the Top Twenty, passing
David Duke; and old Ratt-bud Brandoon Hendren passed
Colins Drozdowski, who remembers when he used to be a
boater. Richard Mauser, with two points (including popping
his Bottom Moose cherry!), jumped nine places to tie with
Karen Petit. Mike Laflair, Norm and Ty Deets, Paul Twist,
Ron Turney, Jim Dobbins, and Danny
Doren all gained a point or two, and Brad Farster earned his
first Ratt Point with a great run of the Bottom Moose.
July,
2008: A few FLOW Boaters have improved their
standing with great Spring-Summer runs of the Bottom
Moose, Black, and the beautiful and hairy Stone Valley section of the Raquette. Mike
Laflair got on the Big Board with his 5th and 6th, as did
Sean Gallivan with his 5th. It'll be tough for Sean to earn
more Ratt Points, seeing as how he's moving to NC and all.
Paul Twist got a 6th on the Black. And Paul Young continues
his surge, knocking on the door of the Top 20 with 33 Ratt
Points. Dude knows what it takes. And Ron Turney's been
getting some major points--5 so far in '08.
Many updates since
the last iteration of this Hall. MooseFest 2007 saw paddlers such as Tom Sutton and Joe
Marksz improve their standing with a run or two of the
Bottom. Runs of Flint Creek and the Canandaigua Outlet (the Wild Water Derby) gave FLOWers Adrian Vandenbout, Steve
Benedict, Ron Turney, and Paul Young an improved position.
And at CheatFest
2008, the KHCC team had kinda a schwimfest, but
that didn't stop many Keel-haulers from making the
effort that's needed to step up their places in the Hall
of Shame: Paul Young, John Kobak, Rob Hammond, David
Herron, Cliff Wire, and Michael Duvall each
earned two points on streams such as the Cheat Canyon, Big Sandy, and Middle Fork; and Gib McGill came out of a two-year hiatus to
earn dos puntos
on the Slip.
September, 2007: Gauley
Fest, with all its entropy and crowds, gave a bunch of
Keel-haulers the opportunity to earn their Ratt Points by
running the Marathon. Cliff Wire, Brandoon Hendren, Chris
Bell and Chrissy Zeltner each got two coveted points that
day to improve their standing, and Joe Marksz earned three
that weekend to get onto the Y2K Board. Paul Young came
out of his 5-month layoff to advance on the Big Board. And
a special shout-out to Barry Adams, who earned a Ratt
Point by paddling in inch-deep water on the Upper
Yough--and, more importantly, who earned the WaveSport River Steward of the Year award for his great work on
behalf of access to Ohiopyle Falls.
Thanks to everyone for a
great weekend, and see you at Moose Fest!
Yet another great Beaver weekend saw Tom Sutton
forging ahead to a new lead among Keel-haulers, as he
traveled all the way from Florida to Noo Yawk to earn Ratt
Points.
July,
2007: Trips on the Black, Bottom Moose, and the
Ottawa have put Hans Merritt and Hoppy on the Big Board,
and given local lights such as Richard Mauser and Paul
Young coveted spots in the elite Top 50. Mauser intro'ed
the Ratt to three runs over Canada Day weekend: the Route
3 Wave on the Black, and the Main and Middle channels of
the Ottawa, for Ratt Boy's first Canadian whitewater
experience, eh.
April-June,
2007: Andy Cook, Ron Turney, Kurt Fisk, Zach Baker,
and Paul Young have been making the effort to get some
coveted Ratt Points with runs of Flint Creek, the
rejuvenated Wild Water Derby on the Canandaigua Outlet,
the Bottom Moose, and--last, but not least--the Lock 32
Park. Such stalwarts as Hans Merritt and Paul Twist have
secured a place on the Y2K Board with great runs of the
Bottom Moose.
January,
2007: The New Year got off with a bang,
as unseasonably warm weather and some heavy rains got us
two runs down Flint Creek, including a spanky high-water
run on the 6th. Steve Benedict, Adrian Vanden Bout, Andy
Cook, Ron Turney, and Kurt Fisk were among those who did
what it took to get out to a quick lead in the 2007 Ratt
Point Race.
September,
2006: Beaver Fest was a wild success, despite rains
which dampened the campground but didn't budge the river
gauges a nanometer. With four Ratt Points, John Greer got
onto the board--a special shout-out to him for tossing me
his paddle at the Eagle. (I retrieved mine the following
day, thank you, just where I'd left it--lodged in a
rock-crack.) Scott Conley earned his way onto the Big
Board with three Ratt Points before abandoning the Great
White North for the greener and more humid pastures of
Cincinnati. See you in the Keel-hauler Newsletter,
Scott--and on the Upper Yo! With five Ratt Points over the
weekend, Mauser jumped several places in the list.
