By GEORGE FJELD
BRANDON—AJ Mendiola intimidated and then demolished his opponents in the 10th Annual Swiss Roll Eating Championship of the Universe, held behind the Brandon Inn during the Brandon Independence Day activities last Saturday. After much hype leading up to the event, bringing several new challengers from across New England, Mendiola executed his game plan perfectly. His technique was flawless, and his speed impressive. It didn’t seem like there was enough time to even unwrap all the packages in the time AJ polished off his carton of Swiss Rolls.
Mendiola arrived at the last moment, wrapped in a red robe, brandishing his champion’s belt to the appreciation of the great crowd. The competition table was packed with contestants, set up with a box of Little Debbie Swiss Rolls and a glass of soda in front of each competitor. Judges were positioned around the table to ensure fairness and to be sure they could spot the first hand raised, signaling the completion of the formidable task. Commissioner Jim Leary ran a tight ship, ensuring an even playing field for all contestants. “We have a number of new contestants ready to beat the champ. It’s obvious they’ve been practicing,” he said before the competition began. New this year, a rule was implemented that the winner had to have all their empty wrappers in their box certified by the 3-judge panel. The judges were Cecil Reniche-Smith, Jasen Sica and John Dilts. They were faithful in their application of the rules and careful to show no favoritism. Sica commented, “Someone’s going to get an upset stomach!” Interestingly, Dilts is the reigning Senior (70+) champion of the contest. His record stands at one and a half rolls and is begging to be broken.
A junior competition preceded the main event to the great delight of the 14 participants and the adoring crowd. The junior class winners were Tyrell and Austin, both of Brandon, in a dead heat! It was obvious that all the participants were training and hoped to one day wear the Swiss Roll crown. Good luck beating the champ and remember Judge Sica’s warning about an upset stomach!
