Malone|SF

It's called a Hydrodyne. 20' long and very shallow. A pretty small boat with three 300 horsepower Mercury Racing outboards. They were tweaked at the factory for us so they are probably putting out more like 350 HP each. We have two of these boats, one propped for speed and one propped for power. We shipped the one propped for power to China a couple days after the National Tourny back in mid August. It arrived the same day we did - talk about just in time! ?? http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/539323_4674032539032_320788532_n.jpg ?? We've had it a couple years, which is about as long as we like to keep our boats. The Chinese team wanted to buy it (as tough as it is to get and set up a boat like that in America, it is 10 times harder to do it in China) and we were willing to sell it at a very reasonable $120,000. They could afford that, but the Chinese government puts a whopping 250% tariff on anything not made in China, and $420,000 was out of their price range. ?? Malone out.

Thanks guys! Stryker, you are actually very close to the truth. I was in China skiing in the worlds largest water ski pyramid. Guinness Book of World Records was there and they certified it. We made the front page of the Beijing newspaper. 55 people behind one boat. 4 four highs with 2 highs between them. ?? http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/557194_4673679810214_1467793539_n.jpg ?? is the pic. ?? www.rockaquajays.com ?? is the link to the video. ?? I also climbed the Great Wall of China, checked out Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Then we skied at the Emperor's Summer Palace. We are the first people in the history of China to ever ski there. ?? Those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook: check out the pics. I went a little overboard (500!) but hey, film is cheap! ?? Malone out.

I will try to make it but I'm a little booked up too: ?? Sept 1st - I promised Jennie that we would do a big bike ride together and a bunch of other romantic stuff that I haven't figured out yet, it's our 3 year anniversary Sept 8th - Treadfest, Gnomefest (mountain bike races/festivals at opposite ends of the state, can't do both ) Sept 15th - World water ski tourney Sept 18th through Sept 30 - I'll be skiing in China Oct 6th - open! Oct 13th - 1/2 marathon in Madison ?? Looks like I'm open after that... ?? I know my schedule is pretty tough to work around so if you guys decide to do SF Fest on a weekend that I'm busy on I will be sad but I'll understand. ?? Malone out.

Aw, thanks guys! ?? Yes, it's been another busy, crazy summer (for me they all are). Lot's of skiing, mountain bike racing, a Biathlon, 10 and 12 hour days at work... ?? Here are a couple links: ?? USA Water Ski http://www.usawaterski.org/default.asp?Display=1485 ?? Janesville Gazette http://gazettextra.com/news/2012/aug/13/aqua-jays-win-nationals-second-straight-year/ ?? 5 high pyramid http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/255319_3641620045949_1811361587_n.jpg ?? World record pyramid http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/558351_3641692607763_1505530473_n.jpg ?? Two videos: World record barefoot line ?? Last years nationals (we won that one too) - beginning of our show (Back to the Future) including a 5 high pyramid ?? The first ever World's water ski tourney will be held in Janesville in early Sept. While I was not selected for the American team, I know about half of the members and will definitely be cheering on the USA team. ?? Right after that I will be traveling to China for 2 weeks to put on some shows and compete against the Chinese national team. The Chinese government is paying my airfare, hotel, and food (they are going to lose money on that last one!) ?? Two of my daughters will be skiing in China also so this will be a really cool family adventure! ?? So, yeah, it's been quite a summer! ?? I should also probably mention that I have a great girlfriend who supports me in all my adventures. She also likes to bike and run (she did the biathlon with me and has a half marathon in Oct). She really wanted to come to SF Fest last year but she was already booked at a Stargate convention in Chicago that same weekend. Every night for our special time we watch an episode of Battlestar Galactica, Big Bang Theory, Chuck, Stargate, Firefly, or Castle. She's definitely a keeper! ?? Malone out. ?? Oh yeah, one more video, and this one is perhaps the coolest one of all. You can see me clearly in the very beginning getting a boat ride to our starting point for our world record pyramid. This video was taken by the girl on the 4th level of the center pyramid. ?? ?? You can see Mackenzi at the :35 mark wearing a yellow headband and Stephani at the :40 mark wearing a white headband. I'm in the left hand pyramid and too far away to see except when there's an inset at the 1:24 mark. I'm the bottom row 6th guy from the right, centering the pyramid on the right. ?? Enjoy! ?? Malone out.

During SF Fest we had some great gaming, and everyone mentioned how many people were on Gameranger. Syntax said he hasn't seen a 4 vs 4 in a couple years, and I bet we played half a dozen of them in one night! ?? So, let's bring back SF Nights! ?? Unless there are any objections, I'd like to propose the first Sat night of every month be SF Night. There will be an exception for Sept because that night falls on Labor Day Weekend and I think a lot of us have already made plans. So in Sept it will be the 2nd Sat of the month (the 10th) and then the first Sat thereafter. ?? Let's get to it and play some games! ?? Malone out.

Hey DoD, good to see ya! Glad you called during SF Fest and that I was able to help you out here on the forums. ?? If you don't mind, I'm going to move this topic to an area that is more public. ?? Malone out.

