Thursday, July 18, 2013

Entry Form Please

Today I read about a cherry spitting contest. Since I didn't have any cherries in the house I couldn't try to see how far I could spit a pit, but I expect it wouldn't be far. How many people swallow the pit before ejection? Too dangerous. One year the winner spit and released the pit into the atmosphere where it traveled over sixty feet before landing.

There's a high heel race of 80m. The last time I wore heels that weren't fat and low I was playing dress-up.

And in 1976 a pub in the United Kingdom sponsored the first toe wrestling competition. Big toes are locked together and with might and pure guts you attempt to force the other person's foot to the ground. It took such a hold, at least at this pub, that some folks applied to get it included in the Olympics.

Sprained ankles and broken toes occasionally occur in spirited contests.

When your eggs get old and it's not close to Easter you can participate in an egg throwing contest. The annual World Egg Throwing Competition is held in Swaton, England.

I especially enjoy photos from the World Beard and Moustache Championships. Some talented men, although it's not limited to one gender, often create iconic landmarks out of their beards. Imagine a beard in the manner of the Golden Gate Bridge?

There's even an Ironing competition. I try to iron as few items as possible so that wouldn't be a good contest for me to enter.

Why do we engage in so many contests? Hot dog eating, the ingesting of bugs, pea shooting, duck calling, whistle blowing, and in 2012 the 1st annual Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs contest.

The last contest is sponsored by Bridgestone tires. All you need do to participate is take a photo of the sign, send it in and wait to see if you win $500.

I once spotted a sign on the road outside of Upper Sandusky, Ohio—Noah's Ark Will Be Built Here. I never followed up so I don't know if they raised enough money. But there are a number of ark replicas here and in other countries.

In the Netherlands Johan Hubers built an ark 427 feet long, 95 feet wide, and 75 feet wide. It took twenty years and over a million dollars of his own money to complete the project. If you visit there's a petting zoo and a restaurant.

Of course there's always the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. It started back in 1949 with a grand total prize of $50,000. It used to be a yearly competition, but now it's held every other year and the top prize money climbed to $1,000,000. Changing times.

What doesn't change is the desire to be number one.






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