[Other Sport] Have you ever won a competition?

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Won a couple of sailing-related competitions.

One in 2001, when I guessed the time Ellen MacArthur would cross the equator during the Vendée Globe race. I got a personal tour round her Kingfisher boat, plus some kit, which was cool.

Also won a Yachting World competition for a day’s sailing on an Americas Cup yacht, which was both brilliant and a little bit scary.

ALMOST won a fully inclusive trip for two to Berlin once, on a radio competition. It came down to a sudden death playoff question at the end of the week, and I was in Kuala Lumpur on work when they wanted to call me for the final, so I missed out. Gutted.

My worst competition winning story though is when I worked for a company in London that ran a ‘end of the year’ competition for its clients. There was a Finnish girl at one of our clients that I’d been pursuing for a bit, and I fixed it for her to win the top prize of flights for two to New York, and let her know that I had. My cunning plan being thatshe’d ask me to come with her. Sadly she took her sister instead. And damn it but I never did get anywhere with her...!


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Did you marry the sister though?


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[Poyningsgull]

Won the South East area City and Guilds apprentice Control panel wiring comp in 1968 and 1969. Got me my dream job in the Drawing Office at Allen West and I never looked back. Still got the medals, Happy memories.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Won quite a few monthly medal and stableford Club golf competitions.

Won a few league titles at cricket in my time

Won a slap up meal at a restaurant and $500 towards a next cruise on board ship after winning a. Karaoke competition. Sing off was with full band and singers on the main stage of the 2000 seat entertainment theatre. The other three finalist couldn’t hack the size of the crowd and bottled it. I had just a few weeks before the cruise sung at the royal Albert hall in front of 4000 people…so was used to it!

I also won a set of Golywogs band members from Robertson Jam after correctly naming the instruments they were playing.

 

[Papak]

Day ticket for Womad - John Peel programme, early 90's.
Tollpuddle martyrs tea towel - Cardiff miners benefit night raffle, 1985.
A chicken - highest score for bowling balls through numbered arches, Bovey Tracey fete, early 70's.

Please post a pic of this item....you do still have it don't you?

 

[Papak]

No.
I did enter a w@nking competition once, I never came anywhere though

I entered a blindfolded w@nking competition but I've no idea where I came...

 

[Popeye]

Won a weightlifting competition when I was in High School

Also, in college I won a couple meets in track(For shotput and discus).

 

[cheshunt seagull]

At a charity event in the late 80s I won windsurfing lessons at the Millwall Dock in January. I didn't claim my prize.

 

[DataPoint]

A talent show at Pontins, Camber Sands circa 1974
A Brian & Michael lp from Radio Brighton
2 litres of tequila from a Mexican restaurant in Vegas

... so did you go to the finals week in October at Southport that year? I did - having won my week at Brean Sands, Somerset.

!Modest cough! ....I won the whole thing that year - beating 144 other finalists to be crowned winner of 'Pontins Talent Search 1974'.

 

[upthealbion1970]

Won the German speaking competition at school

Won the cleanest McDonald’s in the country in 1991

 

[rool]

Won quite a few monthly medal and stableford Club golf competitions.

Won a few league titles at cricket in my time

Won a slap up meal at a restaurant and $500 towards a next cruise on board ship after winning a. Karaoke competition. Sing off was with full band and singers on the main stage of the 2000 seat entertainment theatre. The other three finalist couldn’t hack the size of the crowd and bottled it. I had just a few weeks before the cruise sung at the royal Albert hall in front of 4000 people…so was used to it!

I also won a set of Golywogs band members from Robertson Jam after correctly naming the instruments they were playing.

Also cruise related, I won a sexy guy competition on a Costa cruise back in 2015 which involved a bit of stripping, some pole dancing, a couple of stupid games and then prancing around in a tutu.
I won a Costa holdall, whoopee doo

 

[METALMICKY]

In 1980 I won the Eastbourne Junior doubles table tennis title. Sadly I lost the Junior Singles final

 

[Poyningsgull]

Won the South East area City and Guilds apprentice Control panel wiring comp in 1968 and 1969. Got me my dream job in the Drawing Office at Allen West and I never looked back. Still got the medals, Happy memories.

I also won a shoulder of lamb in the Thursday night meat raffle at the Rutland pub in 1981.

 

[ozzygull]

At elm grove school there was a competition to create a Christmas/winter character for the school display. I created a snowman made of card and tissue paper. Won a book about dogs, which I loved. That was my high point, not won anything since.

 

[Timbo]

Bit of a long story this.

