ELKTON, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Man Games are back for Round 2, as teams from around the state gather to prove they have what it takes to join the ranks of the world’s worst superhero.
Following the success of last year's inaugural Florida Man Games in downtown St. Augustine, organizers have moved Saturday's event a few miles away to the St. Johns County Fairgrounds, where they expected to have room for more spectators and tailgating.
The games were hosted by Florida comedians Josh Wicks Robinson and Kevin Flynn.
Poking fun at the state’s reputation for bizarre stories, last year's teams competed in Florida-themed events like the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course and Beer Belly Sumo Wrestling. New events added this year include Hurricane Party Prep: Grocery Aisle Brawl and Human Beer Pong.
Ten teams from around the state, from Fort Myers to Pensacola, were competing. Last year's winner, team Hanky Spanky from St. Augustine, were returning to defend their snakeskin championship belt. Also competing this year was an all-female team called the Ball Busters.
Croix Bruns, a 29-year-old technician for Dave & Buster’s, participated in the weaponized pool noodle competition. He has lived in Florida his whole life, with the tattoos “to show for it,” and he said he believes that a “true Florida Man” doesn’t prepare for the games.
“They’re just born ready to be great,” Bruns said. “They’re born ready for the trophy and ready for the title, and each year someone new has to be born for it.”
The Florida Man Games are something you won't find anywhere else, he said.
“We’ve got the Olympics and they’ve been around forever, but they don’t have gator tossing,” Bruns said. “They don’t have a contest where you've got to hold your beer and fight someone else at the same time.”
Besides watching the events, guests have a chance to get up to Florida Man shenanigans themselves. They can interact with alligators from Gatorland and ride a mechanical alligator. The games also feature a show by " Midget Wrestling Warriors " and lawnmower racing hosted by NASCAR driver Jeffrey Earnhardt.
To announcer Che Durena, the games embody Florida in a competitive sense.
“It’s exactly on-brand the way I thought it would be,” he said. “It’s the right level of grimy and extravagance and debaucherous. It’s exactly what I want. It’s a lot of people day drinking, a lot of people getting sunburnt, a lot of people just partying and acting foolish in the best way.”
The “Florida Man” phenomenon seeped into the nation’s consciousness thanks in part to a Twitter account that started in 2013 with the handle @_FloridaMan. The account touted “real-life stories of the world’s worst superhero,” sharing news headlines such as “Florida Man Bites Dog to ‘Establish Dominance’ ” and “Florida Man Tried to Pay for McDonald’s With Weed.”
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