MISSION VIEJO : ‘Sloppy Fun’ Marks Queen Competition

It wasn’t exactly a traditional campaign for homecoming queen at Saddleback College.

T-shirts and jeans replaced expensive gowns and the talent competition amounted to tossing cow chips, spitting watermelon seeds and bobbing for apples.

“We like to do something fun,” said Robin Requejo, 21, one of seven contestants seeking to become homecoming queen.

The campaign began about two weeks ago when the contestants went about seeking votes on campus, but became an attraction when student government officials decided to host a “sloppy fun” competition.

A watermelon seed-spitting contest kicked off Thursday’s events, which also included a particularly gooey competition in which the contestants stuffed 10 marshmallows in their mouths and attempted to pronounce the words chubby bunny.

“This is dignity incarnate,” said John McIntyre, the school’s director of marketing and development, watching the competition from the sideline.

Lars Yahr, vice president of the Associated Student Government, said contestants participated in a similar event last year, “but not as gross,” to promote visibility.

“We do this so people will know who they (the contestants) are and their characteristics,” said Yahr, a 20-year-old industrial technology and environmental studies major.

The queen will be crowned Saturday when the Saddleback Gauchos take on the Orange Coast College Pirates.