Dude..
FAIRBANKS - Tom Waters did it again and this time he doesn’t have to share the prize with anyone.
The 55-year-old Fairbanks man won the Nenana Ice Classic for an unprecedented third time it was announced on Tuesday, more than a week after the Tanana River ice at Nenana went out.
The Ice Classic received almost 280,000 guesses for this year’s contest and Waters was the only one who correctly guessed the ice would go out on April 23 at 7:39 p.m. Alaska Standard Time, giving him sole possession of the record $350,000 jackpot in Alaska’s richest guessing game.
Waters wasn’t surprised when Nenana Ice Classic manager Cherrie Forness called him Tuesday to tell him he was a winner. He contacted Ice Classic officials last week because he knew he held a winning ticket.
What did surprise him, however, is that he was the lone winner.
“I’m surprised I was the only one,” Waters said. “I thought there’d be at least one other (winning) ticket.’
Waters, who also won a share of the Ice Classic jackpot in 1979 and 1983, takes a scientific approach to guessing when the ice will go out, weighing such factors as snowfall, ice thickness, wind, snow moisture content and ice density, to name a few. He then determines exactly what day the ice will go out and buys enough tickets to cover most of the daylight hours.
Waters made several trips to Nenana prior to the April 5 deadline to purchase tickets and to measure the Tanana River ice in different places and to see how much snow there was in the surrounding hills.
“I went through all the calculations I had and April 23 was my target date,” Waters said.
The fact that date was also his birthday made him nervous about picking it, he said.
“I tried to throw it out twice but it kept coming up April 23 so I said I have to go with it,” he said. “All the data said April 23.”
As insurance, Waters also put down several hundred guesses on April 22 and April 24.
Waters said it took him 29 hours to fill out all his tickets and enter his guesses in a log book.
It marked the 11th time in the 96-year history of the Ice Classic that there has only been one winner. The previous biggest winner-take-all jackpot was $303,895 in 2008.
Day 96 - A place you went today
Day 1 - A picture of yourself taken on the first day of the challenge
Day 2 - A photo that makes you happy
Day 3- Favorite book that you own
Day 4 - A picture of yourself 10 years ago
Day 5 - A place that makes you happy.
Day 6 - Your favorite quote, in your handwriting
Day 7 - Something you love
Day 8- A picture of the best moment of your life
Day 9 - A talent of yours
Day 10 - Your bedroom (In its current state)
Day 11 - Your favorite food
Day 12 - A prized possession
Day 13 - Favorite board game
Day 14 - Something you hate
Day 15 - Your childhood home
Day 16 - Something embarrassing in your room
Day 17 - Your pet(s)
Day 18 - Your favorite outfit
Day 19 - One of the best days of your life
Day 20 - Your Grades/Report card
Day 21 - A picture of your cell phone
Day 22 - Favorite cd that you own
Day 23 - A school picture
Day 24 - Favorite purchase ever made
Day 25 - A gift from a friend
Day 26 - A gift from your family
Day 27 - The shoes you wore today
Day 28 - The shirt you wore today
Day 29 - A pretty flower (yes go take a picture of a flower)
Day 30 - Your breakfast
Day 31 - A picture of yourself taken today
Day 32 - Something you collect
Day 33 - Something you made
Day 34 - Something that makes you smile
Day 35 - Favorite movie that you own
Day 36 - A place where you spend a lot of time
Day 37 - The last restaurant you ate at
Day 38 - A useless trinket you own
Day 39 - Your favorite picture
Day 40 - An embarrassing picture from your childhood
Day 41 - Someone in your family
Day 42 - Something you did today
Day 43 - The weather outside
Day 44 - A hobby of yours
Day 45 - Your favorite candy
Day 46 - A picture of your favorite state
Day 47 - A room in your house
Day 48 - Your best friend
Day 49 - A day you remember really well
Day 50 - Something you drew
Day 51 - Something passed down from your parents/grandparents
Day 52 - A picture of yourself celebrating for getting this far
Day 53 - The last thing you bought
Day 54 - A picture of yourself from middle school
Day 55 - What you're wearing today
Day 56 - A drawing of your favorite cartoon character
