Chicago Event

[Homeslice]

Well, I was there on Saturday night, and it was fun to watch. The Army tribute was moving, I agree, and the event itself was cool. If I hadn't been wearing gel in my hair, then my hair would've stood up by itself upon seeing Andre's wreck in the short-go! My brother (who I met at Midway airport on Wednesday night) went with me and he's not a PBR fan at all per se (in fact I'm the only one in my family who likes the PBR or any rodeo for that matter), but he came anyway - particularly 'cause I couldn't go alone - and he too was stunned by the wreck. Glad Andre was ok, but otherwise it was a good event. The bad news for me is I couldn't stay to get any autographs because I had to get back to the hostel I was staying at (yes, I was at a hostel), since my flight back home (in Long Island) was early the next morning. d**n. Anyway, I have a couple of pics to share.

Here is the arena floor, from where I was sitting:



And here is me, a little too up close and personal (my brother who sat next to me took the pic, using my camera):



I know, I'm hideous. And I don't look nearly 23 (though I am). I just came back to NY yesterday afternoon and it's good to be back.

[WI8SecFan]

Here is one of the best stories of the Chicago event…

So as you all know on Saturday they ran two events with about 3 hours in between. Kelly and I decided not to battle with the crowds at the restaurants near the arena and go grab a bite to eat at the hotel. As we were walking out, they hand it us flyers for of all things the top 25 sumo wrestlers that are coming to Chicago. Well were eating at the hotel restaurant and while Kelly was out enjoying some filtered air we struck up a conversation with the nice people sitting next to us. We got on the topic of the Sumo wrestlers and one thing lead to another and before you knew it we were all laughing so hard that the rest of the bar either thought we were nuts or wanted to join us! We all headed to the event and later that night we ran back into each other and were hanging out in the lobby when the topic of fantasy came up. That is when it happened…after talking about the PBR fantasy I said that I did not do the PBR one lately but do one on one of the boards our “new friend” looked at me and asked me if it was 8 Second Addiction. It turns out that after talking to each other half the day it was none other then 8 Second Addictions very own RossJustinFan! We all laughed at that! I guess it just goes to prove that no matter where we go we here at 8 Second Addiction are just naturally fun people that find each other.

Now who is going to be the first to ask Eilene about Sumo wrestler number 12?

I also have to laugh that I just found out that we were also sitting next to more members in the afternoon and did not even know it! Hundreds of seats and still we find each other..It is a conspiracy I tell you!

[jamiesjustapbrfan]

Hope this is more readable!!!! Here is our story (Ashley and Jamie)! You'll have to keep in mind that we were running on not a lot of sleep, not a lot of food in our tummy tum tum's and were also not running on all cylinders either!

We left for Chicago about 10 am and when we started out we were playing “I Spy” until we got to Illinois….But the “I Spy” was Illinois so we had to stop. We almost died three times when I ran three stop signs (that I did not see) with in two minutes and within a few feet of the hotel.
Well we’ve been in Chicago for about 1 hour and 35 minutes. Having a blast!!! (we spent a lot of time looking out the window into the parking lot for cowboy hats or the "welcome wagon" full of PBR riders) Yeah! Saw LJ Jenkins while checking in…..Fashion Report is: Baseball cap, Shorts, White T-shirt and flip flops carrying McDonalds! YEAH! Hotel’s television sucks so we went down to the lobby(for Cowboy sightings) and watched Travis Briscoe float in pool, watched Helton Barbosa (with girlfriend/wife – she’s wearing rings the really expensive kind - in tow) and Guilherme Marchi (with family in tow) check in.…..Tandy even checked in while we were down there and gave Helton some advice/hand gestures about ordering a shoulder brace. Shortly before we came back up to the room (which is very nice by the way!) we saw both a wet Pee Wee and Chris Shivers. Traffic not so good but all flights in and out of O’Hare are running on schedule. There is a plane making final approach as I am writing this.

Ashley ran into Brian Canter….LITERALLY. He was in his bathing suit carrying a handful of towels and he was sprinting down the hall. I saw him as he was making final approach to his room he's a funny little guy...wish he had a better weekend though!

