The trials of competition shape the stories behind the Great Outdoor Games.

The ESPN Great Outdoor Games revealed numerous "up close and personal" snippets during the competition July 12-15 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Now as the Games prepare to air on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC starting on Thursday, those stories are being shared with fans and onlookers.

Here is a behind-the-scenes glimpse at some of the competitors:

Doggie see, doggie do

Watching the inaugural Great Outdoor Games last year, Mike Wallace of Troy, N.Y., was pretty sure he knew a dog that could top the Big Air world record set by "Heidi," 22 feet, 5 inches.

So spent the last year practicing with "Jerry," a Chesapeake Retriever/English Pointer mix.

After qualifying for the Games at the Lake Placid-area trials, "Jerry" actually broke the old record three times, once in each round.

The new record, 23 feet, 1 inch, was set in the second round, aired on ABC Sunday, July 29, at 1:30 p.m., and equaled in the finals on ESPN2 July 29 at 8 p.m.

Life much the same since athlete named a top bachelor

Jimmy Dykes, an ESPN college basketball analyst who worked the Fly Ball and Big Air events at the Great Outdoor Games, was named one of People Magazine's "Top 25 Bachelors" last month. What has his reward?

A week with the dogs of Big Air and Flyball in Lake Placid!

When asked how his life has changed, the 38-year old Arkansas native simply smiles and says, "I get a lot more mail now."

Linville takes Speed Climbing silver, having won a bigger battle

For the second consecutive year, 24-year old Brian Linville of Hayward, Wisc., took home the Silver Medal in Speed Climbing. But he's won a much bigger battle.

Diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease in 1996, Linville went through six months of chemotherapy and three months of radiation treatment and is presently cancer-free. He also finished sixth in Tree Topping.

Speed Climbing will be aired in two parts on ESPN — Thursday, July 26, at 8 p.m. and July 27 at 8 p.m.

Flyfishing psyche job

Chuck Farneth of Little Rock, Ark., knew the competition in Fly Fishing started as soon as the 12 anglers arrived in Lake Placid from around the U.S., the Bahamas, Great Britain and Japan.

The day before the competition, he was doing an interview within earshot of some of he competitors and said he believed a 20-inch fish would be required to win.

So what did Farneth do in the water?

He pulled in one measuring 16 inches and called it a day. Many of his opponents meanwhile tossed back 17-inch specimens, hoping for something better.

To paraphrase Yogi Berra, "90 percent of fishing is half-mental."

On ESPN Friday, July 27, at 8 p.m.

The winning pregame meal

	Peter Thliveros pulled off a stunning bassing repeat.

What did Bass Fishing champ Peter Thliveros of Jacksonville have for dinner the night before the event? Just a little 46-ounce steak.

He explains: "The Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood Restaurant offers a 46-ounce steak for $46, but it's free if you eat all of it. I didn't want to pay $46 for a steak, but I was hungry."

And what is eating that much beef like?

"It's almost like drinking a little too much," he admitted. "You get a little woozy."

Bass Fishing will be aired in three parts — Saturday, July 28, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, and Sunday, July 29, at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN and at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

Mankind improves upon Mother Nature

In describing the improvements since last year to the course used for the Retriever Trials, producer Bill Fitts cites the larger and deeper ponds and pools of water.

"Last year, we depended on the local beavers. This year we used a pump," Fitts said.

Retriever Trials will be aired in two parts on ESPN — Saturday, July 28, at 3:30 p.m. and July 29 at 2:30 p.m.

Fun for young and old alike

What other sporting event brings together competitors 50 years apart in age? At the Great Outdoor Games, the youngest participant was 17-year old Shenna Lemche of Cedar, Minn., who has been a dog handler for since the tender age of 8.

Her "Banchor," a Shetland Sheepdog, placed fourth in the Small Agility Dogs contest.

Meanwhile, the Games' elder statesman was Larry Calvert, 67, of Charlo, Mont. His Labrador "Trip" came in fourth in Retriever Trials.

Small Agility Dogs will be aired on ESPN2 Saturday, July 28, at 8 p.m. while Retriever Trials will be aired in two parts on ESPN — Saturday, July 28, at 3:30 p.m. and July 29 at 2:30 p.m.

"The Involuntary Tourists"

In the Fly Fishing competition, half the field fished the Au Sable River in the morning while six others waited until the afternoon.

In the "one fish" rules, the idea is to catch the longest fish, with the "catch" being you must decide when you reel it in whether that is "your" fish, the one which will count.

Therefore, for fairness, the afternoon anglers can't find out the morning results. How did the vital information (the morning lengths) remain confidential?

Like a jury, the six were sequestered, but in a more friendly manner than in 2000.

"Last year, we kept the six locked in a hotel conference room for six hours with a TV and cots and they didn't like it," producer Jerry Vaillancourt said.

"This year, we took them on a tour of the area Olympic venues, which was much better received."

On ESPN Friday, July 27, at 8 p.m.

	Mitch Hewitt chopped his way to a gold medal in the 2000 springboard timber event.

Like a scene from "The Natural": "May I borrow your axe?"

For the athletes at the Great Outdoor Games, their equipment is as personal and important as a baseball player's bat and glove or a hockey goalie's mask.

So you can't blame defending Springboard gold medalist Mitch Hewitt for being somewhat ill at ease when his axe didn't arrive with him on his flight from Australia.

Not to worry, with borrowed equipment from a fellow competitor, he simply went out and took the top spot, with an event-best time of 43.39 seconds in the finals.

Springboard will be aired in two parts on Saturday, July 28 — on ESPN at 3:30 p.m. and on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.

No disabled list for Big Air dogs

If you had one-third of your stomach removed in April, would you be competing against world-class athletes in July? In a sport, Big Air, which requires you to belly flop?

That is exactly what Big Air jumper "Simon," a 6-year-old black Labrador retriever owned by Miranda Wiens of Ancaster, Ontario, did.

This spring, he developed a case of bloat (twisted stomach), which required surgery. He recovered from this near-death experience to place sixth, including a first-round jump of 19 feet, 3 inches.

Big Air will be aired in two parts — on ABC Sunday, July 29, at 1:30 p.m. and on ESPN2 July 29 at 8 p.m.

Two years, two broken chains, too bad

For the second consecutive year, Hot Saw participant Rick Halvorson traveled to Lake Placid from Alma Center, Wisc., for exactly one second of competition.

Just as in 2000, in the first round his chain broke upon starting, leaving him with a 10th place finish.

Hot Saw on ESPN Sunday, July 29, at 2:30 p.m.