Listening to an evening away game on Radio Sussex when I was maybe around 12 and Steve Penney was the guest, there was some competition or other which I entered and won probably as the only person to enter. Prize was a couple of days at Bobby Charltons soccer school at Southwick or somewhere like that. First day was pretty dull, second was a bit of fun with penalty competitions and stuff which you scored points for. The scoring system was a bit dubious and I ended up 3rd despite being terrible at football. Two points better off and I’d have spent a week at Old Trafford with 7 other regional winners and if I’d won that spent a week at Barcelona instead of the actual winner which turned out to be David Beckham. I was so close but instead had to settle for a glittering career with Battle Rangers Reserves.

 

[Crispy Ambulance]

... so did you go to the finals week in October at Southport that year? I did - having won my week at Brean Sands, Somerset.

!Modest cough! ....I won the whole thing that year - beating 144 other finalists to be crowned winner of 'Pontins Talent Search 1974'.

Blimey, that’s impressive.

I never knew anything about the finals week in Southport - I suspect that, if my parents were notified about it, they kept it from me as they were mortified at my ‘exhibitionism’ and wouldn’t have encouraged it! Dad died in 1991 and we buried Mum yesterday so I can’t ask them now.

Well done again

 

[nickbrighton]

In the 90's i used to to be a cinema manager, over the years I managed the cinemas in The Marina, West Street, Crawley, Purley, Eastbourne. We used to "tie in" with various local businesses to promote films, and as part of that we used to run competitions in the local press- (Argus, Sussex County Times etc)

These competitions were usually along the lines of simple questions about the film, or stars in it and prizes ranged from winning tickets, free entry to local attractions (Drusillers, Paradise Pak, Sea Life Centres etc)

We also ran some very early On Line competitions, back when web sites basically just had film times on them

The thing about all these various competitions was that virtually no one entered them, they were just free publicity in the local rags, who would do a little paragraph or two , and get to splash a banner on the front page "Win Free Tickets for whatever film was being released

We would normally have only a handful of entries each week, usually from the same people- the chances of winning if you entered were quite high, we would usually have 3 or 4 prizes. Someone entering each week would have a better than 50-50 chance of getting a couple of cinema tickets every couple of weeks

One of the on line ones we did was with Sussex University I think, and fgor months one summer we only had one entry each week from the same guy- he won two tickets every week. One week , much to our surprise, someone else entered, got it wrong, but we gave the tickets to them simply to give someone else ago-the first guy was quite put out by not getting his free tickets that week

Its why some people seem very lucky in winning competitions regularly- they arent-its just so few people actually enter them, If you spend a little time entering enough, you are very likley to win regularly

 

[FamilyGuy]

I also won a shoulder of lamb in the Thursday night meat raffle at the Rutland pub in 1981.

Is a raffle a competition?

 

[JJ McClure]

I won a Zoidzilla toy from Gamleys in the Imperial Arcade back in the mid 80s, not sure I've won anything since

 

[herecomesaregular]

In the 90's i used to to be a cinema manager, over the years I managed the cinemas in The Marina, West Street, Crawley, Purley, Eastbourne. We used to "tie in" with various local businesses to promote films, and as part of that we used to run competitions in the local press- (Argus, Sussex County Times etc)

These competitions were usually along the lines of simple questions about the film, or stars in it and prizes ranged from winning tickets, free entry to local attractions (Drusillers, Paradise Pak, Sea Life Centres etc)

We also ran some very early On Line competitions, back when web sites basically just had film times on them

The thing about all these various competitions was that virtually no one entered them, they were just free publicity in the local rags, who would do a little paragraph or two , and get to splash a banner on the front page "Win Free Tickets for whatever film was being released

We would normally have only a handful of entries each week, usually from the same people- the chances of winning if you entered were quite high, we would usually have 3 or 4 prizes. Someone entering each week would have a better than 50-50 chance of getting a couple of cinema tickets every couple of weeks

One of the on line ones we did was with Sussex University I think, and fgor months one summer we only had one entry each week from the same guy- he won two tickets every week. One week , much to our surprise, someone else entered, got it wrong, but we gave the tickets to them simply to give someone else ago-the first guy was quite put out by not getting his free tickets that week

Its why some people seem very lucky in winning competitions regularly- they arent-its just so few people actually enter them, If you spend a little time entering enough, you are very likley to win regularly

Before the internet maybe yes. I used to enter some competitions at work or in magazines (especially local)sending in answer on a postcard etc and won flights, holidays, tickets for gigs/festivals, cash, random bits and bobs reasonably regularly.

Since nearly all competitions became internet entry I haven't won diddly and gave up some years ago. I had a brilliant run though (quite addictive at the time).

 

[southstandandy]

I once won a 'year's supply' of chocolate from Nestle I think it was. It was the instant win in the wrapper type promotion.

I sent off for the prize and received initially 6 boxes of nestle chocolate (40 bars of 200gram per box!), Yorkie, etc etc, then six months later they sent a 2nd 6 months supply of the same again.

I kept 1 box for the family and gave the rest away to friends. You can have too much of a good thing.