Trident Splash hosts fourth annual competition at Donald D. Summerville pool

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MULTIMEDIA

• Reign Over Water

An Alberta cannonballer won the fourth annual Trident Splash National Cannonball Championship at Donald D. Summerville pool on Wednesday, Aug. 13.

Scoring was based on flair, style and splash in addition to completing a proper cannonball tuck.

Contestants were encouraged to dress up and bring music to be played just prior to their jump from the five-metre tower.

Doug Bergmann came in first after his second year of competing for the title, which gives him $2,000, a year's supply of Trident gum and a trophy.

"It was definitely worth the trip to Toronto," he said. "I came here to have fun and go nuts. I had fun and I went nuts."

Costume changes were part of Bergmann's jumps. They included a bumble bee to the 'Flight of the Bumblebee' music, a Hulk costume in which he ripped off his shirt prior to his jump, a Mario costume from the Super Mario Brothers Nintendo game and a can-can theme complete with a can-can dress and red wig.�Brian Utley, last year's champion from Alberta, placed second.

Toronto competitors included Jordan Wade, who lives in midtown, Mark Rice, from the Queen and Parliament streets area and Ryan Horwood from the Annex.

Horwood said he was going into the competition full of "kinetic energy".

"I'm a glowing ball of energy," he said.

Alas, his energy was not enough. None of the Toronto competitors finished in the top three.

Wade said it was a tough competition despite stripping down to a G-string for one of his jumps.

"The judges were tough too," he said, adding one of them gave him a one out of 10.