From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Sequim, WA

I've been noticing that some of the weighoff results we've seen over the past several years show the same grower hauling his or her largest fruit around to multiple events and walking off with the top prize. This seems to occur mostly in New England and the Midwest states. We don't see that here in the West. I was wondering how this sat with the people in those regions. I know I for one would be PO'd if I took a nice pumpkin from my patch to a contest and took second or third to someone who had the same pumpkin at Topsfield or some other place the week before. I know each site can make whatever rules they like, but it seems to me that one event per fruit would be fairest to all the growers. If I grew several nice pumpkins and took them to various events I know I would grow tired of seeing the same fruit and same person take top honors each week. As I said it's never affected me personally, but it just doesn't seem like fair play from where I'm sitting. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

10/23/2003 12:17:35 PM

Wisconsin

I agree. One prize per pumpkin seems fair to me.

This happened this year in MN and WI. The winner of the Austin MN weighoff took his pumpkin to the weighoff in Nekoosa WI the next weekend. I am not sure how it was handled but I heard that it was controversial.

10/23/2003 1:57:17 PM

Indiana

Also happens in IN. But not in it for money, in it for personal best every year.

10/23/2003 5:08:58 PM

Mulino, Oregon

Tiller, I agree. It seems fairly odd that the top 4-5 pumpkins at a weighoff are the same ones weighed at another weigh a week or two before. It not only screws up the other contestants but also confuses the pumpkin world when discussing seeds. Is it the 931 or the 915 (two weeks later?) Once again, West Coast Rules!!

10/23/2003 8:28:00 PM

Deer Park, WI

GPC rules state that a pumpkin can only be weighed once officially. So we are covered on that end. But a grower could still take a fruit to a non-GPC sanctioned event, as happened in MN and WI this year, and collect money. The grower took first place in Austin, MN and the following week took 2nd in Nekoosa. Yes, some growers were disgruntled by this action. I say let this be a lesson, it is up to the clubs/organizers of weighoffs to listen to the growers and change the rules accordingly. The CWPG/Nekoosa organization will most likely be making a rule that a fruit cannot have been weighed for prizemoney at a previous event to prevent this from happening again. I fully support this rule. If you want to weigh your pumpkin again, enter it as EXH. If you want to win another weighoff, grow another fruit. Dont be a money vacuum.

10/24/2003 8:49:45 AM