Kona 2010 – THE Party

"It's not the race that wrecks you. It's the K-Swiss after party." - Samantha McGlone

She couldn't be more right.

Up until that Sunday night, the K-Swiss party was nothing more than stories to me. Now I understand and can tell the stories. Well, some of them. Others stay in the vault because what happens at the K-Swiss after party, stays at the K-Swiss after party.

Tawnee & I headed over with Tyler & Eleanor from GU after the awards dinner. I was already 3 beers deep (free beer at the dinner) at this point so I was feeling pretty good about life. Little did I know that I would be feeling fucking awesome about life pretty soon and then wanting to kill myself the next day.

On the way in we spotted just about everyone. Normann was waiting in line for a wrist band (still beyond me that I got in before that guy lol). Crowie outside chatting with some people. Chris Lieto was handing out wrist bands. Beth & James hanging out with friends by the bar. It became a little difficult to understand what I was doing there, but I sure as hell wasn't complaining.

I spent most of the night talking shop with Tyler & Eleanor as well as Kevin from TYR. Until the party train showed up, that is. Newly crowned World Champion Mirinda Carfrae showed up with Kerrie (acting as bodyguard) & Super G (Kerrie's husband), among others. This is when the night took a turn for the worst. Or better!

The things I can tell you happened - do you notice a theme as to who's involved?:

Super G decided ripping Tim O's shirt right in half would be a good idea. He walked up behind him, grabbed his shirt from the bottom, and ripped it as far up as he could.

Super G thought demonstrating his mastery in curling with his shoes would be a popular sight. Soon after, his shoes ended up in the ocean - we still don't know how.

Mirinda ripped her toenail off while dancing. Not sure exactly how it happened, but her bodyguard was on top of it getting her ice and keeping the masses away. Good thing the party was after the race!

Meathead Super G beat up a girl. That girl was me. He went to jersey me, but after I fought him off he decided that body slamming me to the ground was the next best option. Fortunately, the ground was the beach so the bruising was minimal; however, I was picking sand out my hair for hours the next day. It was pretty funny how many people came running over to find out if Super G should be kicked out of the bar.

Me, Tawnee, James, Beth, Kerrie, and the man who likes to show his nipples (or abs… or just really likes to be without shirt). Apparently, Tawnee is the only one that remembers the picture. Likely the reason she’s the only one that looks *normal*.

Right around the time that picture was taken, the Kona 2010 theme song came on. Needless to say, we all lost our minds! And someone, again, lost his shirt. Somehow the memory of dancing to that song is very clear, but the picture taken around the time of the dancing is lost. Hmmmm...

I ended up on the Mirinda train over to Lulu's after, but they were just about to shut down too. The train was heading to the Clif After Party that was going strong at that point, but I knocked some sense into my drunk ass and started the stumble home - 3 beers at the awards dinner + 3 double rum & cokes at the after party meant home was the right place to be heading. Walking along Ali'i drive at 2am has to be the most pleasant drunken walk home I've ever had.

The next morning was u-g-l-y, especially since it started only 3 hours after I went to sleep. Most of the day was ugly, actually. Nap, nap, eat, nap, nap... you get the idea. It wasn't until Maggs and I hit Humpy's and I got an awesome burger in me that I felt human again.

Despite my extreme hatred for being hungover (I hate being hungover more than I hated having the swine flu), it was well worth it and I look forward to doing it again ;)

BIG THANKS to K-Swiss for putting on such a rad party & to Luke for hooking me up with the wrist band to get in since my original hook-up wasn't paying attention to his phone.