Some ideas just hit the nail on the head

"When life puts you down, just hit it straight on the head"
-Bryce Best of Emlenton

If I had a hammer

Not a lot of future carpenters showed up Wednesday afternoon for the Barnyard Olympic's nail driving contest, but over 60 people participated in the multi-aged event.

"It was fun," said the day's first blue ribbon winner 7-year-old Alem Macaroon, who lives in Pittsburgh and spends summers in Venango County. He was the returning peewee category champion and proved once again he is the best. He says he practiced at his grandpa's house. After Macaroon finished hammering in his nail, he concentrated on helping his sister Nada, 5, who had a little difficulty once her nail bent a little bit. He helped her straighten it out over and over again until their time was up.

The competition challenged participants for hammer 3-1/2 inch spikes into railroad ties. As the older kids took their turns to hit each round ended quicker but the bent nails really weren't any fewer. Some just hammered the bent ones flat into the board seemingly out of frustration. Girls won a fair number of the ribbons and in the results of adult division indicate moms do a lot of the hammering at home.

"You just gotta hit the nail straight on the head," said Bryce Best of Emlenton, who employed the tongue-out-of-the-mouth technique to win his round with a quick five shot throw down. "Two hands and hit hard," he said. His fast finish was later bested by another teen competitor who earned her blue ribbon with just three hardy swings of the hammer. 

The 2020 Barnyard Olympics participation seems to be up a little, both spectators and competitors. "There is less to do this year," Abby Brockett the event coordinator guessed as a possible reason. "I think they are just excited about the events."

Two more Barnyard Olympics events are slated for Thursday with the Frog Jumping Contest at 1 p.m. and a milk drinking competition at 5 p.m.