International Rutabaga Curling Championship
Encyclopedia
The International Rutabaga Curling Championship takes place annually at the Ithaca Farmers' Market
, New York state, on the last day of the market season.
Farmers' Market
began rolling their wares down the main aisle with the intent to stay warm; vendors did not discriminate about what they threw, and even frozen chickens were utilized. Rules have since been developed by Steve Sierigk, the High Commissioner of the International Rutabaga Curling Championship.
The 2010 Championship saw a small turning point in local acknowledgement of the event. A group of protesters showed up with signs and slogans against the event, such as "Say No to Rutabaga Curlty", "Greet Your Veggies, Don't Eat Them," "Get a Clue Folks, Brassica is not Brad Pitt and Jessica Simpson", and "It's all fun and games until somebody loses and eye" with a picture of a deoculated Mr. Potato Head. Having a protest organized against your event is an old Ithacan tradition to fully acknowledge that you have become an accepted member of the community.
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Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
, New York state, on the last day of the market season.
History
The International Rutabaga Curling Championship started spontaneously in December 1997. Vendors at the IthacaIthaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
Farmers' Market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
began rolling their wares down the main aisle with the intent to stay warm; vendors did not discriminate about what they threw, and even frozen chickens were utilized. Rules have since been developed by Steve Sierigk, the High Commissioner of the International Rutabaga Curling Championship.
The 2010 Championship saw a small turning point in local acknowledgement of the event. A group of protesters showed up with signs and slogans against the event, such as "Say No to Rutabaga Curlty", "Greet Your Veggies, Don't Eat Them," "Get a Clue Folks, Brassica is not Brad Pitt and Jessica Simpson", and "It's all fun and games until somebody loses and eye" with a picture of a deoculated Mr. Potato Head. Having a protest organized against your event is an old Ithacan tradition to fully acknowledge that you have become an accepted member of the community.
Rules
- The court is drawn within the confines of the market midway, composed of roughly flat, wooden planks. The pitch is generally around 79 feet with a circular target at the far end (see curlingCurlingCurling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
for a graphical representation of a similar target). Once a rutabaga has been thrown it shall lie on the field of play until all other contestants in that section have rolled. Thrown rutabagas are subject to being knocked by subsequent rolls. - Contestants are divided into three sections, each competing within themselves. The top three finishers of each section qualify for the championship round. The top three contestants in that round are awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals, along with eternal glory, honor, and fame.
- Only rutabagas are allowed to be used in the competition. TurnipTurnipThe turnip or white turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock...
s, any other variety of root vegetable, or member of the Cruciferae family will not be permitted. (An exception was made in the 2005 championships to allow the use of turnips. The emergency rule change was necessary because the official rutabagas were frozen and unavailable for use.) Contestants are encouraged to supply their own rutabagas, though vendors may be on hand to provide suitable rutabagas for competition. Modification of the rutabaga is acceptable so long as the rutabaga is always able to roll on every axis.
Winners
| Year | First Place | Second Place | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | James Neiderhardt | -joseph cranshaw | -bernie cranshaw |
| 2002 | David Tregaskis | Jane North | Mark Tucker |
| 2003 | Laura Whiting | Tom "Darth Baga" Torello | Jerry Waid |
| 2004 | Eric Nicholson | - | - |
| 2005 | Kevin Waskelis | Rena Grossman | - |
| 2006 | Bud Sauer | Andrew Perlman | Christian Pearson |
| 2007 | - | Andy Fox | Ray Schlather |
| 2008 | Tom Mansell | Ray Schlather | David Kingsbury |
- In 2002, 8-year-old David Tregaskis took the gold. Tregaskis was also noted as the youngest competitor in 2003.
- In 2004, Eric Nicholson bested the competition for gold at age 10.
- In 2005, team Curlicious, composed of students from Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, sported two of the top three finishers. Kevin Waskelis and Rena Grossman, both of Curlicious, took gold and silver respectively. - In 2007, Andy Fox became the first competitor from Washington to medal. He also becamse the first African-American to reach the podium. He is now a resident of Monmouth, Oregon.
- In 2008, the #41 rutabaga collided with a wooden barrier and split into two pieces. On inspection, the rutabaga was found to be rotten in the middle. In a controversial decision, the crowd voted to award contestant #41 a replacement rutabaga and another throw. That rutabaga was awarded to Tom Mansell, who went on to win first place in the 2008 competition.
- To date, no champion has ever successfully defended his or her title, though in 2008 Ray Schlather became the only curler to medal twice, taking the silver after a bronze in 2007.
External links
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