Some readers may live in places where no one’s ever heard of cricket spitting. If you’ve not heard of this fine custom and competition, you can learn all the basics from a story at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel entitled, County fair’s contest is cricket: Distance spitting has age brackets, lots of participants.”
Karen Herzog of the JS reports on the winning strategy of Mike Morateck of nearby Palmyra, Wisconsin at the Jefferson County Fair:
“I’m a man of science,” said Mike Morateck, 46, of Palmyra, who methodically spit a cricket 21 feet, 2 inches on Wednesday to win a gold medal in the senior division (ages 15 and older) of the seventh annual Cricket Spitting Contest at the Jefferson County Fair.
His strategy?
“Pick a big cricket – the heavier the cricket, the further it goes. Put the cricket in your mouth, feet first on its back with the head pointing out because you don’t want the legs dragging on the way out. Then take a big breath through the nose – otherwise you eat the cricket – and let it fly.”
I’ve never tried this, but perhaps the eighth annual competition will be my oportunity. For those who’d like to see more, the Journal Sentinel offers a video about the insect-spewing event. Enjoy.