37-year old Jake Herblan of Chadron is the 2021 World Champion Buffalo Chip Thrower. Herblan won the title Saturday during the town’s 45th annual Fur Trade Days celebration by tossing a piece of dried buffalo dung 147-feet.
That’s about 18-inches better than the winning throw in 2019, the last time the Chip Throw had been held because of COVID-19, but well short of the individual record of 186-7 set by Gary Lackey of Detroit Lakes, Minn, in 2000.
The all-time record is 204-feet by Chadron State College track All-American Kail Bowman in 1990 during a since-discontinued team event.
Chadron residents swept the top 2 places this year in the men’s 18-and-over category with Herblan followed at 124-feet by 39-year old Melvin Oldaker, who was also the 2019 runner-up
Winning the women’s overall and 18-and-over titles was 29-year old Julie Pinero of Silver Spring, MD, at 62-1, topping 20-year old Emma Ann Oberg of Pine Island, MN, by just 10”.
This year’s Buffalo Chip Throw attracted 96 competitors, down from 119 in 2019 and 115 in 2018, but 8 more than in 2018. The biggest age group was 18-plus men with 24, followed by 7-12 boys with 17 and 7-12 girls with 16
2021 Chadron Rotary Club’s World Championship Buffalo Chip Toss Results
6 year-old & under (male & female)
1st: Audrey Watson, 6 years old, Chadron
28 ft 10inches
2nd: Kailynn Olduker, 6 years old, Chadron
26 feet 7 inches
3rd: Avalon Tucker, 6 years old, Lincoln, NE
18 feet 10 inches
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Female, age 7-12
1st: Sophie Watson 12 years old, Chadron
59 feet 10 inches
2nd: Audrey Dailey 12 years old, Chadron
54 feet 8 inches
3rd: Harper Watson 10 years old, Chadron
50 feet 8 inches
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Male, age 7-12
1st: Ashton Tucker, 11 years old, Lincoln, NE
66 feet 2 inches
2nd: Sorren Oberg 12 years old, Pine Island, MN
65 feet 1 inch
3rd: Langdon White 9 years old, Kearney, NE
63 feet 6 inches
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Female, age 13-17
1st: Targan Bach 14 years old, Chadron
52 feet 9 inches
2nd: Raeleigh Bridges 17 years old, Chadron
42 feet 8 inches
3rd: Sage Peralez 16 years old, Minnetonka, MN
36 feet
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Male, age 13-17
1st: Mason Cortez 17 years old, Edgemont, SD
105 feet 7 inches
2nd: Isaac Orr 16 years old, Bozeman, MT
100 feet 10 inches
3rd: Tyson Taylor 13 years old, Papillion, NE
95 feet 5 inches
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Female, age 18 and Over
1st: Julie Piñero 29 years old, Silver Spring, MD
62 feet 1 inch
2nd: Emma Ann Oberg 20 years old, Pine Island, MN
61 feet 3 inches
3rd: Becca Bosough 29 years old, Helena, MT
53 feet 11 inches
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Male age 18 and Over
1st: Jake Herblan 37 years old, Chadron
147 feet
2nd: Melvin Oldaker 39 years old, Chadron
124 feet
3rd: Aaron Tucker 38 years old, Lincoln, NE
114 feet 10 inches
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Politician:
Vance Haug 56 feet 9 inches
Cheryl Welch 52 feet 1 inch
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Participation totals
6 & under: 9
F 7-12: 16
M 7-12: 17
F 13-17: 4
M 13-17: 13
F 18+: 11
M 18+: 24
Politicians: 2