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Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

The Mid-Atlantic Giant Pumpkin Growers(MAGPG) are excited to announce our first annual Virtual Weigh Off(VWO)!

A VWO isn't a new idea but for those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept let us explain. A VWO is an Internet based giant pumpkin growing contest. It provides a means for growers all around the world to compete in a single contest that would normally be limited by geography. In the past the grower of the biggest pumpkin in the contest would be the winner. We felt this is where other VWO's fell short. Since we didn't feel it was fair for growers from locations that had geographical disadvantages, or in an area where giant pumpkin growing isn't well developed, to compete against growers in the giant pumpkin hotbeds, we came up with a way to help level the playing field.

Say your a grower from Colorado and you have a friend who grows in Ohio, and another rival who grows in Canada, and you want to find out who has the best growing skillz. The MAGPG VWO is the place to find out! Or maybe you want to see where you stack up against the other growers in the contest. Or maybe you're just after the cash prize! Whatever you're after the MAGPG VWO is a contest that aims at having fun, spreading giant pumpkin growing knowledge and to help push growers to new personal bests.

3/27/2011 12:02:49 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

The Scoring System:

Each grower entered in the contest will receive scores in three different areas. The growers biggest officially weighed non-damaged pumpkin for the 2011 season will be used for all calculations.

First, the grower will be compared with their local record. Growers from the US will be measured against their state's record. If the grower is from Canada their home province's record will be used and if the grower is from another country their national record will be used in this calculation. Each local record will be established after the completion of the 2011 growing season.

Next, the grower's 2011 season will be compared to their own history, aka their personal best(PB), to calculate their score in the second category.

The growers third score will be calculated using the size of the growers largest pumpkin compared with all the other entrants in the contest.

The above outlined system will be used to rank all the growers at the end of the season and to determine the winners of the VWO. All the growers who enter the VWO will also be put into our preseason rankings that will come out at the end of May.

3/27/2011 12:03:10 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

The Rules:

1. To enter the contest you must be a member of the MAGPG or pay a $10 entry fee for non-members.

2. Your fruit must be weighed at an official WO and must be judged sound by the WO's rules. Official WO's are any GPC WO or another WO with a scale that has a resolution of one pound or less, such as Circleville.

3/27/2011 12:03:24 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

The Prizes:



Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 growers from the final standings. The more growers who enter the larger the prizes will be. With each entry the prize pool will grow, just like the lottery. Since we don't yet know how many entries there will be we don't know the exact amounts of the prizes. No matter how many entries are received the MAGPG are guaranteeing the first place prize will be a minimum of $100 but we hope it will be much more! Along with the cash prizes other prizes will be awarded including some top quality seeds and free 2012 memberships to the MAGPG that includes a members seed pack!



There will be a prize for the prettiest pumpkin and an additional prize for the heaviest pumpkin in the contest as well.



A prize will also be awarded to a lucky grower who keeps a diary of their season. To be eligible for the diary prize all you have to do is to make at least one entry to your diary with a photo from your patch for each month of the season. At the end of the season one of the growers who kept their diary all season will be selected as the winner.

3/27/2011 12:03:44 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

How to enter:

You can enter the MAGPG VWO by emailing us at: MAGPGVWO@yahoo.com

Or you can become a member of the club by emailing us at: midatlanticgpg@gmail.com

Remember that you can join the club for only $15! We still have a few membership seed packs left, around five I believe, so the first few new members will be able to enter the VWO and receive a seed pack as well.

This is the basic outline of our VWO if you have any questions please email us at one of the above addresses or post your question below.

We hope you decide to join us for our first VWO! Good luck to everyone in 2011!

3/27/2011 12:05:39 PM

Alabama

Can I get mine weight on a Alabama state official scale and have the County Extensions Agent on hand?

3/27/2011 1:19:27 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Bell, as long as the scale can be shown to be certified and your witness is present you are food to go.

3/27/2011 2:05:51 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Good to go

3/27/2011 2:12:26 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

I spent a long time today with all of the seeds the club has aquired trying to decide what the second place prize will be. Basically the problem is that the value of the seeds for the "second" place prize is difficult to determine. And the seed's value will most certainly change for better or worse by the end of the season. Also, we don't know exactly how much money will be in the pot at this time. Therefore, we will be offering prize packages A, B, and C. The winner of the VWO will have first pick of one of the packages. The runner-up will have next pick, and third place gets the final package.

3/27/2011 8:29:55 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Prize package A: $$$ Money $$$. As Kevin stated, the MAGPG will contribute $100 to start. For every new member or entry into the contest, the amount will increase by $10.00

Prize package B: Seeds. 1495 Stelts, 1274 Stelts, 1540 Brownell, 1507 Jutras, 1236* Vincent-McGill world record squash

Prize package C: 2012 MAGPG membership

3/27/2011 8:34:14 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Diary posts will not be required, but will keep the excitement going throughout the season. Your post does not need to be completely revealing- have fun with it!

Reward for keeping a diary will be a random drawing for one lucky winner: 1418 Snyder, 1193 Snyder, 921.5 Rosa, 921.5 Gerhardt, 923 Gerhardt, plus bonus seed the 1500.5 Revier.

Award for prettiest pumpkin: 513.5 Vincent, 921.5 Rosa, 923 Gerhardt. Collective vote by all VWO participants will determine the winner (photo is required to be eligable).

3/27/2011 8:40:33 PM

Alabama

Do I just tell you at the end of the season what my weight is or do I enter now?

3/27/2011 8:49:47 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

Pumpkin Bell, you have to enter now. The winners will be determined at the end of the season after the season is over and everyones weights have been gathered. The final rankings and winners will be announced on Halloween.

3/28/2011 6:23:07 AM

Pimpama Australia

I take it Southern Hemishere growers are not able to enter this as our next season does not start until October and we are having our weigh offs now. Just asking.

3/28/2011 9:40:00 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

Hi Patch1,

We can accept growers from the Southern Hemisphere but we would have to use your results from your last season, pumpkins or squash weighed in 2011, not next season, 2012. That is one downside of our seasons running six months off.

If you're still interested in entering the contest please email us at MAGPGVWO@yahoo.com

Thanks for your intrest in the contest,
Kevin

3/28/2011 10:47:18 PM

The bottom of New Jersey

Kevin has done a great job coming up with a scoring system that levels the playing field for everyone as much as is possible, in my opinion. I think this will be a lot of fun and add a new level of intrigue to the growing season. Not only will you be wondering all year how you will stack up to the growers in your area at your local weigh-off, you'll also be able to compare your growing talents to other growers around the globe! A 600 lb. pumpkin in Texas could score just as high as a 1,200 pounder in Rhode Island.

3/29/2011 9:14:13 AM

Oswego,ny

interesting..kind of like a bowling average

5/8/2011 7:40:13 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Check out prize package B

10/3/2011 9:14:04 AM

New Brunswick

Hi all. Just wondering who won for having the best diary of their 2011 season. Thanks

11/23/2011 10:29:30 AM