The Kompetition Kompetition (formerly known as the Competition Competition until discovery of an existing pre-registered Web site) was created over Labor Day weekend 2004 by Harper Bohlen, my brother Andrew Bohlen, and a good friend, Adam Steinbrunner.
Pretty basic. It is a one-day event consisting of several different games and/or competitions. Points are recorded for each event - 1 point for first, 2 points for second and so on. The person with the lowest score after all events is the winner.
With the exception of Dominoes and the 1 Man boat Race, the events are apt to change every year. Recent events include:
Fortuitously, the Kompetition Kompetition lived up to it's potential right from the start. Upon completing the final event, I found myself in a dead heat with Adam. Though exhausted, we realized a tie in such an event was like kissing your brother - not right at all. Thus we established a perfect tiebreaker: the last person to fall asleep wins. Not only does this method prove which competitor "wants it most", but it also provides solace to anyone eliminated from competition (as they get the pleasure of watching the final competitors suffer). As you may have guessed, I won - securing my place in Kompetition Kompetition history.
Opposite to the purity of the 2004 contest, the 2005 Kompetition Kompetition has been rife with scandal. Unofficially, Adam Steinbrunner "won" by 2 points. However, not unlike recent presidential elections, the contestants are still awaiting a verdict to determine a real winner. In brief, the dispute involves Mini-golf and allegations of cheating. I will update as soon as a decision has been reached.
Though appreciative of past one-on-one-on-one competitions, we wanted to make this event even better. We decided a fourth contestant would not only improve individual competition, but also expand the range of events through various team based contests. After evaluating hundreds of applications, we decided to invite Aaron Howell as the fourth participant; a choice that didn't disappoint.
Early in the day Aaron Howell dominated, posting high marks in both team and individual based competitions. Despite eventually pulling both hamstrings in separate events, Aaron Howell still found himself in the lead with only one event remaining: The one man boat race.
One point behind, I knew I had to win this event to force a tie. Aaron Howell was tough. We tied after three cups and I found overall victory only after winning a one beer tiebreaker and falling asleep last.
Another nail biter. After making a strong showing in earlier events, Andrew Bohlen began to lose ground to the field. As the final points were being tallied and the closing ceremonies were coming to an end, Adam Steinbrunner found himself dead even with Andrew.
Of course, this tie would usually be broken with a sleep off but an earlier event nullified the need for this tiebreaker. Earlier in the day Adam and Andrew tied in Mini Golf. By the time this was discovered the competitors were already on their way to the next event so we all agreed that a playoff would happen only if necessary.
It was necessary. History was made twice on Monday morning. Not only was it the first Kompetition Kompetition that lasted more than one day, but it was also Andrew Bohlen's first time leaving Kankakee as a Kompetiton Kompetiton champion.
Finally, I should warn you. If you happened to stumble across any unofficial Kompetition Kompetition web sites, don't be fooled by their delusions of grandeur. The best info can be found here.