6:00 pm we watched a bunch of the riders go off to work from our hotel window. Travis Briscoe (knew it was him cause of the shirt he was wearing and the "macaroni" in his hat!) was one of the for sure ones the others not so much.

Well at the event this evening Helton Barbosa won the round with an 89.00 on Sports Machine. No major wrecks that’s always a good thing. Wiley Petersen rode his bull tonight….he’s another $5,000.00 richer thanks to Enterprise Rent A Car…They’ll pick you up ya know!? Cory Rasch rode his bull also and the big bonus is that he DID NOT get hurt YET!!!

We went down to the bar for a little bit then decided to go back up to our room and wait until it was a little later in the evening. The highlight was that we were on the same floor as both the Moraes brothers and ROB SMETS (10th floor). We rode in the elevator with ROB SMETS….How COOOOOOOOOOOL IS THAT!?!?!?

On our second trip to the bar I got off on the seventh floor thinking it was the lobby and Helton Barbosa and his girlfriend/wife happened to be getting on the elevator at the same time and the rest of the way down they looked at me funny. We also saw Ross Butt and Bohon Butt too. Ashley had a little bit too much to drink. Cory Rasch thought that I was some Erin…I’m not complaining. Colby Yates and Jake McIntyre were cranking out tunes on their guitars. Justin McBride was TRASHED and absolutely hilarious. Ross Butt was good as usual.

Round 2 action was pretty good! Well the event started out with Ashley giving the ticket guy the wrong ticket and drove all the way back to the hotel and tore the room apart only to find that her ticket for the second round was in her other back pocket! No really MAJOR injuries….Ross Coleman did get a boo boo though. We hope he’s alright. Cody Hart won the round with an 88.5. Chris Shivers was second in the round with an 88.25. Wiley Petersen is another $5,000.00 richer…He rode Ross Coleman’s bull Dakota Country. Flint broke his brat launcher today….bad news there. Flint also did the Boneless Chicken routine…Hilarious! The Battered Salmon routine was good also! Then on our way out I embarrassed myself and slipped and fell on the floor….I got an 82.5 with the option of a re-ride! Bruises forming on both knees quite nicely!

Rounds 3 and 4 were quite eventful…. Opening ceremonies were AWESOME!!! The new generation of GI Joe’s were inducted into the Armed Forces this evening. Then they welcomed home some veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom! Kyle Cudmore won the round with a 87.75 on Chili! Andre Moraes had a major hangup on Shane…He got his spur caught in his flank strap and he did a whirly-gig for at least 4 or 5 rotations. Guilherme came in second and he danced…..He shook his groove thing and all is well in the world! Cory Rasch came in third and he got hurt (no surprise) but played through the pain….YEAH!!!! Austin Meier won the event!

After Party….. $5.00 for a beer.....and I thought $3.00 at the hotel bar was bad! Ashley grew some cajones and asked for a picture with Ross Coleman. Austin Meier has a little tiny hindend….we found that out the “hard” way! Colby Yates cranked out some more tunes on his guitar! Ross Coleman smells really good (that’s directly from Ashley who got up close and personal with him).

Got "home" from the after party to find LJ Jenkins and Brian Canter sitting in the lobby on the really comfy cozy couches….Great finish to a great weekend!!!

P.S. Terri and or Kelly (Ashley and I watched out the Hotel room window while you guys were loading up and then we say those guys load up the mini van and I thought out loud "there's no way to be cool in a mini van!") who were the guys in the green Mini Van next to a Blue Camary and a REALLY NICE White Ford Truck? We're pretty sure that they were riders...one of them had a very noticeable limp.

[jamiesjustapbrfan]

we also saw Sean Willingham driving around in a Ford F650 (I kid you not). It was huge and really loud also! You can see alot of things from a 10th story hotel room window!

[WI8SecFan]

The Ford F650 is actually the Say I Won't sponsor truck.

[TNBullRidinGirl]

Uh.....ok I can't really see well now. Purple and blue don't really go good when you're tryin to read.

