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Jim and wheat and I had plenty of time to talk things over on the 16 hour ride home, and I thought it resulted in a ton of interesting observations and commentary, so let's see how much of it I can recall and get written down here.

I said on the ride home that it was a perfect weekend, except for someone's laptop continually taking the wifi down. And I stand by that.

Megamer: Yeah, I wasn't as talkative in Virginia as might be expected, but I think you have to understand what a weird experience it was for me. I mean, we're talking about an Elite event that I was not in charge of! I'm not sure that's happened since 2002, and it left me kind of unsure of my footing, at least early on. My biggest problem was constantly having to stop by the PC to check if I was still online for IMs/vid & pic uploads I was trying to do... assuming there's a Contest on during vacation time next year we've got to have someone else ready to step in and take over without a hitch, so I can just game and have fun and perhaps run a few little side-projects while we're all on site together.

Everyone else: The thing that consistently shocked me was how closely everyone matched their online persona. Generally there's this conception of "internet tough guy" whenever online communication comes up, where someone will act all cool or cocky or whatever over AIM, probably to overcompensate for how once you meet them they're about 90 pounds and as timid as a mouse. But no, everyone was almost exactly as I pictured them, except of course for

QB's the greatest guy in the world, but I'm glad I had heard going in from Come and wheat that 'Quiet Bol' is more than just a nickname. Every time he opens his mouth he's got something really smart and worthwhile to say, but it was just a shame he didn't open his mouth more often, because I could tell he was thinking a million of the witty and insightful comments he's cracking off 24/7 in Chat. Aside from not saying much he's about as awesome as a person can be though- throws a great football, made some very nice catches, took home the first-ever Elite braclet in winning our 8 handed poker match outright, and was the MVP of the ping pong tournament imo. Was pretty decent out on the water too, though couldn't match up to my unbelievable tubing skills, 'natch.

Matis is an absolute madman. Even after seeing him do 100 backflips and get a four hour tatoo and scream his face off in Holy Water, I never though he could be as hard-wired in person as he is online, but I was dead wrong. I commented to Jim that I think Adam may have been born with ginseng and caffeine running through his veins in place of red and white bloodcells, and I stand by it. His only two settings are Asleep and Pedal to the Ground, and although it makes every social interaction with him really intense and kind of weird, it also makes him the fiercest competitor I've ever seen. Talent-wise he was outmatched much of the time in Goldeneye and ping pong and tubing, but the guy's a wolverine- he just fights and fights and eventually pulls off these amazing wins.

The best example: he was tubing against Weatherton behind the power boat, where the idea is to knock the other guy off his tube and into the water. Andrew's been doing it for 20 years and it was Adam's first time out, so he was clearly outclassed. A minute in Weatherton bumps Adam when he was unstable and flips his tube over, so we start to slow the boat because Matis must be in the water. But no, he refused to let go, and had been watersking on his back for half a loop. Then he somehow flips himself back upright, only to be knocked over AGAIN 10 seconds later, and AGAIN destroy his arms and back rather than just fall in like a normal person. The only reason he eventually had to give in was because the wave were starting to tear his shorts off.

Nate is just as crazy as you'd expect from talking to him. He's actually hard-wired almost identically to Matis, except that where Adam's powder keg of energy explodes through his whole body, Nate's flows through a one way stream to his mouth. Just as in Chat, Stinson has to know "hey guys, what's going on in here?" every time he enters a room. He's also about the nicest guy you'll ever meet, and you could tell how useful his constant energy was, both in convincing us all to come to the meet, making sure everyone was having a good time while we where there, and also making sure everyone was taking enough pictures and videos to remember what a good time we had had once it was over.

But the strangest thing about Nate is, he's really really good at things. I saw him playing ping pong early on and thought it would be a disaster. A guy like Sterling, you can tell he's got the build and playstyle to have a strong power game, or a guy like Weatherton is just smooth and intimidating with his strategic finesse play, whereas I wasn't sure Nate had touch a paddle before this. But no, I was way wrong, he was a fantastic player, and he proved my perceptions to be just as off when he kept winning round after round of MK64 as well. In the end I was impressed by everything about Nate.

Sterling wasn't the greatest character of the meet, that'd have to be Matis or Nate, but he wasn't too far behind. He's tall and athletic and built like a prizefighter, and at first glance you're wondering what in the world this guy is doing at a gaming convention. And in truth I don't think Sterling is or ever was a "gamer," in the sense that Bosshardt and Wouter are gamers. I think that for him, Goldeneye was just one more outlet for his fiercly competitive nature. You can't blame the guy for being so competitive though; you would be too if you were good at everything. Seriously, everything Sterling touches seems to turn to gold... he hadn't played GE multi in like four years, but put a controller in his hands and his first hour back he owned Jimbo and Clark and Trent in a couple of 4 player battles.

But what really clued me in to Sterling's Championship reign was the ping pong tournament. He arrived on Thursday as about an average player, I'd say. Capable of winning a match if he drew the right opponent, but that would be it. But he had some talent at the game, and the next three days he was playing it all the time, challenging new people to matches, working on his returns and his placement, finding the right paddle, and by the time the tourney rolled around he was killing people. He ended up going on a great run and winning some matches I'd have never given him a chance at. Just an amazing guy to be around.

