The look of determination on Kyle Strickland’s face as he held the net said it all.
Once Carson Boomsma’s amphibious contestant, Lighting Bolt, hightailed it outside the course during the Post-Tribune’s annual Great Frog Jump on Saturday morning, Kyle, 11, of DeMotte, took off running with his sister, Alannah, and several other kids in tow to catch the rascally frog.
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Fortunately, they were able to retrieve the over-achieving jumper, who logged a 10-foot, 10-inch leap during the contest.
His aunt, Dawn Brugos, of Hebron, beamed proudly.
“He knows to have a net because his aunt and grandparents and parents have done the Frog Jump for years,” she said as her grandson, George Brugos IV, wiggled in anticipation of his turn.
And he had a secret weapon to make his frog go: A bullhorn.
“They got their frogs out of their aunt’s pond in Hebron this week,” Brugos said.
The frog jump rules haven’t changed much in the years since the Lake County Fair competition started.
Contestants of the human variety must be no older than 16 and each has one chance to get their frog to jump the farthest inside a roped area, volunteer announcer Sandy Mather said. The frogs have 30 seconds and three jumps to prove their prowess.
Some frogs, like Lightning Bolt, got after it immediately.
The racing part isn’t even the most fun for Aison Michalides and his little sister, Maggie, although the shot at winning a prize is always exciting.
“Their favorite part is the mad dash for frogs after the actual jump,” said their dad, Nick Michalides. “They could care less about anything else.”
Allyson Boomsma, who was there with sons Carson and Ben, 6, agreed the amusement for her boys is the lead-up to the jump.
“Half the fun for them is catching the frogs,” she said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.