Day 57 - Everything inside your purse/backpack/wallet
Day 58 - Your favorite animal
Day 59 - Your most used electronic device
Day 60 - Last movie you watched
Day 61 - School class picture
Day 62 - Last place you traveled to
Day 63 - Sports awards
Day 64 - Favorite childhood book
Day 65 - A picture of you and your best friend
Day 66 - A picture in your room
Day 67 - Something green
Day 68 - A magazine you like
Day 69 - Something red
Day 70 - Something you borrowed from someone else
Day 71 - A picture of your favorite piece of jewelry
Day 72 - A stuffed animal
Day 73 - Your lunch
Day 74 - Something you found under your bed
Day 75 - You and a friend
Day 76 - Something that annoys you
Day 77 - The last thing that you bought
Day 78 - Your sunglasses
Day 79 - A ticket from somewhere you've been
Day 80 - Your favorite childhood movie
Day 81 - Something you baked
Day 82 - The most embarrassing thing in your closet
Day 83 - The moon tonight
Day 84 - Your favorite pair of shorts
Day 85 - Something pink
Day 86 - Something your mom bought you
Day 87 - Something you hold dear to your heart
Day 88 - Your bathroom
Day 89 - What's in your fridge?
Day 90 - Your current school photo
Day 91 - Something that made you smile today
Day 92 - Something weird in your house
Day 93 - The view from your bedroom window
Day 94 - What you're doing right now
Day 95 - Something yellow
Day 96 - A place you went today
Day 97 - Something heart shaped
Day 98 - Your favorite nail polish color
Day 99 - Something that makes you feel accomplished
Day 100 - The final picture of yourself.
Wow..that guy is super serious about winning haha. 29 hours to fill out his tickets..that's so crazy haha
Would you rather run a half marathon in wooden shoes or bike two hundred miles with no seat, just the post sticking up? Bike..I'd find something soft haha
Today's trivia: Reading an average Chinese newspaper requires the knowledge of 7,000 Chinese characters
The 55-year-old Fairbanks man won the Nenana Ice Classic for an unprecedented third time it was announced on Tuesday, more than a week after the Tanana River ice at Nenana went out.
The Ice Classic received almost 280,000 guesses for this year’s contest and Waters was the only one who correctly guessed the ice would go out on April 23 at 7:39 p.m. Alaska Standard Time, giving him sole possession of the record $350,000 jackpot in Alaska’s richest guessing game.
Waters wasn’t surprised when Nenana Ice Classic manager Cherrie Forness called him Tuesday to tell him he was a winner. He contacted Ice Classic officials last week because he knew he held a winning ticket.
What did surprise him, however, is that he was the lone winner.
“I’m surprised I was the only one,” Waters said. “I thought there’d be at least one other (winning) ticket.’
Waters, who also won a share of the Ice Classic jackpot in 1979 and 1983, takes a scientific approach to guessing when the ice will go out, weighing such factors as snowfall, ice thickness, wind, snow moisture content and ice density, to name a few. He then determines exactly what day the ice will go out and buys enough tickets to cover most of the daylight hours.
Waters made several trips to Nenana prior to the April 5 deadline to purchase tickets and to measure the Tanana River ice in different places and to see how much snow there was in the surrounding hills.
“I went through all the calculations I had and April 23 was my target date,” Waters said.
The fact that date was also his birthday made him nervous about picking it, he said.
“I tried to throw it out twice but it kept coming up April 23 so I said I have to go with it,” he said. “All the data said April 23.”
As insurance, Waters also put down several hundred guesses on April 22 and April 24.
Waters said it took him 29 hours to fill out all his tickets and enter his guesses in a log book.
It marked the 11th time in the 96-year history of the Ice Classic that there has only been one winner. The previous biggest winner-take-all jackpot was $303,895 in 2008.
Day 96 - A place you went today
Day 1 - A picture of yourself taken on the first day of the challenge
Day 2 - A photo that makes you happy
Day 3- Favorite book that you own
Day 4 - A picture of yourself 10 years ago
Day 5 - A place that makes you happy.
