🍎 A.C.A.P.A. 🍎
American Competitive Apple Picking Association
⚠️ OFFICIAL ACAPA TEAMS PAGE ⚠️
★ EST. 1987 — HEADQUARTERED IN BURLINGTON, VERMONT ★
🍎 WELCOME TO THE ACAPA OFFICIAL TEAMS PAGE!! 🍎 *** ALL 6 REGISTERED TEAMS FOR THE 2004 SEASON *** 🍎 GO ORCHARD CRUSHERS!! 🍎 *** BUSHEL BRIGADE LOOKING TO RECLAIM THE BASKET TROPHY!! *** 🍎 CORE BLASTERS — FASTEST PICKERS IN THE EAST!! 🍎 *** CLICK A TEAM NAME TO LEARN MORE!! *** 🍎🍎🍎 APPLE PICKING IS A SPORT AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!! 🍎🍎🍎
🚧 THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION!! 🚧
TEAM PHOTOS FOR CORE BLASTERS AND STEM SNAPPERS COMING SOON!!
CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK!!!
CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK!!!
⭐ BEST VIEWED IN INTERNET EXPLORER 6.0 AT 800x600 RESOLUTION ⭐ | Netscape 4.0 also ok we guEss
🍎 ALL REGISTERED ACAPA TEAMS — 2004 SEASON 🍎
There are currently SIX (6) teams registered with the American Competitive Apple Picking Association for the 2004 Official Season!! These are the finest apple picking athletes this great nation has to offer!! Please respect all teams and their rosters. Any TRASH TALK must be submitted in writing to the ACAPA Commissioner's Office (Attn: Dennis P. Wormsley III).
Jump to a team: Orchard Crushers | Bushel Brigade | Core Blasters | Stem Snappers | The Golden Delicious | Granny's Army
There are currently SIX (6) teams registered with the American Competitive Apple Picking Association for the 2004 Official Season!! These are the finest apple picking athletes this great nation has to offer!! Please respect all teams and their rosters. Any TRASH TALK must be submitted in writing to the ACAPA Commissioner's Office (Attn: Dennis P. Wormsley III).
Jump to a team: Orchard Crushers | Bushel Brigade | Core Blasters | Stem Snappers | The Golden Delicious | Granny's Army
⭐ 2004 SEASON STANDINGS (AS OF WEEK 7) ⭐
| # | TEAM | STATE | W | L | PCT | LAST MEET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🥇 Orchard Crushers | VT | 6 | 1 | .857 | WIN |
| 2 | Bushel Brigade | NY | 5 | 2 | .714 | WIN |
| 3 | Core Blasters | PA | 4 | 3 | .571 | LOSS |
| 4 | Stem Snappers | MI | 3 | 4 | .429 | WIN |
| 5 | The Golden Delicious | WA | 2 | 5 | .286 | LOSS |
| 6 | 😢 Granny's Army | NC | 1 | 6 | .143 | LOSS |
* Updated after each weekly ACAPA-certified meet. All records subject to protest review by Commissioner Wormsley.
🍎🍎🍎 ~~~ TEAM PROFILES BELOW ~~~ 🍎🍎🍎
🍎 THE ORCHARD CRUSHERS 🍎
📍 Stowe, Vermont | Home Orchard: Green Mountain Orchards
"We don't pick apples. We CONQUER them." — Team Motto
| Founded | 1994 |
| Home Orchard | Green Mountain Orchards, Stowe VT |
| 2004 Record | 6 W — 1 L |
| Specialty | McIntosh, Cortland |
| ACAPA Titles | 🏆🏆🏆 (1998, 2001, 2003) |
| Team Colors | Forest Green & White |
| Head Coach | Reginald "Big Reg" Bumford |
| Team Song | "Vermont Girls Don't Drop Apples" |
📋 2004 OFFICIAL ROSTER
| NAME | POSITION | HOMETOWN | BIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cletus P. Appleby | Lead Picker | Stowe, VT | Has never dropped an apple in competition. Attributes this to "strong thumbs and a mighty spirit." Eats apples for every meal including breakfast cereal. |
| Mildred "Millie Macs" Jorgensen | Anchor Picker | Burlington, VT | Former Olympic speed-knitter turned apple picking powerhouse. Her two-handed grip technique is the subject of a 47-page ACAPA technical manual. |
| Tobias Q. Stemsworth | Basket Presenter | Montpelier, VT | Achieved a PERFECT presentation score of 100 at the 2003 Nationals. Wears a tuxedo at every competition "out of respect for the fruit." |
| Doris Treehuggington | Height Specialist | Shelburne, VT | Stands 6'4" and doesn't need a ladder. ACAPA ruled in 2002 that this is NOT an unfair advantage. She disagrees with that ruling on principle. |
| Randy "The Stem" Flannagan | Speed Picker | Woodstock, VT | Holds the current ACAPA world record of 212 apples in 4 minutes (unverified, pending ladder audit). Refuses to pick Fuji apples on religious grounds. |
