Chris Farley on Thursday defended his title and continues as the undefeated champion of the Shuckin' Suckin' Oyster Slurping Contest.
STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald
C.J. Wise, left, won the women’s Shuckin’ Suckin’ Oyster Slurping Contest on Thursday afternoon at the Highway 3 Roadhouse. Wise of Durango and Yolanda Avalos of Bayfield, right, finish up as timekeeper Joe DeLuca calls an end to the competition.
STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Jamie Lyon struts down the catwalk during Snowdown's Safari Strut- Drag Race and Fasion Show at El Rancho Bar Thursday night.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Beeky Milner, or, Bob, struts down the catwalk during Snowdown's Safari Strut- Drag Race and Fasion Show at El Rancho Bar Thursday night.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Dale Hott, or Pricila Queen of the Desert, shares beer to the audience during Snowdown's Safari Strut- Drag Race and Fasion Show at El Rancho Bar Thursday night.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Mr. Turk struts down the catwalk during Snowdown's Safari Strut- Drag Race and Fasion Show at El Rancho Bar Thursday night.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Forest Williams, or Rezille Glamor, struts down the catwalk during Snowdown's Safari Strut- Drag Race and Fasion Show at El Rancho Bar Thursday night.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Mr. Monroe struts down the catwalk during Snowdown's Safari Strut- Drag Race and Fasion Show at El Rancho Bar Thursday night.
STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald - The crowd takes in the Shuckin' Suckin' Oyster Slurping Contest on Thursday afternoon at the Highway 3 Roadhouse.
STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald - C.J. Wise, left, won the women's Shuckin' Suckin' Oyster Slurping Contest on Thursday afternoon at the Highway 3 Roadhouse. Wise of Durango and Yolanda Avalos of Bayfield, right, finish up as timekeeper Joe DeLuca calls an end to the competition.
STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald - C.J. Wise won the women's Shuckin' Suckin' Oyster Slurping Contest on Thursday afternoon at the Highway 3 Roadhouse.
STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald - Chris Farley defended his title as the undefeated champion of the Shuckin' Suckin' Oyster Slurping Contest on Thursday afternoon at the Highway 3 Roadhouse.
JOSH STEPHENSON / Durango Herald<br><br>Cathy Hearn paddles through slalom gates set up at the Durango Recreation Center swimming pool Thursday evening.
JOSH STEPHENSON / Durango Herald<br><br>Cathy Hearn paddles with her daughter Marina Roethenmund through slalom gates set up at the Durango Recreation Center swimming pool Thursday evening.
JOSH STEPHENSON / Durango Herald<br><br>Cathy Hearn paddles with her daughter Marina Roethenmund through slalom gates set up at the Durango Recreation Center swimming pool Thursday evening.<br>
JOSH STEPHENSON / Durango Herald<br><br>An ambassador for Fluid kayaks, Madison Ludwig paddles through slalom gates set up at the Durango Recreation Center swimming pool Thursday evening.
JOSH STEPHENSON / Durango Herald<br><br>Art Zemach and Jim Nichols, right, paddle through slalom gates set up at the Durango Recreation Center swimming pool Thursday evening.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Members of the Bella Dance Studio dance to their piece, 212, as part of the Kid's Snowdown Follies Thursday night at the Durango Arts Center.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Encore from DAC Applause performs Rockin Robin Thurday night at the Durango Arts Center for the Kids' Snowdown Follies.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Ovation from DAC Applause performs Biggest Blame Fool Thurday night at the Durango Arts Center for the Kids' Snowdown Follies.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Students of Mountain Middle School perform their piece, Roar, at the Kids' Snowdown Follies Thursday night at the Durango Arts Center.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Members of the Bella Dance Studio dance to their piece, "212", as part of the Kids' Snowdown Follies Thursday night at the Durango Arts Center.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Encore from DAC Applause performs Rockin Robin Thurday night at the Durango Arts Center for the Kids' Snowdown Follies.
JENNAYE DERGE/Durango Herald - Members of Ballet Durango perform Walts of the Flowers for Thursday night's Kids' Snowdown Follies hosted by the Durango Arts Center.
It's difficult to dethrone an oyster-slurping champion.
Chris Farley reigns as the undefeated men's champion after the oyster eating contest held Thursday at Chuck Norton's Highway 3 Roadhouse during Snowdown, Day 2.
C.J. Wise, who was the women's champion in 2012, was the fastest female slurper Thursday. Wise, cheered on by daughter, Dalaney, 12, and son, Nick, 9, sat out last year because she was sick.
The competition is simple and over quickly, requiring contestants to down as many oysters as possible in one minute.
Eight men in two heats and four women gulped oysters on the half shell from trays in front of them. The Delaware oysters each had a dab of Sriracha, a Vietnamese hot sauce.
Timer Joe DeLuca signaled the start and finish of each heat with a horn.
The oyster-eating was the fourth sponsored by Norton during Snowdown, Durango's winter festival known for its zany antics.
Sponsorship was a natural for him, Norton said.
“We're a southern restaurant, so we serve a lot of oysters,” Norton said. “We served 30,000 last year.”
Farley, now a four-time champion at the Snowdown competition, downed 54 oysters Thursday, well off the 63 he consumed last year, which is the all-time record.
Wise, who showed up in her scrubs from La Plata Family Medicine, consumed 51 oysters, the same number she ate in 2012.
Cheryl Bryant, the previous women's record holder with 43 oysters, didn't compete Thursday.
The tallies Thursday for the other oyster slurpers were: Valleria Skarbek, 32; Yolanda Avalos, 37; Rita Piccoli, 18; Marsh Bull, 44; Mo Abdelkader, 36; John Hunt, 34; Rich Myford, 30; Robert Lobato, 45; Bob Rosenberg, 21; and Mike Hayes, 43; for a total of 445.
daler@durangoherald.com
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