Handicapping the Pumpkin Teams

As Laine reported in her post, the gauntlet has been thrown down for the Third-Annual Addison Whitney Pumpkin Carving Contest. The rules are a bit different this year, which means that teams are crucial … and as a completely unbiased handicapper, I can say with confidence that my team will be the group to beat.

Check out our lineup:

Clayton Tolley: Hungry for a win this year, Clayton has been part of some of the most memorable AW pumpkin teams in history, helping to create the terrifying and lifelike Jaws pumpkin in 2006, and the elaborate pharmacist “Dr. Feelgood” pumpkin in 2007.

Meredith “blades” Badinelli: A self-proclaimed whiz with the knife, Meredith has also performed extensive market research on potential pumpkin motifs, pinpointing the idea most likely to resonate with our target audience.

Vince Budd has never met a squash he doesn’t like, and his calm demeanor is sure to play a key role guiding the team through the contest this year.

Paula Weigel: A potter, artist, and fellow creative, Paula is a reigning champ with her 2006 New Year’s theme and is always strong competition. Rumor has it that Paula will be changing the name of her private venture “Plays with Mud” to “Plays with Pumpkin Guts” for the event.

And last, but not least is our rookie, Jonathan “I put the Hall in Halloween”: A fresh face to the competition . . . can anyone say secret weapon?

Contributed by: Maghan Cook