Don Schaplow, the keeper of the frogs for Toledo Cheese Days' annual frog jumping contest, discussed his strategies for catching the slippery amphibians Thursday, the day before the event.
Vanessa and Jackson Prigmore try to encourage their frog to jump during the Toledo Cheese Days Frog Jumping Contest at the Toledo High School Track on Friday.
Broden Sillito reacts as his frog jumps away during the Toledo Cheese Days Frog Jumping Contest at the Toledo High School Track on Friday.
Adren Cooper watches his frog jump away during the Toledo Cheese Days Frog Jumping Contest at the Toledo High School Track on Friday.
Courtney Pearce reacts as her frog jumps away during the Toledo Cheese Days Frog Jumping Contest at the Toledo High School Track on Friday.
Bently Bowen watches his frog jump away during the Toledo Cheese Days Frog Jumping Contest at the Toledo High School Track on Friday.
Bently Bowen's frog leaps away from him after some encouragement during the Toledo Cheese Days Frog Jumping Contest at the Toledo High School Track on Friday.
Maquinzee Thayer watches as her frog leaps up at her during the Toledo Cheese Days Frog Jumping Contest at the Toledo High School Track on Friday.
Trent Porrier watches his frog play leap frog with another frog during the Toledo Cheese Days Frog Jumping Contest at the Toledo High School Track on Friday.
The giant bullfrogs used for the annual Toledo Cheese Days' frog jumping contest are all caught by hand, and many are stored at frog wrangler Don Schaplow's Toledo home in the days leading up to the competition.
When it comes to the Toledo Cheese Days annual Frog Jumping Contest, competition is a family tradition.
Catching the athletic amphibians and handing them out to eager youths and adults alike is also a family affair for Don and Angela Schaplow and their children Kal, 14, and Duke, 15.
“Last night we all went and frogged from 10 at night to 2 in the morning,” Don Schaplow said Thursday.
Schaplow has been the competition’s designated frog wrangler for many years, but he wasn’t the first. Tom Lahmann, former superintendent of the Toledo School District, started the frog jumping competition in 1981. Friday night, when dozens of people turned out to take part in the event, marked the event’s 35th anniversary.
“Tom passed it on to me,” Don said.
The Schaplows introduced their daughter, Kal, and son, Duke, to the frog-jumping competition when they were small children.
“Now we help hand the frogs out,” Kal said.
The event has become a tradition for generations of many families in the area, said Angela Schaplow.
“We see kids that were in high school when Don first started teaching here. Now they’re parents,” she said. “It’s almost like a reunion for a lot of them.”
Frog-catching crews have a set technique. One person runs the boat, while another hangs over the side with their arms out. One or two people act as spotters with bright lights.
“There are a lot of frogs in the area and these are great big bullfrogs,” he said. “They’re caught just in local ponds or rock pits in the area.”
When the crew sees a frog — usually because their eyes just above the water’s surface reflect their spotlights — the froggers make their move.
“One of the spotters keeps the frog hypnotized with the light,” Don said.
The boat driver moves quickly toward the frog, while another crew member reaches out and catches the slippery amphibians by hand. Don said they’ve tried nets, but bare hands are best.
Most of the crews that make late-night searches for the best jumping frogs are teachers and coaches in the Toledo School District, the Schaplows said.
As of Thursday afternoon, frog catchers had gathered about 55 frogs of various sizes for the competition. Until the day of the event, many are kept at the Schaplow’s Toledo home.
“The idea with catching them is every kid can come and jump a frog,” Don said. “It’s really just a neat community tradition.”
It’s not just children that get in on the fun. Adults also spend time picking the best frog for the competition.
“Everyone takes it seriously,” Duke said.
Rules at the contest are simple.
“The kids or adults pay a buck and that gets them one jump,” Don said. “Then they return the frog back. We try to keep them as fresh as we can.”
Each jumper gets 30 seconds and can do anything but touch the frog to get it to move. The frog’s total jump distance in that time limit is added together, resulting in their total distance. At the end of the competition, the top three jumpers get cash prizes of $15, $10 and $5.
Each year, the top distance traveled ranges from about 70 to 85 feet, Don said.
When the competition is over, all the frogs are escorted back to their boggy homes, where, presumably, they begin training for next year.
“You can’t help but like them,” Don said. “They’re friendly.”
