An oral history: How the Horse's Ass trophy ended up in duct tape

All four of the Wonderboy trophies represent something different – a different goal, a different attitude, a different origin. One represents the first, the beginning of Wonderboy. One stands for ineptitude. One is a reminder of the latest story in Wonderboy '20.

Looking at them, inscriptions aside, it's hard to tell them apart. All consist of a small marble base with felt bottom, a figurine made from molded plastic colored to resemble gold, and engraved tags. And yet, the Horse's Ass trophy has a unique visual marker that makes it stand out from its three siblings.

Between the base and the lid, holding the pedestal and figurine in place, what was once a smooth, shiny surface now is held together with duct tape. From afar, if you aren't looking for it, you wouldn't notice, but up close, it is clear there is a story behind this tape.

There is in fact a story, and it's a damn good one involving Saturday afternoon at Wonderboy, a perennial runner-up and a future Wonderboy Fellow.

The following is the account of what happened a year ago on Feb 22, 2020, when the Wonderboy participants were mid-tournament at Wolf Lake, as told by those who witnessed it.

Paul Trahan: There we were, hanging out in the basement, waiting for lunch to start, and of course, you give a group of Wonderboy players too much time, we'll find a way to mess something up.

Andrew Selluski: Well, when you do those type of events, sometimes scheduling is a little bit of an issue, timing wise. They woke us up early morning for tug-of-war and logsaw, then herded us back inside, and said, "We're going to start lunch at 2pm."

Russ Snow: We got down there a little early.

Andy Forsyth: We had gone upstairs for lunch, and then it turned out we were there a couple of hours early and they sent us all back downstairs. We were just waiting in the basement, waiting, pacing, anxiously excited.

Ryan Lumbard: You knew something was going to go wrong when you have the four trophies sitting on a table in the basement, especially with [Greg] Doaner with idle time.

The WB participants were moved to a games room in the basement floor, out of the way during the preparation of lunch. There they waited until it was time to line up again and eat lunch.

Steve Pate: The first thing I remember is Chuck going around, asking person after person, "Hey, pull my finger."

Selluski: Chuck was getting upset cause no one wanted to pull his finger. No one wanted to find out "Who's there?" either. But Chuck kept on asking people. It was getting annoying. Then Chuck started going on about how he was the best crokinole player.

Forsyth: Rhyno is like, "There's no way anyone's beating me and Doaner today at crokinole."

Pate: Somebody had the bright idea to tell Doaner he might have a shot at winning Wonderboy if he won crokinole.

Kyle Cooper: There's no way Doaner could win WB, so I don't know why someone told him that. A little strange.

Pate: All of a sudden, Doaner grabs the Horse's Ass trophy.

Lumbard: You see Doaner with the trophy, and there's Rhyno guaranteeing a win at crokinole, Chuck is cheering cause The Mez pulled his finger, and Roach is prepping for the closing ceremonies, doing a sound check with the fake microphone. Doaner now has the trophy raised in the air, glad that he hadn't gone for a smoke break and missed out on the fun, listening to Roach and imagining he won WB. He's definitely not going to spike it.

Forsyth: He's not going to do anything, right?

Dave Panko: My first thought was if it's Doaner and he's standing up there with the trophy, and he thinks he's won Wonderboy, he's not going to not spike it. He's definitely going to spike it. Alain isn't cheering real soft. He's whooping it up pretty hard.

Selluski: I see Doaner standing at the laundry room where they've been chatting, waving the trophy around like he's trying to attract attention, but I say to myself, "Certainly that's just Doaner having some fun. He would never spike the ground with that."

Cooper: I was like, he's not actually going to spike it. I don't think Rhyno thought he was going to actually spike it.

Anonymous WB participant: Everybody who was there watching was thinking the same thing, but also wanting to see it. It was kind of like our child side was like, "We really want to see this happen," and then our adult side left the room. We were just like, "Let the kids play."

Pate: I mean, I know it's Doaner, but there's no way he's going to doing anything with the trophy. Then The Mez pulled Chuck's finger and Chuck started laughing so hard he was crying. Everyone else joined in. You could see Doaner thought people were cheering for him and he got real excited. I'm watching the thing evolve like it's in slow motion.

