Eric Adam, the champion of the men’s cow chip throwing contest.
Dozens of contestants were flinging, slinging and throwing dried chunks of manure today at the State Fair. Eric Adam of Richland won the men’s cow chip throwing contest.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to know when to let the crap fly,” Adam said.
Adam, a 19-year-old who threw the discus in high school track, didn’t really practice his throw, but wound up tossing his cow chip 115 feet for the win.
“Underhand was my strategy, kind of just get it up, let the wind do its thing and hope for the best,” Adam said. “That’s pretty much all I had coming into it.”
The women’s competition followed the men’s cow chip throwing spectacle and Bev Williams was taking notes as she watched the other gender go through the motions, to come up with her own tossing strategy.
The women’s cow chip throwing competition.
“I think overhand, but I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never done this.”
Bobby Andreason of Des Moines did think about whether she would be handling the cow chip with her bare hands, but decided she could wash her hands afterwards.
“I didn’t bring any gloves with me or anything so I think I’m just going to have to throw it and hope for the best,” Andreason said.
When she got to the starting line, Andreason unfortunately threw her chunk of gunk out of bounds.
Stetson Spees, 15, of Fairfield, won the youth division with a toss of 99 feet. The women’s division winner was Manssa Sharp of Oskaloosa. She tossed her chip 85 feet. The VIP division winner was Kyle Munson of The Des Moines Register.
Each winner was given a fudge pie, crafted in the shape of a cowpie. All top 10 finishers in the men’s, women’s, children’s and VIP divisions were given ribbons, too.
(Photos by Asya Akca)
(This post was updated at 4:57 p.m. with additional information)