For some reason, this interview was taken off SoundCloud.  Try going to http://www.nsnradio.net/?page_id=4506 and then clicking on the show for November 9th.

This is 26 minutes of COMPELLING talk about Penn State University and Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky and everyone else who care about nothing more than their own despicable little worlds. Take the time.

Rob Ryan Show 11-9-11 on Paterno-PSU by robryan

In the beginning, they came in horse-drawn wagons.  This year they arrived in the usual procession of pickups and Subarus (the official vehicle of Vermont) but for the 107th time, the crowds came to see the St. Johnsbury Academy Hilltoppers faced off against the Lyndon Institute Vikings, this time at LI’s Robert K. Lewis Field in Lyndon Center. That’s the longest running rivalry in high school sports, regardless of what some very annoying academics from Massachusetts think.

The Rivalry (the Official name) is intense, and the weeks beforehand are filled with predictions and parades and bonfires and spirit rallies and all the good things that don’t happen as often as they used to.  But more often than not, when the teams gather, it’s a pretty lopsided ho-hum affair.  Not so this year.  With no time left in the fourth quarter, St. Johnsbury scored a touchdown, and with :00 showing on the clock, it was LI 14, STJ 13.  Was overtime in the offing?  NO!!  The extra point was BLOCKED, hundreds of hometown supporters stormed the field and for the next 364 days, Lyndon has bragging rights.

You’ll be able to relive the game (and the terrific Rivalry Show) at Northeast Sports Net.  Just go to the archives and click on the buttons to watch.  Our friend Eric Berry and his partner Johnny Allen do a terrific job on both the show and the game play-by-play.  You’ll get a real slice of Autumn in New England when you watch.

It’s better here.  And for a year, it’s even better in Lyndon.

A foot of snow fell on Burke Mountain yesterday, and today, at the 21st Annual Pond Skimming competition, we skied beforehand in mid-winter conditions.  Last year, it was 81 degrees when the skimming starting and there were two trails open for skiing.  This year, partly cloudy and 36F.

Huge crowds show up to watch regardless of the weather, but with the mountain still 100% open and with a foot of fresh snow, the skiers and riders showed up in droves.  Tomorrow was the scheduled closing day, but they’ll reopen next weekend (9 & 10 April) for some spring (?) skiing.

This year’s theme was “Heroes & Villains.” The gentleman above was a Bailed Out Banker from AIG. And yes, you have to…skim the pond.

By far the coolest skimmers this year were the first-ever (at Burke) TANDEM skiers.   Their boards were at least eight feet tall and a ten inches wide, and, appearing as Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, they made it to round…two.

See you on the slopes next week…and at Pond Skimming  2012!

(all pictures by Alyssa Nichols)

He’s the youngest Grand Prix World Champion ever, driving a car for a team that didn’t exist five years ago.  He’s ferociously fast, and a few blown engines and a little lack of maturity prevented him from clinching the championship much earlier.  As a matter of fact, he NEVER led the championship until he won today’s race in Abu Dhabi.  And being in the United Arab Emirates, that’s not champagne…it’s fizzy citrus juice they’re celebrating with.  But today, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel has every reason to celebrate as one of the most exciting F1 seasons EVER wraps up at a billion dollar track in the desert.  See you in four months for season fifty-one.