Click here to see the Overall Hall
of Shame, dating back to 1994!
This is the
What-have-you-done-for-me-lately Edition of the Hall of
Shame. For this edition, we've removed those paddlers who
have not shown the diligence required to gain Ratt Points
since the Year 2000. Those who've garnered at least three
Ratt Points in the Third Millennium are included.
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
1 Whitney, R 73 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 4 6 12 20 21
2 Lang, P 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 11 6 29 9
3 Wire, C 48 10 0 5 0 2 3 2 2 0 6 7 4 7
4 Debalski, S 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 20 0 1 9 11
5 Young, P 42 0 0 4 2 12 7 14 3 0 0 0 0 0
6 Duvall, M 38 4 0 3 0 2 1 2 7 2 2 5 7 3
6 Hammond, R 38 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 2 1 6 15 10
8 Duke, D 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 13 12 1
9 Kobak, J 33 2 0 1 0 2 1 2 1 3 3 4 9 5
10 Broer, D 31 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 11 7 7
11 Mauser, R 30 0 2 1 6 2 6 6 6 2 0 0 0 0
11 Whitney, S 30 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 1 9 11
13 McGill, G 29 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 4 10 10
14 Laubaugh, B 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 4 2 5 10 4
15 Adams, B 24 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 18 0 0 0 0
16 Benedict, S 23 0 2 2 0 3 5 1 4 6 0 0 0 0
17 Sutton, T 22 2 0 7 2 1 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0
17 VandenBout, A 22 0 1 3 1 3 3 5 5 1 0 0 0 0
17 Kiehl, C 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 3 10 4
20 Zeltner, C 20 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 18 0
0 0 0
20 Wassinger, C 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 0
20 Markoff, T 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 1 0 1
23 Ratt 19 3 2 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 2 5
23 Turney, R 19 0 1 0 0 6 6 2 1 3 0 0 0 0
23 Lewis, G 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 3 9 2
23 Bethea, E 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 1 0 0
27 Drysdale, E 18 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 3 3 5
27 Ingalls, S 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0
0 0 0
27 Pavkovich, M 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 1 0 0
27 Kmieck, A 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0
27 Curley, C 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0
27 McCormick, C 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0
27 McCormick, G 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0
27 Knechtel, J 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0
27 Huebschman, J 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0
27 Huebschman, K 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0
37 Hendren, B 14 0 0 4 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
37 Hunt, J 14 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 3 0 2 2
37 Cook, A 14 0 0 0 0 0 8 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
37 Tomallo, R 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 1 4 3
37 Glick, B 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 5 2 1 3
42 Dobbins, J 13 0 1 1 0 3 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 0
43 Petit, K 12 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 5
43 Koster, S 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 2 4 0
45 Schmidt, S 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 1 0 2 0
46 Bell, C 10 3 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
46 Farster, B 10 0 0 4 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
48 Greer, J 9 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 0
48 Nicholson, B 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 2 4 0
48 Henry, P 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 4 0
51 Hoselton, D 8 0 5 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
51 Merritt, H 8 0 1 2 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0
51 Hopwell, R 8 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0
51 Singer, C 8 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 2 1
51 White, A 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 0 2
56 Miller, B 7 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 1
56 O'Hora, L 7 0 0 3 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
56 Deets, N 7 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
56 Laflair, Mi 7 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
56 Twist, P 7 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
56 Ludwig, I 7 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0
56 Fisk, K 7 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
56 Bachtel, B 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 3 0
56 Turkaly, P 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 4
56 Wake, S 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
66 Herron, D 6 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
66 Edmonds, S 6 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
66 Steele, D 6 0 1 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
66 Doran, D 6 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
66 Bachtel, J 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0
66 Baker, Z 6 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
66 Conley, S 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0
66 Garcia, J 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 0
66 Miller, J 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 0 0 0
66 Strange, S 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0
66 Morais, D 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0
66 Corey, A 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3
66 Chaney, M 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
79 Yingling, S 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
79 Baldo, A 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
79 Cochran, D 5 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
79 Shafer, M 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
79 Meyer, D 5 0 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
79 Gallivan, S 5 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
79 Watson, A 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0
79 Pablo, T 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0
79 Janoski, J 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
79 Balkey, M 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2
79 Clinger, J 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2
79 Kremperger, V 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
91 Conrad, B 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
91 Fulle, D 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
91 Bunn, C 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
91 Marksz, J 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
91 Uderitz, T 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
91 Keittel, E 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
91 Debalski, G 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0
91 Spohn, B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0
91 Herman, K 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0
91 Cronin, T 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
91 Becker, D 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0
91 Gary 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2
91 Donnellan, D 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
91 Carroll, G 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
107 Highberg, T 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
107 Blackwood, J 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
107 Shasteen, R 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
107 Hendren, Bre 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
107 Chavez, B 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
107 Moore, K 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
107 Murn, D 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
107 Laflair, Ma 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
107 Ryan, J 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
107 Low, J 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
107 Wyoming Ed 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
107 Wojciechowicz, D 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0
107 Hammond, D 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
107 Depree, K 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
107 Spangler, B 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
107 Mickelson, R 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
107 Haas, K 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
107 Narotski, M 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
107 Wood, C 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
(Updated 9/27/12.)
Rules:
Only Class II or better counts. Paddling two sections
counts as two RattBoy 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
105 (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.
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
high-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 10th
place on the Y2K 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 Riley) 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 fifth place, passing David Duke; and
old Ratt-bud Brandoon Hendren got his fifth millennial
Ratt Point. Richard Mauser, with two points (including
popping his Bottom Moose
cherry!), hopped into a tie with Chris Kiehl. 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 Y2K Top 20. 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. Sean and Liane O'Hara each got their second, and Hans, Craig, Don, and Dave each got their Ratt Point cherry popped.
February, 2006: The month started off with a bang on the Independence River. Jim Dobbins and Andrian VandenBout improved their standing. Andy Cook moved one point away from the Big Board, Kurt Fisk got his third, and the Legendary Paul Twist lost his Ratt Point Virginity. 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 105. 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 Dobbin, 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.