Trahan: The Mez pulled Chuck's finger. Chuck started cheering. Doaner felt great not be missing out. Then he spiked the trophy.

Snow: It sounded exactly what you think a trophy hitting the ground would sound like.

Forsyth: Smash.

Cooper: Bang.

Pate: Thwack.

Panko: Tink.

Lumbard: Everybody went wild like Doaner just won Wonderboy.

Panko: Everyone starts jumping around and everything because Doaner just spiked the trophy.

Trahan: Everybody went crazy.

Selluski: That was not my reaction.

Forsyth: I saw the look on people's faces like I see on Drew's face when he's done something that he shouldn't have, and Doaner's got a little grin. Then I turn to our fearless leader Roach. I see the look on his face, and it dawns on me, "Oh goodness. Something has gone awry here."

Trahan: We looked down at the trophy like, "Oh my goodness. There's a dent in the Horse's Ass trophy."

Cooper: It's more than just a dent. I mean, the thing's in pieces on the floor.

Selluski: Now, we're all under the impression these are replica trophies, then we learned that indeed these were not replicas. These were the real trophies.

Alex Little: And it's not a cheap trophy. It's top-of-line.

Trahan: You can't hide that it's in pieces. Everybody literally went to the trophy and saw it. I think Doaner thought it was more funny than anything.

Cooper: The funniest thing about it all was it actually was a really good spike. Like it was perfect technique. I don't even understand how he controlled the Horse's Ass. If the Buccaneers had touchdown spiking practice, that would be teaching tape for them. He does everything perfect.

Hammond: It was one of the more reckless things I've seen in my life.

Little: I doubt we're going to be allowed to be alone with any of the trophies ever again. Every single time I see it, I'm just like, I can't believe that happened.

Trahan: I'll give Wolfman credit. It wasn't the reaction I was fearing. He was very receptive. It's hard to explain at first. "He did what?" It's hard to picture where this was and what happened.

Cooper: Not exactly what we're looking for, but if it had to happen on that day with all of us that were there, the one guy that I would say, "Okay, maybe he can get away with this" would be the perennial 2nd place winner and the future Wonderboy Fellow.

Snow: I mean, I'm glad it wasn't me pulling Chuck's finger.

Hammond: Nobody would have done that but Doaner.

Trahan: Maybe they'll fix it down the road. That's something they can always fix in the future, but at least for now, we're going to keep the duct tape and tell the story.

Forsyth: I don't think the value of the trophy is diminished at all. I think, if anything, it's increased because of the story behind it.

Cooper: We had even more fun at the closing ceremonies and they awarded the Horse's Ass to Doaner and he held up the duct-taped trophy. That trophy means just as much as any other one, but we had a little bit of fun with that one.

Snow: I love that's how he ends it. It's going to go down in WB lore: the duct tape on the Horse's Ass by Doaner.

Pate: I heard WB News reported that Doaner threw it "in a fit of pique". I don't know what that means, but Doaner's not that fit.

Trahan: He's going to go all out no matter what he's doing. What you see is what you get with him. He always has the biggest smile in the room, even when he's just photo-shopped in, so to see him have a little fun right there in the basement at Wolf Lake, maybe at the expense of priceless WB history, he's earned every right to do it.

Selluski: What kind of lesson does this provide? Break a trophy and we'll award it to you? What happens next WB when Doaner spikes the actual Wonderboy trophy? The Awards Committee definitely didn't think this one through.

Wonderboy 2020 wraps up with colorful closing ceremony

The 2020 Wonderboy Tournament at Wolf Lake in Haliburton came to an end with a closing ceremony that ran for about thirty minutes.

Spectators in the basement were treated to plenty of low-wattage lights, various types of pop music, and even a couple of trophy ceremonies.

The president of the Wonderboy Closing Ceremonies Subcommittee, Greg Desroches, used his speech to praise athletes from both Ontario and outside Ontario, who competed as a united team at this Tournament, for demonstrating their belief in "a peaceful future." He said WB would "continue this Wonderboy dialogue" after the Tournament is over.

He thanked the athletes for their "competitive spirit and fair play" and told the WB organizing committee: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Addressing WB host Kirk Cooper, Desroches said: "Thank you for your personal commitment and determination to make this Tournament so successful in every way."