The following weekend, Paul Young
earned a couple more Ratt Points with two runs of the
Taylorville Section. In only two years of boating, he's
rocketed into the lead amoung FLOWBoaters.
April,
2006: FLOWBoaters turned out in force for the
Wild Water Derby on the Canandaigua Outlet in Shortsville, taking four of the
top six places in the Canoe and Kayak classes. Congrats to
Craig Rice and Hans Merritt, who took first and second in
canoe, and to Andy Cook and Adrian VandenBout, who took
first and third. (I would've beaten Adrian, but I had to
stop and rescue a baby who'd been tossed into the water from
a bridge by an irresponsible parent. And a spotted owl, too.
And a harp seal. Duty comes first.) Another special
shout-out to Paul Young, who joined the Ratt for a pre-race
warm-up, thus garnering his sixth and seventh Ratt Points..
Paul Young earned his 5th on the Salmon in Pulaski, NY, putting him on the Big Board. And he earned it!, with a bike shuttle and a long walk to the takeout. We didn't get home 'til after 11 PM...on a work night. It was way worth it.
March, 2006: Got 18 miles of boating on the SB Catt. Lovely bit of water, that. Adrian VandenBout got him an 8th Ratt Point, moving up and sharing the 2006 lead with Jim Dobbins. Paul Young earned his 4th, putting him on the verge of standing on the Big Board.
February, 2006: The month started off with a bang on the Independence River. Jim Dobbins and Andrian VandenBout improved their standing. A good time, like the typical blonde, was had by all.
January,
2006: It's been unseasonably and unreasonably warm
up here in Nawthurn NY, but we chose a wintry-cold day to
get our first strokes in of the New Year. Jim Dobbins
didn't let 25-MPH winds and a 17-degree (F, duh) wind
chill deter him, as he and the Ratt Boy hit up Flint Creek for a quickie. We found some
serious high water, after a night of rain. Good fun, it was
over quickly and we were snug in our warm vehicles (for a
scary drive home in the slippery new snow)...and, most
importantly, Jim got him his fifth Ratt Point and the early
lead for Y2K+6.
Moose
Fest, 2005: A bucking funch of FLOWboaters combined with three intrepid Keel-haulers to make a phenomenal MooseFest weekend.
Daily pounding rains in the Daks meant high water on the
Moose, Fish, Indy, and many many other runs. Special
shouts-out to Mauser, Michael Duvall, and Wyoming Ed, who
made the effort to get the max out of their weekend: three
Ratt Points were available, and they each earned their
three.
September,
2005: Gauley Fest was a huge success, as usual.
Three Rochesterians made the loooong drive south
for the event. FLOWer Richard Mauser got his fifth Ratt
Point and thus made it onto the Board. Barry Adams, Ron
Whitney, and Boris Glick each garnered additional points
to improve their positions.
June,
2005: A run of the Raquette gives Adrian VandenBout and Jason Miller
their sixth Ratt Point. Couple weeks earlier, Ratt Boy
himself got a couple points at the Salmon Race. It's easy to beat a Pirouette in a
Wavehopper.
June,
2005: Mad Props to FLOWboaters Adrian VandenBout,
Jim Dobbins, and Richard Mauser for a great twofer on
Father's Day. We hit the Independence and the Hawkinsville Section of the Black and had a
great time of it. Adrian thus becomes the second FLOWpaddler
to garner the minimum 5 Ratt Points and put his name on the
Board.
May,
2005: Bunch o Keel-haulers got themselves a bump-up
in their Ratt Points at Cheat Fest weekend. Mad Props (do
I sound cool yet?) to Paul Lang, Ron Tomallo, Chuck
Singer, Jason Miller, Arpad Batizy, Rob Hammond, Cliff
Wire, Jim Hunt, Chris Kiehl, and Mike Duvall for
participating in the 10th Annual Cheat River Massacre-ence, in which the Keel-haulers outpaced the hated rivals from the
Kent State Kayaking Club. Sorry'bout yer line at Crystal,
Max!
April,
2005: It's a new year, and Flint Creek Guru Steve
Benedict has pulled into a tie for 61st place, outpacing
his FLOW buds.
The great Keel-haulers FusterCluck hit the Upper Yough for the Fest in late July, giving a record 26 boaters a Ratt Point in one short day. On that weekend, Scott Debalski pulled even with Rob Hammond for 5th place in the Hall o Shame. Jonathan Bachtel earned his 5th Ratt Point, thus officially getting listed on da Board. We're all proud for ol' Jon.