Woll was interesting to me in that Adam's often complaining how unfair it is that people on the boards seem to never let him grow out of Greg's shadow, how even after three years and countless videos alot of Eliters still see him as "Woll's friend." Well I can tell you that in person, Matis is the one who casts an enormous shadow, and at times it was difficult to make Greg out behind it. But I guess in a way that's always been his personality... to hang back in Chat, make a few interesting comments here and there, but always be there with a round of "ROFL! LMFGAO!"s as soon as things start to heat up, and then start throwing out his own one-line toppers once everyone else is laughing. To me it was just a shame I didn't get to spend more time with him; we'll have to correct that mistake next time around.

Lovins is very quiet and hung around with the rest of Team Ohio all weekend, so I didn't really get to talk to him, but seemed like a real good guy. He wasn't shouting things out or taking command of situations, but as I've been saying for everyone, that's not his online persona either. He's more a guy to have a friendly chat with or to congratulate new PRs on the board, and all the other stuff that has made him so well-liked. I just felt bad for him getting unlucky draws in both GE and ping pong, though I was pleased to see him perform quite well in the MK64 tourney.

Jimbo I give a ton of credit to. Yeah, he's way too cocky, and yeah, he'll do whatever it takes to scratch out a win, but on the flip side the amount of crap the guy has to put up with is just astounding. Alot of it is good natured, sure, but anyone else I know would have snapped after the 100th Jimbo rip. His performance in MK64 was very good, in GE was of course great, but I was most amazed by his showing in the teaspoon of cinnamon challenge. You could say he was incredibly stupid for allowing himself to be dared into doing it in the first place, and that'd be a fair point, but the willpower and endurance needed to fight off vomiting that stuff back up really won me over. With tenacity like that, I have no trouble seeing how he got to 3rd in GE.

wheat's an awesome guy, and it's a shame no one else knows it. I can see why lots of people are put off by him online, or don't know him very well, but after spending a while with him on the trip we ended up having some really good conversations. Naturally he's the king of sports and poker knowledge, which I think he's pretty well recognized for, but he's pretty funny and interesting to talk to even outside of that realm, I found. Except, of course, for when it comes to movies.

Trent and I have never 'clicked' on the boards in or Chat, probably one of the oldest Eliters I've never had any real conversations with, but I found myself really liking him in person. He went out for a swim with me and QB and Jim the first night, and him in the water is quite the sight to behold- he said he'd be able to swim the mile to the other side of the lake without a problem, and the way he was flying around the swim area I believed him. Like Sterling, he just seemed like a great athlete who was just naturally good at anything he picked up, wheather it was a football, a ping pong paddle, or a controller. Aside from the top three Karters, Trent on his best day could easily have swept away any of the rest of us at anything gaming, be it GE or MK64 or Melee.

Josh Layne is about the coolest guy I've ever met. He was clearly on a whole new planet from the rest of us when it came to Kart 64, but he was the ultimate anti-Jimbo. Every race was like, oh guess I won again, but I'm sure you'll get me next time. And I've never seen a top gamer play so casual! He's racing to defend his title as MK64's multi Champ, with 20 people watching his every more, and ought to be playing under all the pressure in the world like Jim was feeling during the GE tourney, but all you see is him laughing and joking around all through the races, relaxed on the couch with his feet up. There's something to be said for clawing your way to victories against all the odds Matis-style, but they're also something to be said for constantly winning at everything you do and making it look like a walk in the park all the while, and Layne's got the later in spades.

JT seemed like a great guy, and it was fun to see him and Josh having a blast together no matter what they were doing, but I really didn't get to see that much of him aside from as a counterpoint to Layne. He was really good at everything he tried pretty much, just kind of a shame that Josh was always a little bit better. Which was just as expected given that he's not a ranked Eliter or Karter, so no biggie.

Wonn isn't much of a football player or anything, and we certainly weren't going to get him into the water, but as a gamer he's certainly intimidating. Luckily we have some video of him flat-out dismantling everyone in sight at SMK so you'll be able to get a small taste of what I mean. Unfortunate that he hadn't played GE in a long while and couldn't make a big splash in the tournament, but he made it for it by going deep into MK64 as expected.

Jon M. I knew nothing about and don't know much better after the weekend, but he seemed to have a good time talking old-school gaming with Wonn and Weatherton, so good for him. Moving on...

Weatherton was a fantastic host and is just a great guy in general. He was unbeatable on the tubes and with a ping pong paddle, and did well for himself everywhere else as well, but really stands out most for his hospitality, like when he didn't kick us all out when Matis and Trent starting doing corkscrews off Jim's back at the end of the dock. What a class act.

Weatherton's sister is competitive, energetic and charismatic. Known for her easygoing demeanor, Jodi makes friends everywhere she goes. A female jock, Jodi's got more sports knowledge and skills than the average guy. Raised in Virginia, Jodi is extremely outgoing and personable. Drawn to cars, bikes and "guy things," Jodi has never been the stereotypical girl. Embracing the philosophy "work hard, and play hard," Jodi always makes time for fun. If she is not dancing it up at a club or running the streets with her girlfriends, Jodi always finds some source of entertainment. Having recently ended a five-year relationship, Jodi loves her new single status and is enjoying every minute of it. Jodi wants to be a good girl, but her love for life (and guys) sometimes brings out the bad girl.

And that's all I have to say about that.