In Stillwater, Minn., Jamie Fischer spends spare moments sprinting across a homemade boom in a pond on his family's property.

Like all booms, the logs are laid end-to-end, loosely joined and free to spin with the maddening unpredictability that has tossed Fischer and thousands of boom runners before him into the drink.

"I run on the boom here two or three times a week," Fischer said. "And I've been log rolling year round, teaching logrolling lessons at the YMCA near my town."

But Fischer, whose flying feet seemed unbeatable at last year's games, is taking nothing for granted this year.

"I think if I stay on top I'll do pretty good," he said. "But there's a newcomer, John Wells, who's pretty fast."

Fischer may be right to worry. After all, even Fischer's training partner, Travis Wells, may be rooting for the newcomer - who happens to be Travis' brother.

Stress-free workouts

As Fischer sprints the boom, another gold medalist is already in the water — but Coolwater's Winning Ticket is in single-minded pursuit of a training dummy and, besides, her coat is up to the challenge.

Ticket and handler Alexandra Washburn spend a lot of time in the ponds near Washburn's home in northern Virginia, where 10½-year-old Ticket can get a workout without putting too much stress on her joints.

"We're doing our normal training," said Washburn, who will run Ticket in several field trials this spring.

"I've shortened up her work a little due to her age, mostly."

Their hard work will pay off later this spring.

"I'll probably give her a couple of weeks off this spring, take her to the Bahamas and get her into the water for a workout," Washburn said.

"This winter was awful and I think she got used to hanging out on the couch … maybe a little too used to it."

Calling all volunteers

If you want a chance to volunteer, the Great Outdoor Games has plenty of opportunities.

From serving as hospitality guides in the athlete staging areas to offering directions and information from our information booths, there's a job for everyone.

For more information and an application form, visit www.greatoutdoorgames.com.

Publisher's pick

In its May issue, Men's Journal magazine selected Reno-Tahoe as one of the top three places to live, based on its outdoor sporting opportunities.

The article reads: "The reason to move to Reno is its expansive backcountry. Just west of town are the Sierras and Lake Tahoe, site of 18 ski resorts. Closer to home, you can paddle the Truckee River or fish Pyramid Lake for the world's largest cutthroat trout."

For hotel or visitor information, go to www.renolaketahoe.com.