A 'fair' fight: Firemen use their power, just for the fun of it 

[August 03, 2011]  Some events at the county fair are created for the enjoyment of the spectators, but one event seems to be just as much fun for the people behind the action. The firemen's waterball competition took place Tuesday night in the southeast corner of the Logan County fairgrounds.

Ten teams -- down from 20 in last year's contest -- went hose to hose to push the ball across the orange line on the overhead cable. It's the tug of war concept, with each team trying to move the ball into the other guy's space. It may sound like an easy task, but it takes skill and persistence to counter the force of the opponent's giant gush of water. And, it can't be done in some crazy fashion. 

"There are general rules they use in the firemen's waterball competition at the state fair," said Jim Altig, Latham's assistant fire chief, "but we abbreviate those to accommodate our time and space. 

"They have three-minute rounds and three rounds for a match. When you match up 20 teams, that could be a long event," Altig explained. "So, we have 1 1/2-minute rounds and two rounds in a match. The time, of course, depends on whether or not one team has already moved across the line before the time limit."

Other rules apply to space, conduct and other dynamics relevant to the field of play.  

Teams participating were Latham 1, Team ET of Latham, Mount Pulaski, Lincoln Rural, Maroa, Cornland, Hartsburg, San Jose, Smoke Eaters and Buck Shots.

Final results for Tuesday night's contest at the firemen's waterball competition:

• First-place team: San Jose Fire Department -- Chris Hieronymus, Patrick Hancock, Cody Godbey.

• Second-place team: Maroa Fire Department -- Doug Kennedy, Devan Rabbe, Nick Goff.

• Third-place team: Lincoln Rural Fire Department -- Chris Buse, Nick Fleschman, Joe Miller.

• Fourth-place team: Hartsburg Fire Department -- Devan Rabbe, Tristin Richardson, Dustin Eyrse.

[By MARLA BLAIR, with final results provided by Jim Altig]