For the week of November 13 - 19, 2002

Third at nationals 
for Big Sky

Ultimate Frisbee winners

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Continuing the strong team play that won it the regional title in September, the "Big Sky" Ultimate Frisbee team from Ketchum placed third in national competition staged Oct. 26-29 at Sarasota, Fla.

"Big Sky" sponsored by Kavu, won seven of its eight games in the 12-team Men’s Masters class at nationals and captured third place with a 15-8 thumping of host Sarasota.

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"Big Sky" poses after its 15-8 third-place victory over host Sarasota at the Oct. 26-29 national tournament. Front, from left, Mike Faris, Scott Runkel, Pat Benson, Herb Kaup, Mike O’Doud, Dave Pilliard and Kraig Kempt. Back, from left, Joel Mallett, John Shenk, Paully Shiess, Steve Hogan, Jamie Hunter, Bill Sherrard, Kent Shoey, Alex Cross, Mike Payne, Eric Rogers, Tom Kennedy and Lonnie Lindquist. Courtesy photo

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Tom Kennedy of "Big Sky" said about his team’s consolation game against Sarasota, "We crushed them." Entering the tournament Sarasota had been ranked #2 nationally.

Having gone undefeated in the Sept. 21-22 regional tourney at Davis, Ca., ‘Big Sky" kept marching across the horizon by winning its six-team pool with a 5-0 record at the east coast nationals.

Among their victims were teams from New York and California.

It wasn’t easy for the 19-player "Big Sky" squad, playing in hot 85-degree temperatures and 80% humidity. In fact Lonnie Lindquist went down with heat exhaustion after pool play and had to spend the night in a local hospital.

"Big Sky" kept rolling along with a quarterfinal victory over The Chronic from North Carolina, then lost a hard-fought 15-13 semi-final match to Colorado Boulder. Then it was the third-place 15-8 laugher victory over Sarasota.

Scott "The Kid" Runkel looks to pass in the national semi-final game. Courtesy photo

 

Did they win anything for placing third? Kennedy laughed, "Just a kick in the shorts to go home. We got a little tired in the heat. Next year we plan to take 25 guys."

Kennedy said the entire "Big Sky" team was appreciative of the financial support from the community.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.