Have you ever played racquetball?

No, but I bet I can still beat you.

With those fighting words began a challenge of strength and wits that evolved – or some would say spun out of control – into the Renaissance Man Decathlon. It’s a two-man duel between Davidson residents Matt Hanson (grimacing at right in the photo) and Jordie Poncy. They have used the challenge as a diversion from a hectic work period and also as a way to resolve, once and for all (or at least until the next round) the superior man.

“Some would say I’m cocky,” noted Mr. Hanson.

“I would say that,” noted Mr. Poncy.

At the moment, Mr. Hanson has a reason to feel confident, as he maintains a comfortable lead after seven events. He has proven superior at beer chugging, wrong-hand writing, tire changing, Trivial Pursuit, and, yes, racquetball. (He was the gauntlet dropper in the initial conversation that kicked off the competition, even though Mr. Poncy is the experienced racquetball player.) But, like a true Renaissance gentleman, Mr. Hanson conceded that “It’s been closer than it looks.” And Mr. Poncy holds onto solid wins in poetry recitation and swimming at the Davidson
Lake Campus.

Olympic decathlon this is not. The categories are tailor-made for a pair of recent Davidson grads working at fund-raising for the college and immersed in the conclusion to the fiscal year.

“It made things a lot more exciting for us,” said Mr. Poncy.

“It started out as just him versus me,” said Mr. Hanson. “But then we sent out an email and within a half-hour it was out to the entire department and to people we didn’t even know.”

In fact, the email was a requirement – the loser had to email his colleagues to announce his loss. And what will the eventual winner receive? A special nameplate trumpeting his new title on the office mailbox and the opportunity to be treated by the loser at two fine local eateries: Steak ‘N Shake and Q’doba.

WORKPLACE FUN

Though the college years for Mr. Hanson and Mr. Poncy overlapped, and they even took a class together, they did not become friends until they began working together in fund-raising. Mr. Hanson, Class of ’05, is an annual fund gifts officer, while Mr. Poncy, Class of ’06, is a fund raising fellow. Mr. Poncy will finish his fellowship this month, and is heading to the University of Florida for graduate studies. This puts a time crunch on the decathlon.

“We need to finish this by next week,” Mr. Hanson stressed.

Perhaps a review of the standings would be in order. Completed events:

• Beer chugging – This involved plastic cups of Miller Lite. We won’t say how much. Suffice it say that Mr. Hanson was able to use his extra year at the drinking age to good use for a solid win in the opening round of competition.
• Wrong hand writing – Mr. Hanson had stylish, Renaissance-style European 7s and this gave him an edge. The text? The 47-word statement appended to the end of all Davidson College press releases: “Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,700 students…”
• 150 meter swim – (photo) At last, Mr. Poncy was able to get his name in the record books. The race involved running across the beach at the college’s lake campus and making a mad swim dash to the dock and back. This event drew one of the best crowds.
• Poetry contest – Again, a win for Mr. Poncy, evening the overall score to a thrilling 2-2. Each contestant wrote an ode to their favorite restaurant and had to recite their verses before a crowd that included Mr. Hanson’s parents.
• Tire changing – Who knew that Mr. Hanson would be so handy with a flat? Working feverishly in the development office parking lot, Mr. Hanson was clocked at 5 minutes, 43 seconds, as compared to 7:08 for Mr. Poncy.
• Trivial Pursuit – The board game was played away from the office with no distracting crowds. It appears Mr. Poncy thrives on attention as he floundered here.
• Racquetball – Mr. Poncy jumped into the lead, winning the first game. But, again, there was no cheering crowd, so Mr. Hanson was able to use his focus to win the second game. Mentally crushed, Mr. Poncy could not catch up and the match ended at a 2-1 win for Mr. Hanson.

WHAT NEXT?

That leaves just three events to go, and Mr. Hanson is worried that judges (drawn from the development office) in the artistic events will favor the underdog.

“They all like him better,” Mr. Hanson complained.

“My power is in the masses,” Mr. Poncy concurred.

The final rounds of competition will include composing a picture using the Microsoft Paint computer program and submitting a photo from a portfolio taken by a disposable camera. The last event remains undecided, but may be a rematch of a go-cart race. That epic event initially was held at the Monkey Joe’s track in Cornelius. Mr. Poncy was cruising to victory when track workers switched off the power to his cart in order to even things up, allowing Mr. Hanson to whip by and cross the finish line. Unfair! Being renaissance men, the contestants agreed to scratch the event.

No matter the final tally, will the two really be able to end their competition?

“This could be the first annual…” said Mr. Poncy.

“There’s been talk of regionals…” added Mr. Hanson.

That said, the two are pleased with how the competition has played out.

“We’re better friends now then when we started,” said Mr. Hanson. “Agreed?”

Mr. Poncy nodded firmly. “Agreed.”

Comments Disabled To "Buddies battle in a 10-event challenge"

#1 Comment By Spence Millen On July 9, 2007 @ 6:01 pm