Familiar Name Wins Pit Spitting Event in Eau Claire
Published: Friday, July 13, 2018
Once again, the Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm in Eau Claire provided all the family drama a person needs on a weekend. The annual International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship last Saturday boasted members from various families who triumphed in their respective divisions. However, it was not an easy path for some of them.
The husband and wife team of Rick "Pellet Gun" and Marlene "Machine Gun" Krause maintained their pit spitting dominance, but it was a close victory for both of them. Marlene, an eight-time women's winner, edged out first-time participant, Chelsey Torres, by a scarce half inch on her last spit.
Rick was also feeling the pressure, as he was also down to the last of his three cherries to spit. His first two pits fell short of Torre's sister and also a first-time participant, Christina Preston's efforts. Fortunately, the 18-time winner used all of his expertise to take advantage of a temporary lull in the wind to prevail over Preston by a margin of 5 inches. His 19th winning effort was 41 feet 8¾ inches, far short of his all-time personal best.
His son, Brian, owns the world record of 93 feet 6½ inches. Originally, the pit spitting contest was created 45 years ago by second generation owners Herb and Liz Teichman. The couple saw it as a way to promote the tart cherry industry and have some family fun. Early on, Teichman saw the potential to get the event into the Guinness Book of World Records recognition.
In order to qualify the event for the record book, the Teichmans had to codify the rules, officials and the pit spitting court. A family friend and curator for the Notre Dame Sports archives, Chet Grant, was instrumental in the process.
According to the official rule book, the court's dimensions must be 100 by 20 feet and laid out on an asphalt surface. Lines on the court denote the number of feet from the spitting platform. There is an official timekeeper, line judge, distance judge, pit sweeper and even a judge who determines how far back each contestant stands on the spitting platform according to his or her height. Even the variety of the cherries (Montmorency) are specified and must be washed and then cooled to 50 to 60 degrees F. The stringent rules ensure a level spitting field for everyone and consistency year after year.
In order for the event to continue, the Teichman family members and friends pitch in and each person has a job. Herb's son, Bill, handed out the prizes to the winner while his wife, Monica, recorded the best pit spit for each contestant. Lynne Teichman Sage, sister to Bill, was the announcer for the event. Two circuit court judges, Sterling Schrock and John Donahue, enforced the spitting board rules. As much as Sage is grateful for the volunteers, it's the spitters that make the event so much fun.
"It's like dynasties, the families. Seeing these little kids grow up to be champions and their kids coming. There is the Krause family, the Bart family, the Lessards (Canadians). There are people that come every year," said Sage.
Sage added that seeing two first time female participants challenge the Krauses for titles made the contest "spittacular."
Over the 38 years of competing, Krause has had his share of fame. Last year, he appeared on the Today Show to show off his skills and teach the hosts how to properly spit. Unfortunately, it was not as enjoyable as when he appeared on the Jay Leno show with his son, "Young Gun," Brian.
"I had a pinched nerve in my back so I was really hurting. I couldn't walk, I couldn't get around as much as I would've liked to. I was in misery the whole time," said Krause.
Krause, an elementary physical education teacher, lives in Arizona but comes back every year to visit his Michigan family members. The contest is always a priority during his stay in his home state. He acquired the "Pellet Gun" nickname when he was working on the Tree-Mendus farm in the summer. His co-workers admired his power when he spit out a cherry pit and the name stuck. Krause said that his skill is mostly common sense.
"You got to make sure the pit is cleaned and sealed around your tongue. Otherwise, it's the luck of the roll," he added.
Another family group is the Gomez-Jones family. Daughter, Esme "LuLu" won the 5 and under division, and her older brother, Ezekiel, took home the 6- to 8-year-old group prize. Ezekiel had the longest spit of the youth division, sending his pit a little over 19 feet.
The entire Kevin and Mary Hester family made it to the finals. This is the first year that all six were able to compete. Their oldest child, Josh, was the winner in the 9-to-12 division. He has one more year in the youth class before he has to spit against the adults.
A group of local celebrities, including Miss Blossomtime first runnerup and Miss Eau Claire/ Sodus, Jamie Tidey, contended for the Dignitary title. Tidey admitted to some rookie nervousness but already plans to practice and improve her showing next year. Neighboring St. Julian winemaker, Kyle Totzke, won with the third best overall spit of the day.
Return to Top of Page