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A jumping tradition

Frog jumping contestants can be hard to find

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  • CHRISTINA BURKE - VICTORIA ADVOCATE
  • Originally published July 5, 2008 at 10:54 p.m., updated July 5, 2008 at 10:54 p.m.

REFUGIO – The 8th annual Refugio Fourth of July celebration required some late night preparation for one Refugio family.

Jeff Owens and his son, second-grader Jeffrey, looked for frogs in every body of water imaginable well past midnight on Thursday to find the very best jumping frog. From culverts to private ponds, they traipsed the wildest of country with flashlights, nets and buckets.

Mom, Rachel Owens, said Jeffrey is not afraid of the frogs that are almost as tall as he is. His first grade teacher had to make sure he wasn’t smuggling them into the classroom from the playground, she said.

Competing in the frog jump is an annual Owens family tradition that started in the ’60s, when Jeff Owens was a kid growing up in Refugio hunting frogs with his father. Then, the bullfrogs were plentiful. Now, he says, “There’s not that many.”

It’s not easy to find a frog for the competition and it’s best to catch at least three, said Jeff. They have to be big, but not too big, he said. “They don’t get big by being stupid. They’ve got all kinds of natural predators like coons and coyotes.”

On the day of the competition, neither of the Owens’ walked away with the first-place spot. But, more importantly, they both had a good time.

In the adult division, Lonnie Porras’ frog jumped an amazing 15 feet 1/2 inches, winning first and best overall.

Jeffrey’s frog jumped a whopping 10 feet 1/2 inch, tying with Richard Reyna. However, a jump-off determined Reyna the first place winner in the youth category.

Win, lose or draw, the sweet and well-mannered seven-year-old Jeffrey is happy either way.

“I just like frog jumping. It’s fun, you can touch slime,” he said.

As for the frogs, they’ll be released back into the wild to await for another year of evading capture.

Christina Burke is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6516 or cburke@vicad.com or comment on this story at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.



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