The 2009 Middle Fork High Water Contest is now CLOSED

There have been quite a few high water contests in the past. This one has a few changes in the rules, so make sure you understand the game before you play. The general idea is simple enough: you want to guess the day/time that the Middle Fork will peak (at the MF Lodge), as well as what the actual peak flow will be. The time frame for the peak in this contest is between April 16th and July 15th, 2009.

The Rules

1) The highest point total wins (100 + bonus = max possible points).
2) There are two parts to the contest: guessing the date/time of the peak and guessing the actual peak flow (in feet at the Middle Fork Lodge). Both of these are worth 50 points each.
3) For every 15 minutes you are off (in either direction), you lose 1/8 of a point (this equates to half a point every hour).
4) For every .01 foot you are off (in either direction), you get minus half a point.

Example:
If you guess 7.00 feet on May 29th at 3PM and the actual high peak is 7.05 on May 28th at 2PM...
Your total score would be: 100 - [2.5 (flow penalty) + 12.5 (time penalty)] = 85

5) Everyone is allowed two guesses. One, which we will call a "preseason" guess, must be in before March 15th (11:59 PM) and is worth 5 bonus points (which is the equivelent of 0.10 feet or 10 hours). After March 15th, you may decide to change your first guess, but in doing so you will lose your bonus points. Second guesses will be allowed up until April 15th, 11:59 PM.

6) Unless there is a tie, there is only ONE winner. It is a take-all. As of right now, you would get nothing except the glory of the being the winner. Hopefully we will gather some prizes for you through sponsors. If you have something you would like to offer as a prize and wish to help sponsor this contest, please email Will at will@middleforksalmon.org. If there is a tie... we'll figure that out then.

UPDATED JANUARY 29 @ 5:00 PM : THANK YOU SPONSORS
CLICK HERE FOR SPONSOR-DONATED PRIZES

How to Get Started (you can't, the contest is now closed)

Just fill out the form below and hit the submit button. Please realize that it may take a day or two before I can get your entry up on the entry page. After March 15th, this form will change a little bit to reflect the "second guess" opportunity (or first guess w/o bonus if you come in late).

Hints on filling the form in correctly:

1) To prevent double-entries, please include your first and last name, city, and state. On the entry page, only your first name, last inititial, and city will be used.

2) For peak date and time, fill in as such: MM/DD at H:MM (the gauge only reports in 15 minute increments, so you should only use 15, 30, 45, 00 as possible minutes.

3) Remember that the gauge is in feet but in decimal form. Thus, your guess will be in feet but not inches. There is no such gauge reading as "7 feet, 2 inches". Decimals, decimals, decimals! So, correctly would be something like 5.32 or 9.04 or 4.99 or 2.74 (please don't let this be the peak!)...