[nik at work]

My powerball was making really nasty sounding grinding noises after spending a couple of days shaking around in my pocket along with a broken packet of 1/2" panel pins, a handful of sand, and a surprisingly varied assortment of fluffs and grits. So I got the instructions for dismantling and cleaning the powerball off the website and decided to get in there and get my hands dirty (and my ball lean) last night. All was going well until the actual seperating of the two halves of the outer casing. The instuction suggest placing the powerball on a hard surface (wood table) at a certain orientation and hitting it sharply from above with the edge of the hand in a karate-chop stylee. My advice would be ignore this advice. I tried this technique unsucessfully half a dozen painful times before wondering off and finding a handy piece of wood to hit it with. The wood worked straight off, seperated the case, cleaned to inards (removing 2 panel pins, quite a bit of sand, 2 of the ends from the starting strings, 3 clumps of fluff and a small beetle?) and put it all back together. Had a gentle spin and all sounded much smoother.
Went to bed with a sense of excitement about the legendary spins scores I was going to get this morning.
Woke up, limbered up (a few star jumps and a crack of the knuckles) then headed downstairs to spin spin spin.
Picked up the ball, started it up, got it up to about 7,000 then oh christ what the hell is wrong with my hand.....

I have bruising along the bottom edge of my right hand from trying to open the spinny little fucker. So now I have a powerball ready for some hot dirty spin action, and a hand that can barely crush marshmallow.

A cautionary tale I think you'll agree.

P.S. Cheers fo rthe instructions Houdini.

[a dense loner]

i've already met chantelle.
powerballing is nearly as hard as surfing.
was going to get one today but don't think i'll bother now for two reasons
1) i'm shit
2) the balls don't seem to last very long without breaking down

[GCW]

EDIT - New WR 16443. 

Nice one Akis, but that houdini87654 sounds like a right cock.   

The UKB 250Hz PowerBall league
Irish Alan  Somewhere over 14,000
Houdini  14,767
Rob 12,995
GCW  12,529
Scouse D  11,934  (but honourary champ for keepin the faith)
Dave  11,930ish
clm  'bout 11,800
Jim 11,496
Falling Down 10958
slack---line  10804
SA Chris  10,475
Dave  10,293
PaulB  9942
Dr pinch - 9541
Dense - 9010


 
30 second strength
GCW  5,489
Houdini  4940
slack---line 3471

Not used it in the last week so no improvement.  I'm gonna try the 30 seconds more- stamina not speed for me 

[Houdini]

Arf!

I'm into Akis, he's awesomely ridiculous, as are powerballs.



You got my score wrong and dave is on the 30s list too.

[GCW]

You got my score wrong

Did I???  It's what you wrote here.  Grumpy Fucker.

dave is on the 30s list too.

Sorry Dave.

30 second strength
GCW  5,489
Houdini  4940
Dave  4812
slack---line 3471

Houdini- I'm surprised you aren't doing better at the 30s strength if you're cracking 14k.  You should be squeezing out 6000 on the 30s for sure.

I'm into Akis

Is it Akis' shorts you like so much?  Whale blubber lube?

[SA Chris]

the balls don't seem to last very long without breaking down

I've had mine for 3 years. Still has the same batteries. First got it when I was working in Colorado for winter; found sub zero temps supercooled bearing and made for optional speeds. Hard to do it without gloves and numb fingers though.

[GCW]

Did I???  It's what you wrote here.  Grumpy Fucker.

.....unless you were referring to Chantelle's score   

[Houdini]

Try not to offend Chantelle GCW, her 'roundhouse' is notorious in every alehouse from Ongar to Ipswich.   


I got 13+ (something) after much effort around the In-Laws.  It involved muntering in crude Ye Olde Englishe/Neu Deutsch dialects they had not heard before.  They were extremely confused by it all...

I can get to within 500 of that score.  If I get within 1000 I'm chuffed.  I don't touch that ball without a days rest in between.  Seriously, I mentioned metacarpals before.  I should add that my score was wiped (double pressing) ages ago and now reads 12889.   


I'd like to remind you powerball beasts that I'm 62Kg / 5' 5" and you really should be hammering me (in the main event) by now...

[GCW]

I'm 6'3" and 85kg.  Make of that what you will 
You still on 13,232 then?  Should be getting 6k at 30 seconds strength then  ???

[Houdini]

Not arsed with 30s.

Handsize counts for a lot.  13232 it is. 


(Soon the time of training will be over, and for the powerball to gather dust...)

[Fj]

just broke the 12k barrier for the first time with 12020.
13k by Christmas.

[Houdini]

And there I was considering going into undefeated retirement/convalescence.  Fat chance now FJ.




   Pleasure/Pain: often the same.

[GCW]

Yeah yeah.  I just have to cling to my 30 second efforts.
As an aside, I found getting 12k fairly OK and after that it was a struggle to get any further.  I just need to practice.   

[Houdini]

But the historical record is clear, did the 30s league not slyly slink into the picture?   





I really do know better but I'll indulge you, GCW.  I don't like the 30s league as it starts and stops too soon.  Too much button pressing/fiddling/string threading etc.. etc..  It's not as satisfying as sweating out 40 minutes on a gyroscope. 


But I'm still in.  I just want to say that it is addictive, especially if you don't have a job or bairns, and I have hurt myself by overdoing it already and you (anyone) should be wary of doing the same.  But as Stubbs succinctly opined, Life is Pain and we should not shy away from that.  ie:  Get built quick, or die tryin'.  Fuck yeah.

[GCW]

I don't like the 30s league as it starts and stops too soon.

How about 60 or 90?

especially if you don't have a job or bairns

Shit, that's where I'm falling down.  Thanks for your concern, but it don't help me wid gettin faster 

[Houdini]

Hi,

Blootered insomniac here...


Well I've just re-read the whole thread and wow...  All I can say is: Where is Disgraced former No.#2 powerball champ Scarce Dave?!

Seriously, I've got a whole month in Fontainbleau starting end of this week so I've bigger fish to fry, but shit, what happened to Dave?

Please - don't you ever darken my door with tales of RSI woe 30 years from now.  You made your own bed, punk.

[GCW]

I've got a whole month in Fontainbleau starting end of this week

Arsehole.

[Houdini]

Arsehole.

There are certain benefits to being unemployable.   

[Scouse D]

Got my ball this morning from the post office. Unfortunately they've given me a 'screamer' model, which is not only really fucking noisy, but slow as well.
Don't know whether to send it back or not.
Got 12153 sitting in my car outside school.
Hope no kids saw me frantically beating one off  in a steamed up car to the sounds of screaming.

[Houdini]

Nice one Scouse, but I'd send it back (what will the Jones's say?).





(Stalls Scouse for time, looks for the creatine)  I fear my glory days at the top are numbered...

[Nibile]

i finally had the proof that i am a better climber and, more in general, a better man than all the other climbers here: i brought the powerball with me at the gym the other night, and no one knew what it was and i was the fuckin' man!!!

[dave]

managed to get 10826 with left hand.

[Jim]

I can't do it at all with my left hand, or powerballing

[dave]

new highpoints: 12121 and 4950 (30sec).

[Houdini]

Doogy Rev, Dave.


My mate wiped the score of my slightly fucked ball - again.  I've managed to fight it back up to 12 649, though it doesn't like it one bit; it's seriously injured and although I can use it at hi and lo speeds there's no way it will let me get past 13K again.  Those play.co.uk people only ship free postage to the UK too.  Bastards.

Don't drop them and keep them away from dust, children.