The Badger's Set: beer

Monday, December 01, 2008

No Lite Beer Poker League

I’ve never made mention of the fact that a handful of us play a monthly game of poker and have been doing so for a while now. The ‘No Lite Beer Poker League’ kicked off sometime in the first half of the year.

The inaugural event was at Mike’s house and it was a corker. Besides the fact that we had a good turnout, Mike ensured there was some additional entertainment in the form of a very inebriated, single woman neighbor from downstairs who made a surprise appearance and clung to the outskirts of our poker table like a bad rash. She was clearly in the market for a bit of man-love, but everyone’s reluctance to focus on her rather than the poker, resulted in the coining of the word ‘RIDIC’ which she was throwing around with wreckless abandon in her judgment of us all. That, along with her abuse of Mikey Hammerson that he must be gay because he wasn’t giving her the time of day, made for some entertaining action.

By the end of the evening, amongst accusations that one of us had stolen her handbag (what handbag??), our special guest had a severe case of memory loss and had absolutely no idea where she was and began to panic. She was abruptly escourted downstairs to her flat and sent straight to bed.

Mike dominated the ’08 season from the start and his early lead stretched further and further as each event went by. At the final year end ‘Christmas Special’, Steve Tuna had an outside chance of taking gold, but this never came to pass. Mike was overall winner and results on the night saw Diki Long take home 1st prize with Verve and myself following in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Rules of the Christmas Special were that you had to wear a poker hat of some sort along with a pair of sunnies to create a party vibe. The vibe was duly achieved and it turned out to be a great event to end the season. With a bit of luck the ’09 season won’t be such a one horse race and with the No Lite Beer Poker League officially established I think there are a lot of guys keen to make some high finishes next year.

I invite okes into my home and this is what I get, bring your own chairs next time

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Return of the Downhill Extreme 2007

Due to an immense amount of pressure and the threat of friends castrating me if I didn't comply, I recently organised another Downhill Extreme over the festive season. It was time, it really was. We're all a lot older and some things are slipping away or becoming more difficult to do, like an ollie on a skateboard for example. Not wanting to lose another awesome experience to age and maturity I happily got to work and sorted out the logistics.

I kept it small this time round because on previous occasions, what with un-scheduled boat races and shots of tequila thrown in, things predictably got a little out of hand. All well and good for those taking part, but as the organiser of this event it can be a little stressful hoping and praying that every soldier makes it to Waxy's alive and well. And with this Downhill Extreme taking part on the 22nd of December there was more than enough concern for me to deal with as I wouldn't have been a popular guy with some families had I been the idiot responsible for someone's son ending up in the Emergency Ward of Westville Hospital.

This year we kicked things off at the Bush Pub on the top of Botha's Hill. They weren't open so it was basically beers out the back of a bakkie, but the lack of a formal establishment was never going to be a cause of concern, as Mike McKenna clearly illustrated to my Mom in the driveway as we left, when he said that safety is in fact not first, it's beer first that counts.

The ride starts with a beer and then we frequent 10 stops along the way, with a drink at each watering hole and finally finishing at Waxy's in Westville. It's approximately 40kms and there are some challenging hills along the way. I think a lot of guys shocked themselves in terms of their personal levels of fitness and there was a lot wheezing on route with red faces and looks of despair along certain stretches of road.

Thanks go to the sponsors (Andy Camp, Andy and Nicky Arde and Wade Kerdachi). Without you guys the day would never have been possible. You guys are legends, shot for supporting such a worthy cause. And a big shout out to Shuz for designing the shirts. Having a matching shirt for each rider always seems to give us some level of credibility on the roads and the cops seem to turn a blind eye to all the swaying and swerving. And then a huge thanks to the support crew (Cally, Nix, Candice, Philippa and Lauren) who were always on standby to assist wherever needed and were on top of their game by always ensuring that our drinks were ordered and that money was being paid and people looked after.