COACH'S NOTE: "We are the ORCHARD CRUSHERS and we will defend our title with every fiber of our apple-lovin' bodies!! COME GET SOME, BUSHEL BRIGADE!!" — Reginald Bumford, Head Coach
🧺 BUSHEL BRIGADE 🧺
📍 Hudson Valley, New York | Home Orchard: Prestige Pomes Farm, Rhinebeck NY
"Elegance is the difference between a good pick and a GREAT pick." — Team Motto
| Founded | 1989 (oldest active team!) |
| Home Orchard | Prestige Pomes Farm, Rhinebeck NY |
| 2004 Record | 5 W — 2 L |
| Specialty | Empire, Macoun |
| ACAPA Titles | 🏆🏆 (1991, 1995) |
| Team Colors | Burgundy & Gold |
| Head Coach | Francesca di Pomono |
| Known For | Highest avg. Presentation Score in ACAPA history (94.7) |
📋 2004 OFFICIAL ROSTER
| NAME | POSITION | HOMETOWN | BIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington J. Crumsworth | Lead Picker | Rhinebeck, NY | Grew up in an apple orchard, literally — his parents converted a U-Pick farm into a home. Has never eaten a non-apple fruit and considers pears "a personal insult." |
| Hortense "The Claw" Buxbaum | Basket Presenter | Poughkeepsie, NY | Won ACAPA's Golden Bushel Presentation Award four years running. Practices her basket-carrying walk for 3 hours daily in her living room. |
| Beauregard Thistlethorn | Anchor Picker | Kingston, NY | Was briefly a professional mimed before discovering apple picking. Still occasionally mimes picking invisible apples during warm-ups, which confuses everyone. |
| Agnes "Aggie Stems" Mulroney | Speed Picker | Hudson, NY | Can pick 40 apples per minute left-handed. Has never tried her right hand. "That hand is for waving to fans," she has stated publicly. |
| Percival Grimes | Height Specialist | Catskill, NY | A retired step-ladder salesman who realized in 2002 that he could climb step-ladders faster than anyone alive. ACAPA-certified ladder speeds up to 14 rungs/second. |
| Norbert "Nibbles" Hoffstead | Quality Inspector | Newburgh, NY | Tastes one apple from each bushel to confirm quality before presentation. Has eaten over 11,000 competition apples since joining the team in 1999. Weighs exactly as much as you'd expect. |
💥 CORE BLASTERS 💥
📍 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania | Home Orchard: Bontrager's Orchard, Bird-in-Hand PA
"Speed. Power. Apples." — Team Motto (they ran out of budget for a longer one)
| Founded | 2001 |
| Home Orchard | Bontrager's Orchard, Bird-in-Hand PA |
| 2004 Record | 4 W — 3 L |
| Specialty | Red Delicious, York Imperial |
| ACAPA Titles | None yet (SO CLOSE in 2003!!) |
| Team Colors | Burnt Orange & Black |
| Head Coach | Dwayne "Bullet" Schmucker |
| Known For | Aggressive picking style, 3 penalty flags in 2003 |
📋 2004 OFFICIAL ROSTER
| NAME | POSITION | HOMETOWN | BIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno "The Blaster" Heinzenbach | Lead Picker (Aggressive) | Intercourse, PA | Currently holds the Lancaster County record for most apples picked in 60 seconds: 94. Once picked so aggressively he knocked a tree over. (Disqualified. Tree okay.) |
| Gertrude "Turbo Gert" Yoderhoffer | Speed Picker | Strasburg, PA | Picked 800 apples in a single afternoon practice session and then immediately drove home for dinner. Considers warming up "for people who are afraid of apples." |
| Dale "The Wrist" Knepper | Stem Snapper | Ephrata, PA | His stem-snapping technique is so precise he's been asked to consult for THREE different ACAPA rule committees. He declined all three ("No time, picking to do"). |
| Connie Sprecher | Basket Presenter | Lititz, PA | She is the ONLY Core Blasters member focused on presentation. She is constantly outvoted at team meetings. She cries in the orchard sometimes. She has our respect. |
| Junior "J-Pick" Stoltzfoos | Rookie Picker | Paradise, PA | 19 years old. First season. Already picked faster than 4 of his teammates. Head coach Schmucker refuses to admit this. J-Pick does not care. J-Pick just picks. |
⚠️ NOTICE: The Core Blasters received a formal warning from ACAPA Commissioner Wormsley after the Mid-Atlantic Regional for "excessive apple velocity." Team is appealing this ruling.
