Posted on: Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Perseverance pays off with trip to Las Vegas
Advertiser Staff
If Jon Ikenaga wanted to go to Las Vegas again this year, he knew he had to win The Advertiser's Pigskin Picks contest.
Luckily for Ikenaga, his ballot was picked from among entries with perfect 15-for-15 scores on last week's picks.
"We've been to Vegas plenty of times," said Ikenaga, a 37-year-old public defender for the state. "But my wife (Sherrie) said if I wanted to go again this year, I had to win Pigskin Picks. So, I've been trying really hard."
It's not like Ikenaga left much to chance. With the help of his relatives, the 'Ewa Beach resident said he fills in 60 to 70 ballots every week. Last year, he came in second and won a certificate for $50 for gas. In the first week this season, he finished second again, and won a $100 certificate for food at Zippy's.
But on Sunday after the final NFL games, Ikenaga had a feeling he might get a call from the Perry and Price radio show, which announces the winners on Monday morning.
"I was waiting (Monday) morning," Ikenaga said. "When they didn't call about 5:15 (a.m.) or 5:20, I thought I got Zippy's again. But they called at about 5:40."
On the winning ballot, Ikenaga picked Texas-El Paso over Hawai'i, although he is a fan of the Warriors. The Miners beat UH, 51-20, on Saturday.
"In past seasons, I'd never pick against UH, but I had to go with the stats instead of my heart," he said.
Ikenaga said his "system" for picking is simple: "lock in certain teams, the guaranteed winners, and try to pick several upsets — two or three on pros and two or three on the college side ... against the points."
This season, the contest allows ballots to be dropped off at Zippy's locations, which gives pickers an additional day to mull over their choices.
"My wife gets irritated waiting for Thursday night," Ikenaga said. "Sometimes at 8:30 (the deadline is 9 p.m.) I have to rush down to Zippy's."
Along with the trip for two to Las Vegas, courtesy of Worry-Free Vacations and Non-Stop Travel and the Golden Nugget Hotel, Ikenaga receives $500 from The Advertiser. He also is entered to win a year-end prize of a free use of a Hyundai Tucson for a year, courtesy of Tony Hyundai.
