Champion Pumpkin Roller

Over the years I've probably won more prizes, drawings, competitions of various sorts that the average person.

Nothing really great like a million dollar lottery, an Olympic medal, a World Series or Super Bowl ring, the Masters Golf Tournament, or any such thing.

Among my achievements I count some yo yo titles, the Trivia championship on a cruise ship, a turkey in a drawing, a 4-H talent contest, a food processor in a radio call-in trivia contest, three or four football and World Series pools, two or three door prizes, a couple journalism awards, and a couple of Halloween costume contests.

Last week I added my first world championship--the Whole Damned World, mind you. Yes pholks, you are reading the words put forth by the World Champion pumpkin roller--senior division.

Knight's Ferry, my home town as some of you know, held its 38th Annual Pumpkin Roll Championship. It's always held on the first Sunday following Halloween. The event was born the morning after a community-Halloween party when the clean-up crew engaged in some horseplay with the decorations...namely pumpkins. Several locals tried to roll their selected pumpkin down the street as far as they could. The front door of the bar-restaurant at the end of the street could have been the target, according to the subsequent folklore (pholklore). Minute details are just a little fuzzy. Anyway, a tradition was begun.

It wasn't long until the event grew into a real contest with trophies, contests for kids, a bazaar, crafts shp, attracting vendors and hundreds of out-of-towners coming to spend their money and even participate.

But it wasn't until three or four years ago that I found myself back home on the Big Day and eager enough to try my hand. In order to fully appreciate this contest you must realize a couple of things about how the rules have been developed and how the contest is conducted.

The contest is not on of strength, agility or stamina. It's not how far one can roll the orange sphere, but rather how accurately one can "bowl" the gourd.

Lines of chalk mark the start and finish line and the side foul lines. Pumpkins which stay in "the field of play" are measured and the winner is the person whose pumpkin stops closest to the line is the winner. Seniors and youngsters have a shorter "field of play" than the rest of the contestants who, of course, compete in various divisions. Each age division champ ends up being a World Champion and gets a trophy and the admiration of everyone in attendance. Sometimes they get their pictures in the area daily newspapers, sometimes just a mention in the closest weekly paper. Since only a few "senior" guys enrolled in the Senior division I jumped at the chance. One was a no show, so there were only seven competitions. My odds were good. The adult men division had thirty or forty hopefuls, many of them veterans of the annual event. Not good odds. What I lacked in natural ability I made up in strategy. It worked.

I have an advantage since I have a regular column. I serve as my own PR person. When you are a World Champion in a nitch sport and a published columnist you have a great advantage over other non-major world champions. I didn't have film for my camera and not enough time to get some and the trophy is small anyway so no big loss.

Anyway, since the trophy presentation, I've been giving some consideration to creating a trophy room. Since space is a premium in my home, my wife has convinced me that I had come up with another "useless idea' as she puts it, but always with a loving smile.

So now I have to put my brain back in gear and come up with another idea. Heck, I might even have more trophies and other awards in my future. For now I can only put the trophy near the tv set where it will be clearly in sight and admired.

And, who knows, I could be a repeat World Champion next year. Maybe then I can get my special trophy room, or at least a shelf to call my own.

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