Desroches then declared the 2020 Tournament closed and called on young people of the world to gather for the next Wonderboy Tournament in twelve months’ time at Percy Lake.  The 2020 Tournament officially ended with the Percy Lake 2021 flag handover ceremony before the Wonderboy flame was extinguished.

There were many brilliant moments during this year’s Wonderboy. Craig Hammond, this year’s first-time winner of the Wolf Lake Wonder Boy trophy, also became the first ever player to record a career win in each of the seven events at Wonderboy.  Hammond won this year in both Poker and Darts to complete his Seven Events.

Bill Draper had his best-ever result, finishing in 2^nd place with 11 points.  Draper was in the running for Wonderboy right up to the Ping Pong finals, where his team lost to a resurgent Alain Charlebois and his heir apparent as the best ping pong player, Drew Forsyth.

Ping Pong Pool B teams Jette-Cooper and Mesaric-Trahan collaborated on a touching tribute to Kobe Bryant in their quarterfinal game Saturday, playing to a 24-22 final score in remembrance of the No. 24 worn by the NBA great.  Ethan Cooper came out in a Lakers jersey for the match.

Although there were good things that happened at Wonderboy, there were also not so good things. Somehow the trophy presented annually to the "most objectionable player" in the WB tournament, the Horse's Ass trophy, might be in the worst shape of all this week.

The well-established tradition of day drinking resulted in the trophy taking a blow to the half horse that rises from the base of the Horse’s Ass trophy. The damage, a WB Trophy Maintenance Subcommittee official told the WB News, “is very minor” and will be repaired “right away.”

There was one arrest, of a 50-year-old Milton, Ont., man, who reportedly threw the trophy to the ground during a fit of pique. Other attendees and the tournament’s security director pointed to the aggressor and the man was quickly taken into custody. “I love WB, I didn’t mean to damage the trophy,” Greg Doan said, according to witnesses. WB officials did not respond to further questions, saying they could not comment on an on-going investigation.

WB Finance Subcommittee Announces Financial Results for WB20

The WB Finance subcommittee yesterday announced the financial results for the tournament that ended February 23, 2020, recording revenue of $0.00308 million and net proceeds of $600 for the Heaney Fund.

“Although Wonderboy attendance figures were flat, the Club is excited with the achievement of numerous positive developments and is confident these developments will lead to increased revenue and higher margins going forward” said David Panko, head of the WB Financial subcommittee. “The 2020 Tournament was a transitional year focused on pricing adjustments and supplier partnerships.”

WB 2020 revenue was positively impacted by the first increase in ticket prices in 21 years. The Tournament remains well positioned to capitalize on opportunities as they arise.  The Club has also taken initiatives to lessen their dependence on gate fees, by increasing their focus on subscriptions and merchandise sales.

Liam Bergman has helped WB players break free of the game’s restraints

There might not be a bigger personality at Wonderboy than Liam Bergman. From the moment he joined the tournament in 2010, Bergman was as dynamic, engaging and entertaining off the field as much as he was on.

In this year’s logsaw, Bergman finished in a strong 2^nd, ahead of favoured teams such Panko-Jette and Little-Cooper.

Now 20, Bergman is seeing younger players following in his footsteps: They wear louder suits, joke a bit more, celebrate a lone hand in euchre because, well, it’s hard to win at WB and it’s fun when you do.

“It’s probably that the tournament is just younger,” Bergman said Monday. “When I came into the league, there probably weren’t as many young players. It was still like more veteran players. I played with Kirk Cooper, Greg Desroches, Russell Snow, guys that had played in the tournament 12, 13, 14 years at the time.

“It’s just different. Now it’s younger. With the way pop culture is today, it crosses over a lot into sports. When young players come into the tournament, they see how pop culture has affected the other sports. They come in with more of an open mind.”

Bergman has an ally in Ottawa's Ethan Cooper when it comes to encouraging others to show personality.

“Kids don’t become fans of teams,” Cooper told WB News last fall. “They become fans of players that they follow — Eric D’Souza from Toronto. Kids are getting the same haircut, not because they’re Logsaw fans but because they like D’Souza.