October, 2004: Five intrepid souls made the trek up to Old Forge for Moose Fest and, more importantly, for two Ratt Points. Craig Wassinger and Brent Laubaugh improved their standing and Ron Whitney widened his lead over Paul Lang. The Beer Boyz, Jason Miller and Shawn Yingling, got closer to coveted posting in the Hall o Shame with two Ratt Points of their own.
September, 2004: With six Ratt Points in three days, Steve Strange made the commitment necessary to get On The Board. Paul Lang punched up his total and widened his lead over Chris Kiehl with the same herculean effort. Shelly Schmidt moved up in the standings with four Ratt Points, including one on the heinous Eagle Section of the Beaver. And let's not forget Steve Benedict. With five runs on Flint Creek, he's the first FLOWer to make it to the Hall of Shame. Gotta love a guy who runs rapids with a chainsaw strapped to the back of his boat. When he's stuffed up against a log, he can pull it out, fire it up, and he's home free.
July, 2004: Whoo hoo, what a ride! A shout out to the AdamStazi Crew, who braved desert sun, cold water, moldy bread, sand in everything, the famed Groover, and cactus thorns, Ratt Boy, and assorted other pricks to earn a whopping 18 Ratt Points. Scott "Who's Your Daddy" Debalski jumped two places to gain Numbah 6 on the All-Time Top 100. Join and support the Grand Canyon Private Boaters' Association, won't you?! (Photos --lots of them-- are in the works.)
New Year, 2004: A shout out to my homies from the F.L.O.W. Paddling Club, including Steve Benedict, Scott Conley, Ron Turney, Rick Mauser, Adrian VandenBout, Andy Cook, Victoria Supple, Mike Shafer, Jim Dobbins, and of course Joe Ryan for comic relief. Many o them dudes gonna get on the Big Board in short order.
Okay, here it is, the new year. It's tougher to get Ratt Points these daze; you gots to be available when the Ratt Boy comes to town. On Cheat Fest, seven Keel-haulers joined the Ratt Boy to race, and two others helped out by bringing his dry clothing to the takeout...so they're up for Ratt Points, too.
Paul Lang, with a great Northern WV Tripp, has once again pulled affront of Chris Kiehl. Dave Duke has moved into the top 30, and Dave Broer and Brent Laubaugh have plowed into the Top 20, displacing Jeff Swimcox.
As a result of an effort to get out and paddle, Chris Kiehl has pulled away from Paul Lang. Stu Koster and Boris Glick, desper-Ratt to get out and paddle, drove three hours to run the Cuyahoga River. Running the Upper and Lower Gorge, they claimed that it was well worth the drive. Dave Broer also gained two Ratt Points. Brent Laubaugh joined those three as Upper Gorge Virgins who were deflowered on that day. Dave Duke, it must be noted, has earned hisself a dozen Honorary Ratt Points, for giving the Ratt a much-needed Bow Rescue at Lower Mash on the Lower Gauley, Saturday of GauleyFest Weekend, 2002. Good goin, Dukey Boy!
Beeeg Shake-up! Paul Lang, with a Herculean effort for the entire Y2K+1, has pulled even with Chris Kiehl. Paul, who has shown a commitment to multi-run days, is the oddson favorite to overtake Mr. Kiehl. He's said to be a good mudder, too.
Summer
Fun! There was a great weekend on the Cheat, in
which about 20 lucky paddlers got theyselfs a Ratt Point.
Matt Balkey got his fifth, earning a place in the table
you see above. Then came the first weekend in August, with
two Upper Yough releases. By cheating Colins Drozdowski
out of the opporchancity to garner some Ratt Points, and
by talking the Ratt Boy into driving to Ohiopyle to make a
fool out of hisself in his Wavehopper, Rob took over 5th
place in the Hall-o-Shame! Paul Lang and Chris Kiehl,
fighting for the second slot, drove down together, glaring
at one another as they knew they were maintaining status
quo in their mini-battle.
The Previous Weekend was a historic
moment, as Judi Cleary got her first official Ratt Point.
More importantly, she shepherded the Lovely & Talented
Mrs. Ratt down the Lower Yough, allowing the L&TMrs.R
to earn her first
official Ratt Point! (Of course, the Ratt obligingly
hastens to add that the L&TMrs.R occupies special
status, with an infinite number of unofficial Ratt
Points.)
