Frog Races

Frog Races

Tuesday night was spent catching frogs. Three of our "wranglers" lead a team of kids (and a few overgrown kids), with flashlights in hand, hunting frogs. We circled the pond shining our lights into the reeds looking for the reflection of frog eyes. The light has a blinding effect on the little guys and allowed the wranglers to grab them, scream FROG, which echoed throughout the valley, until a young assistant (called the Bag Lady) arrived with a large plastic trash bag. Collectively we captured 26 frogs.

After 24 hours in captivity, the race was upon us. The frogs were assigned a jockey (the kids), but before the race could begin the frog needed an owner (the parents or so we assumed). The frogs were auctioned off to the highest bidder. The owners would receive the purse and could elect to "tip" the jockeys if they so chose. I arrived with $25 in my pocket ready to be a big spender, but the first frog sold for $62! I quickly retreated to my room for more cash, figuring I was obligated to buy both kids' frogs. While the prices varied, the Staff did an effective job of bidding up the price and bought more than a few of their own. And they were good at picking out the winners! I invested $100 in both children. Kevin jockeyed a massive specimen that was too big to move while Scottie earned a 4th place finish for his spry half size mount.

Kevin's mount was a monster!

Scottie's frog was small and nimble

One of the professional Wranglers
demonstrates his technique