Family keeps up tradition with pit-spitting contest win

EAU CLAIRE, Mich. -- When it comes to pit-spitting in southwestern Michigan, it's tough to beat the Krause family, who on Saturday maintained their dominance in the 41st International Cherry Pit-Spitting Championship.

Brian Krause took top honors with a distance of 80 feet, 8 inches, said Monica Teichman, who runs the market at Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm in Eau Claire, just north of the Indiana state line.

Coming in second this year was Brian's father, Rick, with a spitting distance of 77 feet, 71/2 inches. Kevin Bartz took third with 64 feet, 8 inches.

Last year's big winner was Matt "BB Gun" Krause with a distance of 41 feet, 61/2 inches.

The Krause family has won 26 of 41 of the contests since farm owner Herb Teichman launched the tournament in 1974 as a lark -- but also to mark the region's tart cherry harvest.

Brian Krause holds the record spit of 93 feet, 61/2 inches, set in 2003.

More than 100 people tried to qualify Saturday for the championship round.