Ask any racer in Region 3 (Washington, Idaho and Oregon) which regional race is their favorite and the answer will undoubtedly be Pateros, Washington’s “Apple Pie Jamboree” on the mighty Columbia River. Pateros is “the little town that could.” Only two short years ago, racers showed up for a big weekend of racing and fun to find the town engulfed in flames and all the roads closed. Immediately, a “Go Fund Me” page was started and many of the racers donated their race fees to help rebuild the town.
The Apple Pie Jamboree raises money for local students and the community. This year in addition to jet ski races there was a parade, a run, a hoop shoot out, a quilt show, a car show, live music, a dunk tank, bingo, fireworks and the Hydro-Flight crew demonstrating the Flyboard. We are not sure if it is the welcoming community or the amazing weather that makes jet ski racing at Pateros so much fun, but we are thankful to be invited year after year.
Saturday morning began with a parade and then hundreds of spectators watched in awe as the flag was flown over the river on a Flyboard and the national anthem was sung live. The water was cold and the air was sweltering hot as nearly 40 racers took to the water racing 14 different classes. The race course was set up a little different than it is at other races with a right turn for the first turn and then racing continued in a clockwise direction with a split course to the far right.
The Beginner class had the largest lineup with 10 racers on the line, followed by nine racers in the Vintage classes. There were several first time racers as well as several world champions, and we saw the first Sea-Doo Spark show up in Region 3. After a long day of racing, it cooled down and even rained a little Saturday evening but cleared up just in time for the fireworks display. The Hydro-Flight crew also performed in wet suits that were lit up with LED lights.
Sunday started off with rain but cleared up in the afternoon and the sun began to shine. Racing continued in spite of the wet weather but there were noticeably fewer spectators. Curtis Pitman and Derek Helm battled it out in Pro-Am GP with Curtis taking the win.
Junior racers Trinity Klecker and Gabe Hooper passed each other several times but Trinity took the lead in the third motto of the weekend when Gabe missed a buoy. Trinity also dominated women’s class with Alaina Fiske closing in on her tail until the last moto of the day when Alaina’s ski was not quite running right and she finished last that moto allowing Julie Holmquist to slide into second place for the weekend. Runabout racers Greg Moyer and Bill Cox were neck-and-neck but ultimately Moyer took the win for the weekend on his Sea-Doo Spark. Kyle Hoase won freestyle with some “old school” tricks on his FX-1.
Overall it was a great weekend of racing and we would like to thank the city of Pateros, the Apple pie Jamboree volunteer committee, certified rescue diver Archie Dennis, Douglas County PUD for he use of the reservoir and maintaining the water level this year, and Tracy Miller president of the Apple Pie Jamboree.
2016 Pateros, Washington’s Apple Pie Jamboree
Amateur/Expert: 1. Ken Peterson, 2. Ryan Mifflin, 3. Ian Benson, 4. Marcus Brown, 5. Curtis Pitman, 6. Lance Trembley; X2: 1. Hudson Petek, 2. Mike Podrybau, 3. Marcus Boyle, 4. Harley Plummer; Juniors 13-15:1. Trinity Klecker, 2. Gabe Hooper, 3. Ethan Fiske, 4. Garrett Modin; Veterans: 1. Ken Peterson, 2. Craig Thorsteinson, 3. Lance Trembley, 4. Mark Hintze, 5. Seth McNeil; Womens: 1. Trinity Klecker, 2. Julie Holmquist, 3. Alaina Fiske, 4. Alex Benson; Beginners: 1. Cadan Kirkpatrick, 2. Jon Tarr, 3. Marcus Boyle, 4. Nathan Clements, 5. Austin Farr, 6. Garrett Thesan, 7. Harley Plummer, 8. Ian Johnson, 9. Matthew Melton, 10. Ethan Fiske; Pro-Am GP: 1. Curtis Pitman, 2. Derek Helm, 3. Tyler Riibe, 4. Craig Thorsteinson, 5. Ryan Mifflin, 6. Ian Benson; Novice Stock: 1. Trinity Klecker, 2. Alaina Fiske, 3. Alex Benson, 4. Chris Overfelt, 5. Mark Hintze, 6. Nathan Clements, 7. Roger Friedman; Runabout: 1. Greg Moyer, 2. Bill Cox, 3. Derek Lofftus, 4. Roger Harnack; Novice Limited: 1. Gabe Hooper, 2. Derek Black, 3. Alaina Fiske, 4. Jayson Zialcita, 5. Hudson Petek, 6. Mark Hintze; Pro-Am Stock: 1. Curtis Pitman, 2. Marcus Brown, 3. Scott Benson, 4. Ryan Mifflin, 5. Tyler Riibe; Vintage 550: 1. Seth McNeil, 2. Jordan Smith, 3. Austin Farr, 4. Cadan Kirkpatrick, 5. Tyler Johnson, 6. Garrett Modin; Vintage 750: 1. Nathan Clements, 2. Alaina Fiske, 3. Trinity Klecker; Masters: 1. Craig Thorsteinson, 2. Ken Peterson, 3. Lance Trembley, 4. Scott Benson, 5. Mark Hintze; Freestyle: 1. Kyle Hoase, 2. Jayson Zialcita, 3. Austin Farr
