Ahh, Maine. Such character, such uniqueness! This, my friends, is a Skillet Toss. It occurs annually at the Blue Hill Fair, in my home town of Blue Hill. This past September was the second year that I entered, along with my mother. Last year, I signed my mother up without her knowing, and practically had to drag her to the line of participants waiting their turn to toss a heavy, cast iron skillet as far as they could, without straying too far from a tape measure laid out straight in front of them. You are judged on distance as well as accuracy. Well, low and behold, my mum's softball arm paid off, and she swept the competition (myself included) under the rug and took home the cash prize. That ought to teach her to trust me more often.
So, this year when the contest rolled around, my mum and I made our way to the sign up, both voluntarily this time, and waited patiently in line. My class consisted of younger ladies, while my mothers class had the middle aged women. Now, you have to understand that there is always this one girl who comes every year, and wins every year in my class. I dislike this greatly. I told myself that I had to out toss her, I just had to. So, when my turn came, I aimed, swung, and chucked that skillet with the precision of a trained bowman. I beat her. And not only did I beat her, I out tossed most of the other women in my category, and was automatically put into the finals, where I would compete with a few others for three age class "Skillet Toss Champion" titles.
When the more "experienced" ladies were done tossing, the women who were moved into the finals with me looked rough. Real rough. These are Maine women, and Maine women do not mess around. I got a bit nervous, but I didn't let the competition shake me. I walked coolly up to the line, pulled my arm back, and sent that puppy flying down the line. A perfect throw. It even went farther than my first! Next up, the oldies but goodies. My mother by now had been out tossed and was eliminated. I knew that I had to take the prize, make her proud. Once the dust settled (literally, it was on a dirt horse racing track), three women remained to claim the titles. Myself for the youngest class, a very sweet mother of 4 for the middle class, and the cutest, fiercest old lady for the "experienced" class. We lined up together with our prizes and took a group photo. I like the one of myself and the old lady the best. We were spectacular. If you ever have the chance to participate in a skillet toss, do it. It will be some of the most fun you will ever have.
