2008 RFA Cup
On 06-08-2008
Champion is James Hunt
There is no time trial champion for this event yet.
Chandler drops title into Hunt's hands
Posted: 09-02-2008
2008 RFA Cup Champion Jimmy Hunt holds up the eponymous trophy
For a fleeting instant, it appeared
Stephen Chandler had made a 10th-inning catch, that he had tied up the championship game at the
2008 RFA Cup, and that he and
James Hunt were headed into extra innings.
The instant ended with the ball slipping from Chandler’s fingers and hitting the ground, and Hunt’s arms raised in victory.
“I thought he had it and then I saw the ball just come tumbling out. And I just, I couldn’t believe it.” Hunt said. “I got lucky.”
It was the third Roofball championship game to be won by just one point, but the ’08 RFA Cup title game may well have had the most dramatic ending. Going into the inning with only a one-point lead, Hunt’s throw bounced off of the top roof, came down and took a friendly bounce off the lower roof, but was dropped by Hunt onto the grass below, giving Chandler a chance to ping for the win or simply catch to force the game to a first-ever championship throw-off.
Chandler’s throw stayed below the pole but its bounce was true, arcing gently off of the roof toward Chandler’s awaiting hands. He initially appeared to have it, but failed to completely secure the ball before turning away from the roof. As he started to take a step back toward the sidewalk, the ball came loose. Chandler’s lunging attempt to re-corral the ball failed.
“I just got a little cocky there,” Chandler said, “and it just fell out of my hands.”
After a brief conference, it was decided that Chandler never had complete control of the ball, and Hunt had his first career title.
The championship came in only Hunt’s third career Roofball tournament and his first in over five years. Despite his low number of tournaments played, Hunt now boasts an impressive résumé – the ’08 RFA Cup title, a runner-up finish at the
2003 Roofball World Championships and the Time Trial title at the
1999 Roofball U.S. Open.
Chandler’s runner-up performance came in his second career Roofball event; he was eliminated in the 2nd round of the
2007 RFA Cup.
First-time player
Kevin Berry took 3rd place after dazzling the crowd with three scores of 50+ points in his first three career games.
Berry posted the a 60 in his first career game (a Roofball record for a debut and only the 10th 60+ point game ever recorded), then followed that up with a 53-point game in the 2nd round and a 55-point performance in the Semifinals.
A disappointing score of 16 in the Cup Round knocked Berry out of the tournament, but not before the newcomer placed his name in prominent spots in the record book. In addition to his debut-record 60-point game, Berry also tied the RFA record for arounds in a game (4 in the 2nd round), arounds in a tournament (9), and tallied just the 14th 15-point throw in Roofball tournament history (in only his 3rd career throw).
Notes:
Elizabeth Willis won her Roofball-record seventh Women’s Championship. Her score of 25 in the 1st round bested four other women competitors and was her personal best score since posting a 26 in the
2005 Roofball World Championships. Kevin Berry’s tournament average score of 46.0 tied for 3rd-best all time. Rookie player
Alexandra “Allie” Demopoulos posted a score of -13 in the 1st round. That’s the 3rd-worst score in Roofball history and the lowest ever posted by a woman player. The 2008 RFA Cup was the third Roofball tournament to be filmed and aired by TVC-TV.