✂️ STEM SNAPPERS ✂️
📍 Traverse City, Michigan | Home Orchard: Great Lakes Apple Works, TC Michigan
"Snap it clean, snap it mean, snap it like you mean it." — Team Motto
| Founded | 1997 |
| Home Orchard | Great Lakes Apple Works, Traverse City MI |
| 2004 Record | 3 W — 4 L |
| Specialty | Honeycrisp 🍯 (exclusively) |
| ACAPA Titles | None (runner-up 2000) |
| Team Colors | Purple & Gold |
| Head Coach | Wanda "Honeybee" Kuznicki |
| Known For | Perfect stem-snap scores; fan favorite |
📋 2004 OFFICIAL ROSTER
| NAME | POSITION | HOMETOWN | BIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gwendolyn "Gwen-Crisp" Pavelka | Lead Picker (Honeycrisp) | Traverse City, MI | Has dedicated her life to the Honeycrisp apple. Her house is painted Honeycrisp colors. Her dog is named Crispy. She has been to the Honeycrisp Hall of Fame in Bayport, MN four times. |
| Oswaldo "Ossie" Krampus | Stem Specialist | Petoskey, MI | Achieved a score of 99.8 for stem integrity at the 2003 North Central Regional. He has been chasing that final 0.2 points ever since. He talks about it constantly. At dinner. At breakfast. ALWAYS. |
| Bette Lou "Bushel Bette" Winningham | Basket Presenter | Cadillac, MI | Creates elaborate tablescapes around her apple baskets using only natural woodland materials found within 50 feet of the competition orchard. Judges consistently award bonus points for "ambiance." |
| Maurice "The Branch Whisperer" Tidwell | Height Specialist | Charlevoix, MI | Claims he can "hear" which apples are ready to be picked. Passed two ACAPA psychological evaluations. Has 40 years experience in orchards. Probably right about the listening thing honestly. |
⭐ THE GOLDEN DELICIOUS ⭐
📍 Yakima Valley, Washington State | Home Orchard: Mount Rainier Ridge Orchards, Yakima WA
"Washington apples are the BEST apples. Fight us." — Team Motto (they ARE fighting about it)
| Founded | 1999 |
| Home Orchard | Mount Rainier Ridge Orchards, Yakima WA |
| 2004 Record | 2 W — 5 L |
| Specialty | Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala |
| ACAPA Titles | None (but they have OPINIONS about this) |
| Team Colors | Gold & Red |
| Head Coach | Kirk "Cascade" Matsumoto |
| Known For | Loudest fans; most travel miles; chronically late to meets (time zones) |
📋 2004 OFFICIAL ROSTER
| NAME | POSITION | HOMETOWN | BIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifford "Cliff-Hanger" Yamaguchi | Lead Picker | Yakima, WA | Professional apple grower by day, competitive apple picker by weekend. Has calloused fingers so tough he once accidentally split a regulation ACAPA apple just by touching it. (Docked 12 points.) |
| Ramona "Golden Rami" Schultz | Speed Picker | Wenatchee, WA | Drove her pickup truck 2,400 miles to attend ACAPA Nationals in 2002 and arrived 3 hours late. Still placed 4th overall. The ACAPA Commissioner cried, and not from happiness. |
| Thaddeus P. Crunchwhistle | Basket Presenter | Ellensburg, WA | A former rodeo clown who found inner peace in apple presentation. His baskets always smell faintly of sawdust and Big League Chew, which the judges have noted as "unusual but not disqualifying." |
| Winifred "Winnie Fuji" Pratchett | Variety Specialist | Selah, WA | Can identify 47 apple varieties by smell alone in under 30 seconds. This skill is nearly useless in competition but she does it at every meet anyway while everyone stares. |
| Eugene "Big Gene" Hollandsworth | Anchor Picker | Yakima, WA | Retired after 2002, un-retired for 2003, retired again, and un-retired for 2004. Is considering retiring again. Head Coach Matsumoto has asked him to "please just decide." |
👵 GRANNY'S ARMY 👵
📍 Hendersonville, North Carolina | Home Orchard: Perkins Heritage Orchard, Hendersonville NC
"Granny didn't raise no quitters. But she did raise some slow pickers this year." — Coaching Staff
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | 🏅 Ethel Mae "Granny Thunder" Perkins (HOF 2000) |
| Home Orchard | Perkins Heritage Orchard, Hendersonville NC |
| 2004 Record | 1 W — 6 L |
| Specialty | Winesap, Golden Supreme |
| ACAPA Titles | 🏆 (1997) under Granny Thunder |
| Team Colors | Gray & Green (to honor Granny) |
| Head Coach | Earl Perkins Jr. (Granny's nephew) |
| Known For | Rich history; current rough patch; excellent post-meet apple pies |
🏅 ABOUT GRANNY THUNDER:
Ethel Mae Perkins (1921–2002) founded Granny's Army after winning an informal picking contest at the 1991 Henderson County Apple Festival. She is widely regarded as the GREATEST apple picker in ACAPA history, holding 14 individual records at the time of her retirement in 1998. She was inducted into the ACAPA Hall of Fame in 2000. See her record page here.