“People tune in pre-game just to see what (former Ping Pong star) Alain Charlebois is going to walk into the hot tub looking like. He’s not going to wear a suit. He’s going to be wearing something crazy. It’s only going to help integrate fashion companies into the game. It will grow awareness, popularity, it will be good for the tournament, it will be good for the players.

“It’s an entertainment business. There are a lot of different ways to showcase personality. Look at a guy like Kelly Jones. You can see his personality through what he wears to the lodge. You can see a tuxedo on with a Hawaiian shirt and a tuque. Nobody else in the tournament does that. But that’s his personality.”

As for Bergman, he’s spreading his wings to music. His band, Wescali, has played in Haliboo MusicFest, headlined the Rotary Carnival and performed at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto.  The band plays covers and recently debuted their own material, a song called Buffalo Slander. The song, which is getting attention on YouTube thanks to the work of their friend Rowan Tofflemire of X2 Productions, keeps the crowd moving.   “It’s not about anything specific to our lives,” says Bergman. “[It’s about a] woman or relationship that an individual knows is going to be a bad one or like a hairy one but they’re going to do it anyway because this woman is so enticing and intriguing.”

Wescali are members of the Kindness Matters Movement, in support of their dear friend Phoenix Acero, who their community tragically lost due to bullying. Wescali’s logo includes a Phoenix, a tribute to their dear friend who they honour every time they take the stage. They are proudly involved in the local Youth Hub initiative.

To learn more about Wescali, follow @wescaliband on Instagram or via Wescali on Facebook.

WB roster set for 2020 tournament

Adrian Gorgey, a Principal Consultant at G.H. Consulting, was the final cut as Wonderboy finalized its roster ahead of the 2020 Tournament. WB'20 will carry eight Wonderboys, short of the stated goal of 50% of attendees being Wonderboys.  Additional plastic cups and Sharpies will be ordered to make up for the shortfall.

Bill Draper and Jeff Mesaric are returning from the team that finished fourth and seventh, respectively, in the 2019 tournament, which was held at Wolf Lake. It also includes Stéphane Jetté, who finished third in 2010 and had his name engraved on the trophy.

“The management group and coaches have done a terrific job working with the players and finalizing the roster,” said Kirk Cooper, head of the Wonderboy Attendee Selection Committee. “This group has a lot of skill, international experience and, most importantly, is a group of quality young men.” 

The Opening Ceremonies begin at 6pm on Feb 21 at Wolf Lake where Greg Desroches will sit in a chair by the dart board and declare the games officially open.

Wonderboy pop-up restaurant earns Michelin Star for 7th year

On Feb. 19, the renowned food authority announced the 2020 Michelin Star awardees, which included the Wonderboy pop-up restaurant on Wolf Lake. The steak and seafood restaurant earned one Michelin Star for the seventh consecutive year.

Michelin recognized seven restaurants across Haliburton County, with Wonderboy being the sole representative from Highlands East. Four restaurants earned one star, two earned two stars and just one earned the coveted three-star rating.

According to Michelin, it judges restaurants using five criteria: “quality of ingredients, the mastery of cooking technique, the harmony of flavors, consistency over time, both during the meal and throughout the year and the personality of the chef as it is expressed on the plate.”

The former pingpong star Alain Charlebois opened the pop-up in 1999. The chef came from Montreal, Quebec, to Ontario in 1993 and learned to cook his father’s traditional steaks.

Chef Alain busy in the kitchen

“One can literally taste the regions and cities that Chef Alain Charlebois’ menu explores, and many dishes honor his parents with recipes from his childhood,” the Michelin website says.

Michelin goes on to suggest several tasty bites from Wonderboy’s menu, including Flame-Grilled Bratwurst w/ Whole Grain Dijon on an Auburn Bun, a serving of hotdogs with mustard; Crevettes Grillées, a defrosted shrimp platter; and Entrecôte, Pomme de Terre au Four et Sauce Maison au Beurre et aux Herbes, steak and potatoes.

The Wonderboy pop-up lost its coveted Michelin star in the late 2000’s.  At the time, Charlebois blamed the bright neon lights and a wine list that included red wine containing fish.  In 2013, Charlebois hired renowned interior designer and sommelier David Panko to oversee the atmosphere and cellar.  The pop-up regained its Michelin star status the following year.

