May the Strongest Bladder Win
Suzanne Houghton
Issue date: 1/28/03 Section: News
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At 7 A.M., each participant had a number written on their hand and placed it on a 54 inch big screen television. Similar to contests held at car dealerships, the participants had to keep their hand on the prize at all times. When a contestant felt like they couldn't stand there any longer, they could let go of the prize and their chances of taking it home. The last student standing would be declared the winner.
However, this contest varied and the contestants had a few obstacles they had to conquer first. Each participant had to keep the same hand perfectly still on the prize at all times. What seems like a simple task presented a challenge for some after a couple of hours.
"My hand is pretty cold. There's not too much circulation in it right now," commented SLCC Nursing Student Cori Morgan after two hours into the contest.
If hands falling asleep didn't present enough of a challenge, CAB required each participant to drink a 20 fl. oz bottle of Aquafina every hour. In similar contests, individuals are allowed restroom breaks and are able to stretch. No such luck would be allowed in this battle for the television. Contestants were told to, literally, hold it for as long as they could.
Before the contest began, participants all signed an agreement stating they would not relieve themselves while holding the television. They also agreed they would not cheat by wearing adult undergarments or induce self-inflicted vomiting. Individuals were positive going into the contest and kept their hopes alive by commenting they would be the one walking away with the grand prize.
After two hours J.P Harris, a nursing student commented he was feeling confident about the contest and the television. "I have it in the bag," he said.
This is the first year the event has been held and many participants and viewers enjoyed watching the individuals. Local media was informed of the event and the radio station, X96, even commented on it during their morning show. Clapping rang out as participants one by one let go of the big screen. Some only could hear the support of the audience as they ran down the hall towards the restroom. Others continued to wait.
By 9:30 A.M., eight individuals had dropped out of the contest. CAB didn't know how long the contest would last and were prepared to stay till there was one person left.
"If we have to stay into the night we will be here," said CAB representative Angelica Kemp.
The contest didn't make it till dark. By 1:00pm, only two individuals were left standing. Jordan Naegle and Mike Trask. With only two hands left on the television, one kept waiting for another to drop out.
"I could go for another 20 minutes," Naegle said.
However those twenty minutes wouldn't come soon enough and his opponents hand was the last one on the prize. Before Naegle let go, Trask commented, "This really sucks. I wish he'd just let go."
After 8 bottles of water, Trask headed home with a 54-inch television set. In the end, the participants had a good time, but tried to keep themselves distracted all the time. Some listened to their Walkmans, others chatted to their friends and some even convinced audience members to go get them food from the vending machines. However no request was made for anything to drink.