Day 6 - Your favorite quote, in your handwriting
Day 7 - Something you love
Day 8- A picture of the best moment of your life
Day 9 - A talent of yours
Day 10 - Your bedroom (In its current state)
Day 11 - Your favorite food
Day 12 - A prized possession
Day 13 - Favorite board game
Day 14 - Something you hate
Day 15 - Your childhood home
Day 16 - Something embarrassing in your room
Day 17 - Your pet(s)
Day 18 - Your favorite outfit
Day 19 - One of the best days of your life
Day 20 - Your Grades/Report card
Day 21 - A picture of your cell phone
Day 22 - Favorite cd that you own
Day 23 - A school picture
Day 24 - Favorite purchase ever made
Day 25 - A gift from a friend
Day 26 - A gift from your family
Day 27 - The shoes you wore today
Day 28 - The shirt you wore today
Day 29 - A pretty flower (yes go take a picture of a flower)
Day 30 - Your breakfast
Day 31 - A picture of yourself taken today
Day 32 - Something you collect
Day 33 - Something you made
Day 34 - Something that makes you smile
Day 35 - Favorite movie that you own
Day 36 - A place where you spend a lot of time
Day 37 - The last restaurant you ate at
Day 38 - A useless trinket you own
Day 39 - Your favorite picture
Day 40 - An embarrassing picture from your childhood
Day 41 - Someone in your family
Day 42 - Something you did today
Day 43 - The weather outside
Day 44 - A hobby of yours
Day 45 - Your favorite candy
Day 46 - A picture of your favorite state
Day 47 - A room in your house
Day 48 - Your best friend
Day 49 - A day you remember really well
Day 50 - Something you drew
Day 51 - Something passed down from your parents/grandparents
Day 52 - A picture of yourself celebrating for getting this far
Day 53 - The last thing you bought
Day 54 - A picture of yourself from middle school
Day 55 - What you're wearing today
Day 56 - A drawing of your favorite cartoon character
Day 57 - Everything inside your purse/backpack/wallet
Day 58 - Your favorite animal
Day 59 - Your most used electronic device
Day 60 - Last movie you watched
Day 61 - School class picture
Day 62 - Last place you traveled to
Day 63 - Sports awards
Day 64 - Favorite childhood book
Day 65 - A picture of you and your best friend
Day 66 - A picture in your room
Day 67 - Something green
Day 68 - A magazine you like
Day 69 - Something red
Day 70 - Something you borrowed from someone else
Day 71 - A picture of your favorite piece of jewelry
Day 72 - A stuffed animal
Day 73 - Your lunch
Day 74 - Something you found under your bed
Day 75 - You and a friend
Day 76 - Something that annoys you
Day 77 - The last thing that you bought
Day 78 - Your sunglasses
Day 79 - A ticket from somewhere you've been
Day 80 - Your favorite childhood movie
Day 81 - Something you baked
Day 82 - The most embarrassing thing in your closet
Day 83 - The moon tonight
Day 84 - Your favorite pair of shorts
Day 85 - Something pink
Day 86 - Something your mom bought you
Day 87 - Something you hold dear to your heart
Day 88 - Your bathroom
Day 89 - What's in your fridge?
Day 90 - Your current school photo
Day 91 - Something that made you smile today
Day 92 - Something weird in your house
Day 93 - The view from your bedroom window
Day 94 - What you're doing right now
Day 95 - Something yellow
Day 96 - A place you went today
Day 97 - Something heart shaped
Day 98 - Your favorite nail polish color
Day 99 - Something that makes you feel accomplished
Day 100 - The final picture of yourself.
Wow..that guy is super serious about winning haha. 29 hours to fill out his tickets..that's so crazy haha
Would you rather run a half marathon in wooden shoes or bike two hundred miles with no seat, just the post sticking up? Bike..I'd find something soft haha
Today's trivia: Reading an average Chinese newspaper requires the knowledge of 7,000 Chinese characters