MONROE - The bushy-faced donkeys were the hilarious stars of the show, and the Monroe Police and Firefighters team were the donkey-basketball champions of the evening. But the Monroe High School Future Farmers of America came out the winners with a hefty attendance for their FFA Donkey Basketball fundraiser Saturday night at the high school gym.
Regardless of their second-place finish, Monroe FFA students said the fundraiser would add some nice money to their treasury, but they didn't know yet how they would use the funds.
In the first game of the night, the Monroe FFA team trailed Argyle's FFA team, 6-4, at halftime - it's hard to score from the seat of a donkey, after all. But with one minute left in the second half, Monroe managed to tie the score, which Argyle could not manage to break before the buzzer sounded.
Through it all, the patient donkeys, even those miniature enough to be eye-level with the audience, barely burdened themselves to bat an eyelash.
Argyle's loss was not the fault of the stubborn donkeys, however.
The visiting team turned the ball over too many times by passing while not mounted upon their trusty steeds.
In the end, Monroe took the win in the tiebreaker, winning two out of three really silly human events: Arm wrestling and rock/paper/scissors/shoe.
C.J. Cordell of Dairyland Donkeyball said the animals were fitted with non-skid, non-marking rubber shoes that protected the highly polished gym floor. Even so, the sanitation committee was called onto the floor several times during the evening. But if the donkey doings were not enough to embarrass riders, a couple of jacks were willing to up the stakes of comedy for more laughs.
Those animals were a menace for players during the game between the Monroe School District and the Monroe Police and Firefighters.
The donkeys from Dairyland Donkeyball LLC in Chippawa Falls gave the audience a kick by bucking off and refusing a mounting rider or two. Without being able to pass or to shoot for a basket unless mounted, players found themselves incapacitated by their donkey's lack of team spirit.
Thus, while the School District team couldn't play much defense, the Police and Firefighters missed numerous shots. Still, they pulled out a 6-4 win.
Watching the second game from the bench, the Monroe FFA students thought they had an advantage against the Police and Firefighters in the final game. But the donkeys of Dairyland had a few more tricks up their reins. The most successful was the head slide.
Apparently, it is impossible to stay mounted on a donkey that is willing to take a bow before the end of the show. One FFA player got quite good at taking the slide and landing on her feet, while still hanging onto the rains. The boys had a few more problems, going head first down the neck, which is one reason helmets were a safety requirement.
In the end, Monroe FFA made only one basket. The Monroe Police and Firefighters took an early four-point lead, but a lucky shot late in the game sealed their lead - as that shot from the back of a donkey named Buck Master was worth double points.
Regardless of their second-place finish, Monroe FFA students said the fundraiser would add some nice money to their treasury, but they didn't know yet how they would use the funds.
In the first game of the night, the Monroe FFA team trailed Argyle's FFA team, 6-4, at halftime - it's hard to score from the seat of a donkey, after all. But with one minute left in the second half, Monroe managed to tie the score, which Argyle could not manage to break before the buzzer sounded.
Through it all, the patient donkeys, even those miniature enough to be eye-level with the audience, barely burdened themselves to bat an eyelash.
Argyle's loss was not the fault of the stubborn donkeys, however.
The visiting team turned the ball over too many times by passing while not mounted upon their trusty steeds.
In the end, Monroe took the win in the tiebreaker, winning two out of three really silly human events: Arm wrestling and rock/paper/scissors/shoe.
C.J. Cordell of Dairyland Donkeyball said the animals were fitted with non-skid, non-marking rubber shoes that protected the highly polished gym floor. Even so, the sanitation committee was called onto the floor several times during the evening. But if the donkey doings were not enough to embarrass riders, a couple of jacks were willing to up the stakes of comedy for more laughs.
Those animals were a menace for players during the game between the Monroe School District and the Monroe Police and Firefighters.
The donkeys from Dairyland Donkeyball LLC in Chippawa Falls gave the audience a kick by bucking off and refusing a mounting rider or two. Without being able to pass or to shoot for a basket unless mounted, players found themselves incapacitated by their donkey's lack of team spirit.
Thus, while the School District team couldn't play much defense, the Police and Firefighters missed numerous shots. Still, they pulled out a 6-4 win.
Watching the second game from the bench, the Monroe FFA students thought they had an advantage against the Police and Firefighters in the final game. But the donkeys of Dairyland had a few more tricks up their reins. The most successful was the head slide.
Apparently, it is impossible to stay mounted on a donkey that is willing to take a bow before the end of the show. One FFA player got quite good at taking the slide and landing on her feet, while still hanging onto the rains. The boys had a few more problems, going head first down the neck, which is one reason helmets were a safety requirement.
In the end, Monroe FFA made only one basket. The Monroe Police and Firefighters took an early four-point lead, but a lucky shot late in the game sealed their lead - as that shot from the back of a donkey named Buck Master was worth double points.