Post by Die Fledermaus on May 20, 2007 22:04:31 GMT -4
Here is the story:
www.lowellsun.com/ci_5943041
A Fuzzy Competition
By David Silverstein, dsilverstein@lowellsun.com
Article Last Updated: 05/20/2007 07:30:31 AM EDT
Lucy Hill, 9, of Carlisle, with her pet gerbil Lilac, who won first place in the speed competition during yesterday's Gerbil Olympics at the sixth annual New England Gerbil Show at the Best Western Plaza in Bedford. Sun photos/ Anna Bettencourt
BEDFORD -- With bated breath, 11-year-old Hoot Hennessy of Newton places a blue plastic sphere containing his pet gerbil, Merlin, onto a plastic track.
A few feet down the table, his competition, hovering over a second track, does the same.
A young girl overseeing the event commandeers the attention of the sizable crowd bearing down on the table.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!" she yells.
Visibly anxious, Hennessy pulls his hands from the ball and waits for his pet to deliver some magic.
Merlin, however, has other plans.
Delighted shouts from the room full of spectators do little to motivate the pocket-sized rodent, who spends the full two minutes sniffing around while rolling no more than a few inches to either
Hoot Hennessy, 11, of Newton, anxiously waits for his gerbil, Merlin, to move his globe during yesterday's Gerbil Olympics.
side in his sphere.
Merlin's competitor fares slightly better, managing to complete a lap of the square track just as time expires.
With that, the racing component of the Gerbil Olympics has begun.
The chewing competition, in which gerbils have one minute to chew as much as possible of either a toilet paper tube or small paper cup, had wrapped up just minutes before in a frenzied and somewhat haphazard manner.
The olympics were part of the sixth annual New England Gerbil Show, which was held yesterday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Best Western Plaza hotel on Great Road.
More than 200 people came out for the show, which featured a variety of gerbil-related activities and merchandise.
Earlier in the day, judges had circled the room, distributing ribbons to various pet gerbils that attendees had brought to the show.
The awards were based on each gerbil's individual characteristic or talent, which led to a varied array of traits being recognized.
Sage, a 1-year-old gerbil belonging to Carlisle residents Lucy and Matthew Hill, ages 9 and 12, respectively, was honored for his ability to escape.
"We get creative with those awards," said Libby Hanna, a Bedford resident who coordinated the show and was serving as a judge in the show competition, which she compared to a dog show in its criteria and process.
According to Hanna, the show, which is part of a national series sponsored by the American Gerbil Society, is held to bring together people who share a similar enthusiasm in regards to gerbils.
"We all love gerbils and think they make wonderful pets. They're social, extremely affectionate. They take up very little space. They're really just perfect pets for modern life," she said.
Lucy Hill, 9, of Carlisle, with her pet gerbil Lilac, who won first place in the speed competition during yesterday's Gerbil Olympics at the sixth annual New England Gerbil Show at the Best Western Plaza in Bedford. Sun photos/ Anna Bettencourt
www.lowellsun.com/ci_5943041
A Fuzzy Competition
By David Silverstein, dsilverstein@lowellsun.com
Article Last Updated: 05/20/2007 07:30:31 AM EDT
Lucy Hill, 9, of Carlisle, with her pet gerbil Lilac, who won first place in the speed competition during yesterday's Gerbil Olympics at the sixth annual New England Gerbil Show at the Best Western Plaza in Bedford. Sun photos/ Anna Bettencourt
BEDFORD -- With bated breath, 11-year-old Hoot Hennessy of Newton places a blue plastic sphere containing his pet gerbil, Merlin, onto a plastic track.
A few feet down the table, his competition, hovering over a second track, does the same.
A young girl overseeing the event commandeers the attention of the sizable crowd bearing down on the table.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!" she yells.
Visibly anxious, Hennessy pulls his hands from the ball and waits for his pet to deliver some magic.
Merlin, however, has other plans.
Delighted shouts from the room full of spectators do little to motivate the pocket-sized rodent, who spends the full two minutes sniffing around while rolling no more than a few inches to either
Hoot Hennessy, 11, of Newton, anxiously waits for his gerbil, Merlin, to move his globe during yesterday's Gerbil Olympics.
side in his sphere.
Merlin's competitor fares slightly better, managing to complete a lap of the square track just as time expires.
With that, the racing component of the Gerbil Olympics has begun.
The chewing competition, in which gerbils have one minute to chew as much as possible of either a toilet paper tube or small paper cup, had wrapped up just minutes before in a frenzied and somewhat haphazard manner.
The olympics were part of the sixth annual New England Gerbil Show, which was held yesterday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Best Western Plaza hotel on Great Road.
More than 200 people came out for the show, which featured a variety of gerbil-related activities and merchandise.
Earlier in the day, judges had circled the room, distributing ribbons to various pet gerbils that attendees had brought to the show.
The awards were based on each gerbil's individual characteristic or talent, which led to a varied array of traits being recognized.
Sage, a 1-year-old gerbil belonging to Carlisle residents Lucy and Matthew Hill, ages 9 and 12, respectively, was honored for his ability to escape.
"We get creative with those awards," said Libby Hanna, a Bedford resident who coordinated the show and was serving as a judge in the show competition, which she compared to a dog show in its criteria and process.
According to Hanna, the show, which is part of a national series sponsored by the American Gerbil Society, is held to bring together people who share a similar enthusiasm in regards to gerbils.
"We all love gerbils and think they make wonderful pets. They're social, extremely affectionate. They take up very little space. They're really just perfect pets for modern life," she said.
Lucy Hill, 9, of Carlisle, with her pet gerbil Lilac, who won first place in the speed competition during yesterday's Gerbil Olympics at the sixth annual New England Gerbil Show at the Best Western Plaza in Bedford. Sun photos/ Anna Bettencourt
