TAYLOR DAILY PRESS (Texas) 03 March 06 Snake charmed (Mike Eddleman)
Spectators glued to pit action during sacking championship
Spectators made their way around Murphy Park this weekend, stopping at the petting zoo, shopping for arts and crafts, grabbing a bite to eat and taking a spin on the carnival rides, but it was the snakes that made them sit down and pay attention.
The bleachers surrounding the snake pit remained filled as the Heart of Texas Snake Handlers alternated between the sacking competition and educational presentations on snakes and the ever-popular stunts.
“It is cool that they try to educate but at the same time I think they are crazy. I would not be in there,” Misty Dominguez said. “Walking barefoot in there with the snakes blew my mind.”
Dominguez brought her children to the event and said they thoroughly enjoyed watching the snakes - from a distance.
The sacking competition continued a tradition dating back to 1973, when the Taylor Jaycees held the first show in Noack.
Many of the competitors have a long history with snakes.
“I got into this because of my dad, Adolph Grieger,” Bobby Grieger said. “He was one of the original ones that set up the Taylor show. I can remember being three or four years old and them going out hunting them and carrying me on a trash can.”
Grieger has been into sacking snakes for about five years and said it is hard to explain why some people are drawn to it.
“It is like getting in a car and driving 200 miles per hour. It is always what's going to happen around the next corner?” he said. “The difference is race cars are pretty predictable.”
As far as strategy, he said there is not much involved.
“There's no trick to it,” he said. “Everyone has their own strategy but if you can get the snakes to lay still instead of crawling it makes it a lot easier.”
The handlers also have to rely on a good memory to be prepared for the competition.
Sackers are penalized for not properly pinning snakes before tossing them in the bag and can also be penalized for being scratched or bitten.
“It seems like it should be the other way around for that,” Grieger said with a laugh.
While it is a competition and judging is taken seriously, he said all the competitiors are close and they enjoy the friendship. With a wide grin, Grieger said the judging could be tougher on him than the others competing.
“My dad's a judge, so if anyone is getting judged hard it's me,” he said.
He said there's no way to practice to perfect the skill; it is all about trust between partners.
“There is no practice. This is the only place that we do this,” he said. “I haven't done this since last April. We handle snakes all the time, but this is the only show we have a sacking competition at.”
Grieger does not know if he will continue next year.
“I've talked about this being my last year,” he said. “I have a baby on the way.”
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