Ethel Mae Perkins (1921–2002) founded Granny's Army after winning an informal picking contest at the 1991 Henderson County Apple Festival. She is widely regarded as the GREATEST apple picker in ACAPA history, holding 14 individual records at the time of her retirement in 1998. She was inducted into the ACAPA Hall of Fame in 2000. See her record page here.
📋 2004 OFFICIAL ROSTER
| NAME | POSITION | HOMETOWN | BIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Perkins Jr. | Lead Picker / Head Coach | Hendersonville, NC | Granny Thunder's nephew and reluctant team leader. Admits he "misses Aunt Ethel every single meet." Still trying to teach himself her legendary two-finger picking technique from VHS tape. |
| Lurleen "Lulu" Hightower | Anchor Picker | Flat Rock, NC | Extremely enthusiastic. Not especially fast. Gives 110% at every meet, which ACAPA officials confirm is mathematically impossible in apple picking. Nobody has the heart to explain this. |
| Floyd "The Fumbler" Bumgardner | Speed Picker | Mills River, NC | Acquired his nickname after dropping 23 apples in a single meet in 2003. He is working on it. He SAYS he is working on it. Nobody has seen evidence of this. Floyd, we believe in you. |
| Nadine Crumpler | Basket Presenter | Brevard, NC | Makes the most beautiful baskets on the circuit but is so nervous during presentation she once tripped over a regulation ACAPA cone and spilled 11 apples in front of the lead judge. She recovered with dignity. Mostly. |
| Bobby Don Pressley | Rookie / Height Specialist | Edneyville, NC | 17 years old. Granny Thunder's great-nephew. Has Granny's eyes and Granny's hands, say the old-timers. Could be the future of this franchise if he'd stop eating the competition apples before they're counted. |
💚 SUPPORT GRANNY'S ARMY!! 💚
"Every champion has a season when the apples just don't fall your way. Keep climbing, Granny's Army!!"
— ACAPA Fan Forum Post #4,891, by user AppleLuvr1987
"Every champion has a season when the apples just don't fall your way. Keep climbing, Granny's Army!!"
— ACAPA Fan Forum Post #4,891, by user AppleLuvr1987
🍎 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 🍎 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 🍎 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 🍎
EXPLORE MORE ACAPA:
📅 2004 SCHEDULE 📋 OFFICIAL RULES 🏆 ALL-TIME RECORDS ✍️ JOIN ACAPA 📷 PHOTO GALLERY 📖 GUESTBOOK 🏠 HOMEPAGE 🍎 ORCHARD CRUSHERS PAGE 🧺 BUSHEL BRIGADE PAGE 💥 CORE BLASTERS PAGE ✂️ STEM SNAPPERS PAGE ⭐ GOLDEN DELICIOUS PAGE 👵 GRANNY'S ARMY PAGE
📅 2004 SCHEDULE 📋 OFFICIAL RULES 🏆 ALL-TIME RECORDS ✍️ JOIN ACAPA 📷 PHOTO GALLERY 📖 GUESTBOOK 🏠 HOMEPAGE 🍎 ORCHARD CRUSHERS PAGE 🧺 BUSHEL BRIGADE PAGE 💥 CORE BLASTERS PAGE ✂️ STEM SNAPPERS PAGE ⭐ GOLDEN DELICIOUS PAGE 👵 GRANNY'S ARMY PAGE
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