[rossjustinfan]

I have to say that I never laughed so much in one week-end. My friends had never been to a bullriding event and they had a blast seeing the riders. Karla has already decided she wants to go to Grand Rapids with me. As for the sumo wrestlers story....yes all is true and I have changed my mind and am now going after one of the top ten (after all they have more money...at least I think they do...they may get paid in food) It took me two days to get caught up on sleep, but it was so worth it. It was so great to meet 8 sec fans (I always knew the 8 Sec fans would be great). I will let all of you know when I find "The man of my dreams...sumo wrestler #1-10" (haven't quite decided which one).
Oh by the way, my friend Karla called me on Monday and told me to turn on ESPN2 and there was none other then sumo wrestling on...We laughed all over again. Here is to a great board and all the great people who made my week-end so very enjoyable and memorable.

[WI8SecFan]

Woo Hoo!!! It looks like there may be quite a few of us in Grand Rapids...I will find out Monday if I am going for sure (Right now it is 85% yes) and I beleive that if I am counting right at least 8 others will be joining us. Grand Rapids was a blast last year and I am sure this year will be no different!

[dairymary]

if it works out for me....yall may see me in grand rapids too!!! (just have to work out school and all that fun stuff, so i wont know for a while)

[rossjustinfan]

Well you can count on myself and my friend Karla going to Grand Rapids. The only real decision to make is to fly or take the Lake Express ferry...LOL. We have not gotten tickets, but I did make the hotel reservation. I plan on going to both nights. I know it will be a blast with all the 8 Second fans.

[rossco4worldchamp]

That Ford F650 is HUGE!! The sound of it was unbelievable!!! Chicago was a blast, and I finally got the guts to get a picture with Ross!!!!! I can't wait to see them!! You may be able to count us in for Grand Rapids too!!!

[jamiesjustapbrfan]

I was cleaning out my e-mail and I found this in there:

THE WORLD SUMO LEAGUE 2006 MEGA TOUR COMES TO ALLSTATE ARENA SATURDAY, MAY 27

Special Pre-Sale Offer

You are invited to purchase your tickets to this event before tickets go on sale to the general public! Starting Thursday, April 27th from 10am - 10pm, you can purchase tickets by clicking the find tickets button below (Pre-Sale is internet only). Password for Pre-Sale is heavy





CHICAGO – The World Sumo League (WSL), a worldwide sports organization that promotes professional Sumo matches at first-class venues in countries all over the world, will bring an explosive evening of Sumo bouts and breathtaking Japanese-inspired pageantry to the Allstate Arena, on Saturday, May 27, 2006. Presented by Live Nation, tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 28, 2006 at 10 a.m.

Featuring Sumo wrestling bouts driven by the sounds of traditional Taiko drum music and interspersed with thrilling Cirque du Soleil style performances evoking the traditional Japanese origins of the sport, the WSL Mega Tour promises to be a highly entertaining evening for the entire family. The WSL Mega Tour will include many of the world's best Sumo wrestlers from countries including Japan, Mongolia, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, the United States, Great Britain, Republic of Georgia, The Netherlands, Ukraine, Hungary and Norway. The Sumo wrestlers will be competing for total prize money of more than $1,000,000. The ultimate winner will be crowned the World Sumo League Champion at the Finals on Saturday, October 21, 2006, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Last year, the first World Sumo League Finals in Madison Square Garden were taped and subsequently televised on the ESPN Networks in December 2005 and March 2006.

Dedicated to presenting Sumo wrestling all over the globe as a first-class professional sport, the WSL Mega Tour competitions are spectacular events presented in dramatic fashion. Although the event contains all the spirituality and mystique inherent in traditional Sumo wrestling, it is punctuated by spectacular special effects as well as live music provided by Taikoza, a thunderous percussion group that features taiko drums – large barrel-like drums that produce a magnificent sound – creating a visual and audio treat for spectators.

A little late but better late then never right?!

[rossjustinfan]

Oh that is too funny you got an email about sumo wrestling. I will just have to run right out and get me some tickets....LOL. After all, I must find the "man of my dreams" as my friend Karla so wonderfully stated. Anyone plan on going? You too could find the "Sumo of your dreams".

[cowgirl4life30]

nope... not a diaper bunny!! I will not be attending but i got the same email!!