The Redwood gazette., 1934-11-15
FIFTH TITLE TRY
SUCCESSFUL FOR
REDWOOD HUSKER
Vast Crowd Sees Contest; Band,
Large Delegation From
County Attends
By Scott SchOen

and True" "Pluck and Luck" and
'The Young Acrobat" all of sterling
charactered young men who fought
their way to the top through discour-
agements and difficulties. His mast
erpiece might easily have been "The
Young Corn Husker" for he would
have gloried in subject like Ted.
To say that Ted Balko won the ma
tional corn husking contest Thursday
at Fairmont with 25.786 bushels of
corn when the best that II other en-
tries from nine states could do was
22.919 bushels is really only half the
story, perhaps less. No story of the
contest is complete without the back
ground which set the stage for the
Balko triumph. 1t is in that back
ground that Alger could do himself
proud.
Thursdays triumph thrilled every
Redwood Falls and Redwood county
rooter, of which there were 500 per-
haps 800. To a lesser degree it
thrilled every Minnesotan but the
men and women who really appre-
ciate that victory are the ones who
knew of the uphill fight that has been
Ted's in earlier contests, of the hand
leaps and disappointments which
We're his at times, of the persever-
ance that Thursday brought ample
reward.
Second in Kansas
Ted's first national contest was
five years ago in far off Kansas.
Looking over the records of huskers
from distant states Thursday, one
can get an idea of the disadvantage
the man who travels farthest has.
Corn is corn to the average spectator
but to husker, Illinois corn, Iowa
corn, Minnesota corn each has char
acteristics. Ears are different sizes,
grow at different heights, break off
easier or harder under different
growing conditions. The greater dis
tance between the fields one is ac-
customed to and the contest field, the
more difference the husker is sure to
find.
But in spite of that difference Ted
was second in Kansas. The next year
he went to Iowa something of fav-
orite but finished third, which was a
disappointment. In 1892 the contest
was in Illinois, again with new con-
ditions, and Ted slipped back to
fourth. Still he offered no alibi, did
not want one offered for him.
Just as there is difference in corn
in different states, so is there a diff
ference among Glands" in the same
field. No husking field is ever abso-
lutely fair to every husker for this
reason, although the lands are as
signed by lot. A comparison of lands
after the contest is possible by fig
uring where the huskers are in the
field after 80 minutes, then adding
their load and gleanings Of their
rows.
At Nebraska last year Ted was far
in front when the final gun sounded,
his load was clean and gleanings few
but when the weights were compared
his load was in fifth place, indicating
how unfortunate he was in the draw
ing of the lands. 1t was not the first
time this had happened to Ted in
national meet, it was just another Of
those disappointments that our
childhood friend, Alger, would have
made so much of.
Ted's Contest
Now we are down to the Fairmont
contest. The stage was set for Ted.
1t was this year or never most of his
supporters felt for it will be six or
eight years before the contest returns
to Minnesota again and Ted is likely
to be watching younger brother
compete by then. 1t was home corn,
home crowd, thousands of rooters and
for once, break on lands. Although
the field was as near even as imagin-
able there was slight difference in
that some of the lands started on
knoll where the corn was slightly
thinner. Ted was among the husk-
ers who escaped that knoll.
spoke of the crowd as an advant-
age. To less experienced husker it
might have been decided disadvant-
age. With group of Ted boosters,
was situated on large hill, which
served as a stadium on the east side
of the field, when the contest started.
We watched the huskers standing by
their wagons, mob milling behind
each and three mobs behind Ted's
wagon as noon, the official starting
time, arrived.
National guards fought to keep
back the enthusiastic fans many of
whom were so squeezed in by other
fans that they couldn't see thing. It
was 1907 or 1910 before the situa-
tion was well enough in hand and the
gun sounded.
Immediately nine champions and
nine runners-up from nine corn states
pitched into their rows, hurting ears
as rapidly as they could perform the
intricate motions which all have per-
fected to . considerable degree, those
Of separating the ear from the stock