What an amazing day of kubb in Madison, WI. 32 teams taking the pitches right off the shore; probably the same type of venue the Vikings would be playing in, with a longboat perched off the bay. The Norse God Njord kept the wind gusting for Loki and his Shenanigans, all to see championship talent blow away with the gale.
Two teams with Des Moines players took the pitch in their respective round robins at 9:00 a.m. Team Fjadrar, the uncle/nephew tag-team, had some stutters in the Round Robin, but found their groove after a few matches. Team Revolver, the 6 person, 4 state powerhouse consisting of a mashup of some of the best players in the Midwest, worked a flawless 6-0 in the Group Play.
After a long lunch break (with the Feathers crew destroying 2 pizzas and some refreshing foamy goodness at the local pizza place), elimination brackets started.
After a bye, and a potential cool down of the gunners, Revolver squared off against Wisconsin favorites, King Kung. After a battling a team fueled on ReallyGoods, Revolver took the king down twice in a row to win the match.
Team Fjadrar did not have the luxury (or bane?) of a bye. Steve and Josh (Dobbie) had to battle through the Booyahs! from Middleton, WI in the round of 32. After kubb koozies were provided for drinks that were in danger of overheating, Team Fjadrar battled through the 3-person team, where local news captured the game.
Next up for Team Fjadrar were the Rockford Ice Kubbs, early adopters of the sport that already consider it part of their life. After a 2-0 family beating by Fjadrar, the two teams chatted over the fallen king for quite some time discussing the game, other tournaments, and when we would meet up again on the kubb pitch.
Next, Team Fjadrar had to take on some Eau Claire talent in Smiley and Luke from Dark Side of the Kubb. The matches were close, and not representative of the 2-0 victory Team Fjadrar attained. With Luke and Myles, you have to bring your best. Not only in your kubb game, but your humor and your good natured japing. What a great team, and what great people.
On the other pitch, Revolver had to play Kubbastank, the Stoughton/South Beloit crew. After a few slugs of Apple-Pie Moonshine Revolver went to work, Russian-roulette style. With the wind at their back Revolver fired off a win, and went on to face Team Fjadrar.
On the other half of the Semi-finals, two Eau Claire Championship teams had to square off. Eric Anderson and 2010 US National Champion, Aaron Ellringer squared off against the Kubbsicles, with Mark Blazel and Zach Brown. With an 8 meter throw that went cold in the final game of the match, the Kubbsicles edged out the The Ringers in the melee.
Revolver and Team Fjadrar reluctantly took the field, not wanting to take down each other, but knowing that reluctance breeds failure. The battle was fierce, but in the end Revolver shot some blanks; a line was given and the advantage turned to victory. Revolver had fanned the hammer through a 10-0 run, but misfires ended their day in an 0-4 skid into 4th place.
Once the finals started, the wind shut down, as though it were on queue. The first game belonged to Kubbsicles, as they dodged a bullet in a king miss in Game 1. Game 2 saw Team Fjadrar starting the game with 4 hits on the baseline, and Josh and Steve kept control of the game, and the king shot was a hit. The 3rd game was fast. Blink and you may have missed it. Some sources say it was a turn 5 win, others recall 3 turns. Either way, it was quick and painless death.
1st Place: Kubbsicles (Eau Claire, WI)
2nd Team Fjadrar (Des Moines, IA)
3rd The Ringers (Eau Claire, WI)
4th Revolver (Appleton, WI, Des Moines, IA, Roscoe, IL, Shafer/Rosemont, MN)
