U.S. Air Force Reserve master sergeant Jodie Haralson has had a major presence at this tournament. It was his boat that Chris Lane used Thursday and Friday, after Lane's boat was destroyed by a fire early Thursday morning.
Haralson bought the boat that Fred Roumbanis competed in last year. Haralson kept the wrap on it except for the small alteration of putting his name in small letters on each side where Roumbanis' had been.
Haralson is working as a marshal this week. He brought his boat down the road from Fort Smith, where he's stationed, in case Roubanis needed a back-up.
Roumbanis resembled his nickname – "Boom-Boom" – when he came across the weigh-in stage Friday, holding two 40-millimeter shells that are fired from the Air Force's A-10's "tank-buster" jets. Roumbanis presented them to tournament director Trip Weldon and emcee Dave Mercer.
Mercer's wheels immediately started turning as he wondered how he was going to get the disarmed shell on his flight back to Toronto. Good luck with that, Dave.