Cheat Fest weekend gave a Lott of paddlers the op to bulk up on Ratt Points, and most of the Top-Tenners got themselves a couple. John Kobak came out of retirement; Rob Hammond couldn't make it for Friday, but he made up for it by competing in the Cheat Narrows Race on Sunday. Steve Kauffman and Bob Vernon earned honorary status in the Hall-o-Shame by hanging around while the Ratt Boy emptied his busted wildwater boat during a practice run. And speaking of races, a big-ol' switch of the Stringy Tail to Chuck Singer, Jody Clinger, and Jim Hunt, who each earned a Ratt Point by competing in a grueling Cheat Canyon "Massacre-ence" downriver race. The Keel-haulers team will be back next year, meaner (if not leaner)!
The Ratt Boy bailed on the Southern Rivers Tripp this year at the last minuet, as logistix warn't there. This understandably disappointed the Ratt Boy's legions of loyal fans, butt it couldn't be helped. Paul Lang therefore was in a position to gain Ratt Points...and gain, he did! He set new paddling records by earning three Ratt Points in a single day, and six in two daze! The Ultimate Shuttle Bunny earned honorary Ratt Points, and our eternal gRattitude, by performing yeowoman's service in helping us get it done. Among other services, she drove the horrendous Jenkinsburg and Rockville Roads in a small car with little clearance, some four times in two daze! Simply amazing.
Big shakeups in the Hall of Shame following GauleyFest Weekend: Paul Lang passed Brandoon Hendren to snag a coveted Top Five spot, and Rob Hammond survived to tie with Jasons Zukerman. Scott Debalski clumb past David Hammond, and Gib McGill, having his best year ever, passed Dan "Pizza Boy" Lichty and the Ratt, to home in on a Top Ten berth. Tune in for further developments!
The top Hall-o-Shamers of the New Millennium are shaking out to be Scott Wake, Dave Broer, Ron Whitney, Peter Turkaly, Vince Kremperger, Karen Petit, Cliff Wire, and George Carroll. Dave Broer headed down to Wild Wonderful West Virginia following a heavy rain, plopping himself in sole possession of an early first-place in the Hall-o-Shame for the Y2YouKnowWhat, but Scott has passed him for the lead. Free time does help. Ron’s totals have been helped by a couple of heavy rains that brought Tinker’s Creek up; George deserves special Ratt Point Recognition for taking in a second run in one day of Tinker’s, while others were heading home in the face of whipping snowy winds.
Recon Ron Whitney had his second-best year ever in 1999, despite the horrendous drought. One of only six Hall-o-Shamers to amass 20 Ratt Points in a year, he’s managed that feat for four consecutive years. His is a standard that many paddlers would do well to emulate, though it’s tough to predict whether he’ll maintain that streak in the New Millennium.
On Sunday, April 4, 1999, a Day That Will Live in Infamy, Recon Ron Whitney earned his 100th Ratt Point at the Tallulah Gorge. Recon Ron’s Tallulah permit made that possible. The days that made Recon Ron’s 100th, 101st, and 102nd Ratt Points were all memorable paddling days.
Bill Chaney, John Voelker, Dan Lichty, and Jasons Zukerman are slipping a little and need to get in some paddling with the RattBoy to maintain their position on the list. Colins would have an excuse for slipping, having moved to WV, but he’s put forth a considerable effort; Tom Cronin would have an excuse, too (Cobleskill, NY), but he’s also done what it took; those other doods have no excuse whatsoever. Having a life is no substitute for paddling with the Ratt Boy.
Hurricane Chris Kiehl’s production of Ratt Points has been substandard of late, but he deserves a big Twitch of the Ratt Tail for helping extricate the RattCraft from an ugly mass of logs and for filming the BRP. For his effort, he is autoMattically forgiven for dissing the Ratt Boy in public following the incident. And let’s not forget the excellent Ratt Boy Brew, Big Splat Bock, Sovern Ale, and Little Splat Stout which he produced with the able assistance of fellow Hall-o-Shamer Ann Corey.
Honorary
members of the RattBoy Hall-o-Shame include Ken Strickland, Mothra, Wilko van den Bergh, Chris Kelly, Jez, Paul Skoczylas,
Hank Zachary, Peik Borud, Robin Sayler, Ray Farnum, Leland Davis, Joey Baranski, Mary Malmros, Greg Owen,
Cheetahtruck, Brian “Mountainbuzz” Gardel, Jeff “Duckieman”
Henry, Tom Carter, Dan Stotz, Kevin Tice, Karl “Propane”
Gesslein, and Oci-One Kanubi. These guys live way too far
away to accumulate points, but you know they’d be jumping
all over the chance if they could.