Matt McCormick Wins Portland Heptathlon in Dramatic Finish

Matt McCormick took the gold medal in UHAC's first annual Portland Heptathlon, winning a tie-breaker in the final moments of the competition against Judah Switzer.

After the final event at Ladd's Inn both Switzer and McCormick were tied, and with the clock ticking neither had the opportunity to gain extra points from drinking. As the rules state, "There is only one Gold Medal, and therefore only one winner," a tie-breaker event was chosen by the bartender. She placed a stack of saltine crackers in front of each contestant and gave them 30 seconds to eat as many as possible. McCormick ate two, but Switzer shoved four or five into his mouth. Switzer was unable to swallow all the crackers however, and McCormick was declared the winner. Switzer took the silver medal and Anja Verdugo won the bronze.

The Portland Heptathlon pits contestants against each on a battle of seven bar games at seven bars. Each player much also consume one alcoholic beverage at each location. Points were awarded based on place, and extra points could be earned for drinking more (and subtracted if you did not drink). The events and winners were:

Yahtzee - Judah Switzer

Video Poker - Meg Scheminske

Trivia - Josh Berezin

Arcade Hoops - Matt McCormick

Shuffleboard - Meg Scheminske

Darts - Matt McCormick

MegaTouch - Willow McCormick

Points Breakdown:

1st Matt McCormick - 56 points
2nd Judah Switzer - 56 points
3rd Anja Verdugo - 48 points
4th Josh Berezin - 44 points
4th Dave Hayden - 44 points
6th dalas verdugo - 43 points
7th Meg Scheminske - 42 points
8th Willow McCormick - 38 points
9th Lauren Ashley - 34 points
10th Ian ??? - 27 points*

A special thanks to the bartender at Ladd's Inn and to all the bars that hosted the Heptathlon. Saraveza, Overlook Lounge, Mississippi Pizza, Matador, Blackcat, and Triple Nickel.

We look forward to hosting more events, and creating new opportunities for rivalries, grudges, and outlets for your competitive tendencies.

See more images on Anja's Flickr, dalas' Flickr and Mike's Flickr.

*Only competed in 3 events