Thanks Drew! I'm glad you guys had fun. Sorry about the go cart racing thing though. But we did have some awesome steaks! ?? I put up pics on Facebook. For those people still living in the Stone Age and don't have Facebook, here is a link: ?? http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2303320832721.133096.1540253231&l=d5cc3f1316&type=1 ?? I do think that was the biggest HW marathon I've ever done. We started around 10 am on Sat and played til about 2 am Sun. Yes, we paused for steaks and a couple episodes of Firefly but that was about it. Syntax said he hasn't seen a 4 vs 4 in a couple years and we must have played half a dozen of them. ?? It was also brought up that maybe we could figure out a way to do a big camping trip together that might involve tents, mountain bikes, canoes, and hiking. Something to think about... ?? Also (to reiterate) what Drew brought up, would be the return of SF Nights. These were very successful in the past and with the huge turnout on Gameranger over the weekend we thought it might work out again. To keep it simple we were thinking of the first Saturday night of every month. However the next one coming up is Labor Day weekend and I know that many people will be out of town and unable to spend a night on the computer. Syntax already has plans to help his brother move from Colorado to Michigan so he would be out for sure. So I propose that for Sept we go with the second Sat (the 10th) and then try to go with the first Sat of every month after that. ?? I'll start a separate thread for SF Nights so we can keep this one cleared for SF Fest goodness. ?? So, glad you guys had fun! ?? Malone out.

Well, today we played HW1 for about 16 hours. Somewhere in the middle of that we grilled up some steaks, watched a couple Firefly episodes, and well, that's about it. It's 3 am now so I'm heading to bed. ?? Malone out.

Alright then! Drew and Syntax arrived late last night and we ate some taco pizza. Stayed up til 2 am talking about camping, Homeworld 3, etc... Today we are going to a gun shop, liqueur store, mall, race some go carts, eat some pork cutlets, and possibly play some Homeworld tonight. ?? I'll take pics and put them on Facebook. ?? Malone out.

Hey Syntax, it will be great to have you! I'll text you my address so you will get my addy and my phone number all at once. See you Thursday! ?? Malone out.

So... who is coming besides you and Fatboy? ?? And yes, we had a real De Lorian in our Back To the Future Ski Show. How cool is that? ?? Malone out.

Oh, and by the way, my team won the National Ski Championships yesterday. ?? We are now the best ski team in the nation, which by extension probably means we are the best in the world and possibly even the galaxy. ?? http://www.gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-news/2011/aug/14/rock-aqua-jays-win-national-title/ ?? Malone out.

Drew, can you remind Reaper that of course there will be a STEAK NIGHT? I don't know if we want to go to a restaurant or grill our own, but one way or another there will be STEAK NIGHT. ?? Vic, I'm sorry you can't make it. Save your money and hopefully you can come out next year. How cool would it be to have all the Eastern SFs like Split, Fiirks, Vic, and Pit to road trip out here? Maybe if we do it at Reaper's next year (Ohio) it won't be such a drive for you guys. ?? Airwave, we are going to miss you too but I definitely understand. Airplane tickets across the Atlantic can't be cheap. Never the less, we will definitely hoist a beer in your name, and maybe toast the Queen's Mum. ?? Drew, it will be good to see you again. It's ok about the boat, we will still have a blast racing go carts and tubing down the river. Sleeping at my place is no problem. ?? Malone out.

Hey Fiirky, thanks! Unfortunately I never got a message from you so I just did it myself. ?? Sorry for being away so long, but you guys know me and I spend very little time on the computer during summer. ?? I've been mountain biking several days a week, have done two races, and hope to do a third this summer if time allows. ?? I have also been active in the ski team here. There are three major tournaments each summer. We have won the first two and the third (Nationals)is next weekend here in Janesville. ?? I've also been working - full time electrician, part time bike sales and service, and part time lumberjack. ?? So, now that we have that out of the way, let's get down to business - SF Fest '11 ?? It will be at my house this year, and of course all are invited. I understand that finances, family, and time can make it difficult for many of you to attend, but trust me, we always have a lot of fun at these things. Surprisingly, very little Homeworld is played. I have a spare bedroom, plenty of room in the basement, and a large backyard with a 6 man tent for anyone that would like to stay at my house. ?? For activities, there is a go cart track about half an hour out of town called Sugar River Raceway. Go to www.sugarriverraceway.com for info. Right next to that is of course the Sugar River, which is a great place to go tubing down the river with a pony keg tied to your tube. www.crazyhorsewi.com for some info on that. We can also camp there if you guys want to "rough it" for a night. Another company that does tubing down the river is S & B Tubing - www.badger-trail.com/SB-tubing for info. ?? Drew might also bring his boat and I have my Jet Ski and we always have a lot of fun in the river. We have also enjoyed Mini Golf in the past. ?? On Wed and Sun nights at 6:30 my ski team, the Rock Aqua Jays perform. As I said, we have won our first two tourneys, if we win the third (and it is looking good) we will be the best ski team in the nation, and possibly the world. www.rockaquajays.com ?? Of course I would like you all to meet my girlfriend Jennie, but being kind of a Sci Fi buff herself, she is going to a big Stargate convention that weekend in Chicago. Those who come up Thurs or Fri or stay till Sun eve will probably run into her. She really did want to attend SF Fest as she enjoys hosting parties and geeking out. But she goes to this big convention every year and is really looking forward to it. (She also wants to see me drunk, which happens very rarely, but SF Fest seems to bring out the party animal in me) ?? So, there it is, anyone who wants my addy or phone number let me know. If you guys have any other ideas for activities let's hear them. Let's keep this great tradition going - someday there will be a HW3 or its equal and SF will be there! ?? Malone out.

Hiya Higgy! Glad you are still around and that things are going well with you. ?? Malone out.