Sunday's clouds and light rain did not prevent 20 competitors and numerous spectators from participating in Wannawaf's eighth annual Waffle-eating contest.
Each year Wannawaf owner Anya Arsenault, a.k.a. Waffle Girl, holds the event as a fund-and-awareness-raiser for an individual or charity. This year, that individual was Pam Creamer who, like Arsenault, suffers from Lyme disease.
The event raised just shy of $3,000 for Creamer's treatment – antibiotics she receives through a PICC line – a sort of permanent I.V. – that is changed weekly at St. Andrews Hospital and Healthcare Center.
“We had a great turnout this year,” Arsenault said. “It was awesome. This is the most we've raised to date.”
The competition consists of three rounds in which the portion size increases. Served up for round one is a large waffle with choice of syrup and whipped cream; round two, contestants choose one of Wannawaf’s waffle confections off the menu, served on a smaller waffle with the addition of ice cream, and finally, in the third round, the large waffle returns with toppings added.
During each round, judges will cut the contestants by half, ending with seven in the final round. This year round one was too close to call so 14 were allowed to move on.
It's all about determination and speed, and in the end the top two fastest waffle-wolfers were siblings Anthon and Maja Ekman of Stockholm, Sweden. As the first to finish, Maya Ekman won the $200 cash prize (presented framed) and a trophy, and Anthon Ekman was awarded the silver medal.
The winning Swedish duo's competitors were Steve Morrison (third place), Delany McGee, Gus McGee, Abby McLellan, Chris Johnson, Kristyn Dilley, Blair Best, Sam Page, Rick Grover, Eddie, Molly and Henry Roth (eating as one contestant!), Abigail Poole, Michael Alvarez, Keegan Drouin, Dylan, Sebastian, Chloe Perreault, Jonne Trees, Miles Dilley and Roy Arsenault.
Fortunately for the contestants, but maybe not for the audience, the not-so-coveted Silver Bucket, always on hand for the contestant who loses his or her waffles, was not presented this year.
Waffle Girl's advice, and this is from personal experience: don’t bite off more than you can chew. Well, this year's Swedish winners took Arsenault's advice a step further. Their winning strategy was: don't chew!
The $3,000 was raised through the $20 entry fee and a silent auction of items donated by 60 local businesses, including Wannawaf. The auction was a new facet of the contest.
“It's incredible,” Creamer said of the fundraiser. “The kindness I've received from the community and Anya has been amazing. And, I think we have raised some awareness too, which is very important to me.”
Which brings us to the final, but not least important, scoop in this event is awareness. Arsenault hopes everyone will take some time to educate themselves about Lyme disease.
“Lyme is a chronic illness that presents like other illnesses, including lupus, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, autism and rhumetoid arthritis,” Arsenault said. “But most members of the medical community don't acknowledge chronic Lyme disease. We are told our symptoms are all in our heads, but our pain is real.”
Both Creamer and Arsenault encourage people to watch the documentary “Under Our Skin” to learn more about this complicated, debilitating disease.
The film traces Lyme to its roots in Lyme, Conn., in the 1980s, the ignorance of insurance companies and the medical community, testing – and false negative results – testamonials, prevention, and more.
For more information on the film, go to www.underourskin.com.