The Michelin Guide currently has 32 editions worldwide and Haliburton was named its first Canadian edition 15 years ago.

Deal to keep Wonderboy theme song falls through

Negotiations to keep the Wonderboy theme song have collapsed, meaning the WB Tournament is now in search of another anthem.

Copyright Music & Visuals, the Toronto agency representing the estate of the song's composer, Jacques Morali, said on Friday that the deal had fallen through.

That news came as a surprise to Wonderboy, said Greg Descroches, who heads the Wonderboy Theme Music Subcommittee.  "We're disappointed, as many Canadians are," Descroches said, adding he found out about the deal falling through from WB News.

"We have no real idea why the deal fell apart," he said. "We're not sure why because the other side hasn't communicated with us.

"You have to ask the other side what happened."

Copyright Music & Visuals said it had offered the unincorporated association a chance to renew its licence to use Morali's song — a staple at WB since 1999 — on terms that were "virtually identical to those that have existed for the past decade."

Previously, WB paid something that rhymes with mutton each time the song was sung at WB, the agency said.

After the first two years of a new agreement, the rates would rise about 15 per cent, an increase Copyright Music & Visuals president John Ciccone called an industry standard.

Descroches would not say what the price was, nor would he comment on what the agency claimed it to be.

"We offered to continue paying the richest licence fee at the Wonderboy Tournament, which was the price they asked for," said Descroches. "We also offered to buy it outright for an imaginary number," looking pleased to be finally using his math degree.

A call made to Ciccone by WB News was not returned Friday.

Descroches said Friday the two sides had agreed upon a price, but added an "unfortunate set of circumstances," including an outstanding lawsuit, hovered over negotiations.

A lawsuit filed against the WB in late 2004 by the composer's estate alleges that the tournament was overusing the Wonderboy theme and has not been settled. Copyright Music & Visuals said the litigation hasn't interfered with the WB's use of music, nor was settlement of the suit a condition for the proposed new licensing agreement.

"We really can't do business with a lawsuit hanging over our heads," Descroches said. "We feel that we've done everything we possibly can."

The WB Tournament will now move on and launch a new national contest in conjunction with the Wonderboy Theme Music Subcommittee to find a new theme song, he said. Wonderboy participants will be invited to write and record a cover song for Wonderboy, with fans and a jury of experts choosing the best new composition.

The winner will receive free beer at WB and proceeds from any royalties will go to the microphone fund. More details on the contest will be revealed in the next week.

"We expect a lot of terrific music, and we expect that the new theme for Wonderboy will be as iconic as the last theme has been," Desroches said.  "We have already received one entry set to the tune of American Pie."

Cards star Andrew Selluski set to compete in WB 2020

Andrew Selluski, program manager of industrial health and safety for the Ministry of Labour — Waterloo, said on Feb. 7 he would be proud to join Wonderboy 2020.

"Sorry gents, I've been slow (like a sow) to reply in the affirmative that I'll be in attendance...  I have at least been preparing accordingly for my beer delivering duties...  See you in a few weeks" he sent from his Samsung tablet, announcing his decision.

WB Attendee Selection Committee head Kirk Cooper confirmed that they invited Selluski to compete in this year's tournament.

Games Commissioner Greg Desroches had previously expressed that he wanted to see a "successful" card player like Selluski, particularly in poker and euchre.

"Andrew Selluski can carry a euchre team to good results," said he in a televised interview.

Having partnered with Alain Charlebois in euchre in WB 2017, Selluski was a key player on the team in its march to the euchre finals, as well as winning poker that same season.

Selluski tied a Wonderboy record last year by getting his name engraved on the Silver Sow for the second time in his career, equalling Eric D'Souza's mark of futility.

He also got his name on the Wolf Lake Wonder Boy Trophy in 2017, finishing in a 2nd place tie with Colin Goheen.  Selluski had an opportunity at becoming Wonderboy that year, but lost in the pingpong semifinals to the powerhouse team of Ryan Lumbard and Greg Doan.

WB 2020 will take place at Wolf Lake on Feb 21-22-23.