Sometimes paying off a bet is a real drag. WRAL chief meteorologist Greg Fishel towels off in the WRAL Weather Center after soaking himself in near-freezing water in the Raleigh station’s fountain during the 6 p.m. broadcast Feb. 28. Fishel promised to jump into the fountain to back up his on-air prediction that measurable snow or ice would occur at the RDU airport by 6 p.m. Feb. 28. ‘I’ve never made a prediction based on a pattern,’ Fishel said. ‘It’s always been based on a system that was already on the map.’ The soggy weatherman said, ‘My wife gave me one of these home weather stations for Christmas. … When I went to bed last night I think it said 34.1. And the alarm went off at 4:30 this morning and it said 34.7. I knew without even looking out the window that I was dead.’

![Chapel Hill High harrier Jack Bolas raises his arm as he wins the 4A boys cross country state championship at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons. Bolas, 18, won the 3-mile race with a time of 15:33.10 to help Chapel Hill High take the team title. 'I couldn't get my mind off the pain. Sandy [Broughton High's Sandy Roberts] put me in a lot of pain early on. It was easily the most difficult race of the season,' Bolas said. After winning the race, Bolas returned to the home stretch to cheer on his teammates. 'The individual title was on top of everything else. But the team title was most important,' he said. Chapel Hill High harrier Jack Bolas raises his arm as he wins the 4A boys cross country state championship at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons. Bolas, 18, won the 3-mile race with a time of 15:33.10 to help Chapel Hill High take the team title. 'I couldn't get my mind off the pain. Sandy [Broughton High's Sandy Roberts] put me in a lot of pain early on. It was easily the most difficult race of the season,' Bolas said. After winning the race, Bolas returned to the home stretch to cheer on his teammates. 'The individual title was on top of everything else. But the team title was most important,' he said.](http://www.travislongphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/image20-150x150.jpg)
