Suns Crown National Egg Toss Champions
"It is pretty exciting, they say when an athlete wins a national championship it takes a few days to sink in, and I understand that now," says Jon Page.
The duo won in the twenty team national championship. Their winning mark surpassed last year's final toss by over 20 feet.
Page and Hepp, from Raleigh, North Carolina, were in the championship for the first time. The friends since middle school formed as a team for the event. They practiced twice a week with at least a dozen eggs the last one-and-a-half months for the championship. Their tosses would be at five-foot increments, sometimes throwing over 90 feet in practice.
Page, who tries to compete in a "wacky" event each month that anyone can enter, has competed in a wide range of events including an English cheese rolling event, a hollering contest and a dress-up shopping cart race.
"It has been a great time, I used to be a sports writer, so going out and talking to them, it is incredible how passionate they are."
The team sought advice from numerous sources, including Andy Dunlop, the president of the World Egg Throwing Federation. They also tried, albeit unsuccessfully, NCAA national championship men's basketball coaches Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski of their native North Carolina.
Each of the duo's wives, Carie Page and Jodie Hepp, were also participants in the championship, exiting out in an earlier round.
The Hagerstown Suns play at Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown, MD and are a Class "A" affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Ticket packages and sponsorships are available by calling the Suns at 301-791-6266. Visit the Suns on the web at www.hagerstownsuns.com. The Suns are owned by Los Angeles based Mandalay Baseball Properties.