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Issue 43
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY FOR 113 YEARS
www.estevanmercury.ca
Wed., Mar. 9, 2016 Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
Josh Moreau and Danial Sajid contemplated their fate, as well as the hot peppers they were about to consume in the sixth or seventh round of the Estevan Legion’s first Hot Pepper Eating Contest on Saturday evening.
No, Mike Grobbink had not just finished 10 rounds of boxing, or a heavy workout, but rather, 12 rounds of hot pepper consumption before emerging as the champion in the first-ever Hot Pepper Eating Contest sponsored by the Estevan Legion. Photo by Norm Park
Things got heated at the Legion By Norm Park normpark@estevanmercury.ca
They had a hot time with some hot stuff in the Legion clubrooms on Saturday evening. Nine competitors in the Estevan Royal Canadian Legion’s Hot Pepper Eating Contest, took their assigned places on a makeshift stage complete with cups of milk and garbage bags and then got to work while about 100 spectators dined on chili con carne in various stages of intensity. A prize of $100 awaited the final pepperchewer, Mike Grobbink, who claimed the title, but only after several rounds of heatinducing pepper consumption. In fact, all the players made it through the seven pepper preliminary round which consisted of the introductory Red Fresno pepper with its 5,000 Scoville heat unit rating.
“They ate those like the rest of us would eat a carrot,” said Chad Laviolette who served as the chew-by-chew commentator. In ascending order, the nine contestants completely consumed (Scoville heat ratings in parenthesis) green jalapeno (8,000); red jalapeno (10,000); Serrano (25,000); green Thai chili (100,000); red Thai chili (150,000) and finally, the orange habanero (350,000), a pepper that was 70 times hotter than the Fresno. Each contestant had one minute to completely consume each pepper and the first person to reach for the milk and drink, was out. As the second round started, which included triple doses of the red and green peppers, one competitor Alex Neumann was overheard declaring, “this is just insane!” He was also the first one to exit the contest amidst a round of applause and cheers as he wiped the tears and took a good chug
from the “baby bottle” that was deemed to be an obligatory drink for the first person out. Neumann’s exit though was quickly followed by Danial Sajid and Brian Enns who declared they had no further interest in the pursuit. The only female competitor, Lisa McGillis went through the complete second round of multiple peppers before conceding defeat. Again, it was only a few seconds later and fellow contestants Don Dowe and Josh Moreau said they had enough. That left Tyson Hennigar and Grobbink as the last men sitting and chewing what became a hot pepper salad consisting of a full variety of the peppers which the two consumed within the time limit as the sweat appeared on the brows and cheeks. The two contestants chatted briefly, discussing the possibility of splitting the win-
nings, but then determined they’d play it out. Hennigar showed the first sign of vulnerability, as he had a minor gagging reflux in the next round, but got through the mixture. However, the prospects of repeating were too much and he declared himself out of the running before the start of the next round. The two finalists shook hands and then sought some cooler temperatures with Grobbink exiting through the back door to find his relief while exclaiming he probably wouldn’t take on that kind of challenge again. “I really like hot sauces on my food … things like that, but that’s nothing like what this was,” he said with a forced grin. Grobbink later returned to the clubrooms to accept congratulations from contest organizers who stated that, due to the obvious popularity of the event, they might look at promoting another similar event next spring.
Outdoor rinks closed for the season By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The warm weather in the Energy City in February and early March forced the City of Estevan to close its outdoor rinks early this year. The city sent out messages on their social media sites in late February, stating their two main rinks, at Rusty Duce and Westview playparks, were closed for the season. The only rink that was still open was at Torgeson Park. Parks manager Rod March said the Torgeson rink wasn’t in the best of shape, either, and the temperatures Estevan received in the first weekend of March were going to make conditions even
worse. He notified the Mercury on Monday morning that the Torgeson rink was now closed, as grass was starting to appear inside the rink. The outdoor rinks were wellused when they were open this year. The city staff who worked at the venues usually noticed a lot of people using them in the evenings, and people were appreciative of the service. The ice conditions at the outdoor rinks in January and February weren’t as bad as some might expect, either. If it’s too cold outside, it’s hard to get the ice surface in ideal shape. If it’s too warm, the ice will obviously melt. “Thanks to the volunteers, they’re on the ice when they could
be on it, resurfacing the ice,” said March. “They were able to keep it operational much longer than we had anything last year. We had three rinks running this year fairly well, and next year we’re hoping to have four.” Volunteers do a great job of maintaining the outdoor rinks, and their efforts are appreciated. “We support them, and we do what we can as well, so we’re basically working together,” said March. “I couldn’t ask for any better situation. They keep an eye on the buildings; we have had zero incidents this year in terms of vandalism. “We have had a couple inquiries with flying pucks (leaving the outdoor rinks), but that’s standard
when you have a venue like that. There haven’t been any major incidents to worry about.” Estevan’s fourth outdoor rink is at the Kin Playpark in the Hillside subdivision. It was closed this winter while a fundraising campaign takes place to upgrade the venue. March noted the Kinsmen donated the old rink boards, and they were used at the Westview rink. The Westview outdoor rink will be open again next winter. Local Kinsmen Club member Dave Elliott said the new outdoor rink at Hillside will be a permanent facility used for hockey and ice skating in the winter months, and activities such as roller derby in the summer.
They are waiting for the designs on the new rink. Then they will know their material needs, and apply for grants from a number of different sources. “If you don’t have a solid plan in place when you apply for the grants, they’ll send you away and tell you to come back when you’re more prepared,” said Elliott. They have already raised $65,000 and need another $60,000 before they can proceed. They hope to break ground in the spring, and Elliott is confident it could be finished by the summer. But the club is committed to doing it once, and doing it properly, so if they need another year to get the job done properly, then Elliott said it will be worth the wait.
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