The PSRC’s Student Sputum Bowl Champion team made up of Peter Crochunis, Joe Camacci, and Robert Bloom from the Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) was a juggernaut at this year’s National Student Sputum Bowl competition storming through the preliminary rounds and into the final four like a turbo jet with a tailwind!  The annual event was held this year in San Antonio, TX in conjunction with the AARC International Congress. 

The event is a double elimination tournament which attracted more than 20 teams from state societies all across the country.   On the first day of the event the boys from PA ripped off two easy wins.  One in a rout and the other by default as the other team was purported to be too intimidated to even take the stage.  The RTs that compete in the Sputum Bowl every year are a close knit fraternity and over the years, they’ve seen it all!  They recognized that Pennsylvania had sent a strong team this year and these boys from PA were being called “The Studs”. 

On the second day of competition, with the weaker teams having been expectorated, the studs’ turbo jet power drive through the competition developed some engine trouble.  They ran into the student team from California and were edged out in a high scoring affair by a single point.   Having competed in my day against the likes of Joe Priestly, I knew that this loss would only harden their resolve, and I felt sorry for the next team they were to face.  Indeed that was the case as the trio regained their mojo and ripped off two more easy wins that placed them into the final four the following night.    

The AARC Sputum Bowl National Final Four is the big show and one you’ve got to see and experience!  The judges were dressed as gangsters and flappers from the roaring 20’s.   There was a musical act at halftime, tailgating at the “speakeasies” in the lobby and jumbo video-screens televising the matches for the packed, and standing room only in the audience.  There is nothing else like it and once again a PA team was in the finals for the third year in a row.  The last two years, it was the practitioner team who made the final four.  This year that team, made up of Kim Beers and Dan Ofak from the Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Dave Rubisch from the Lehigh Valley Hospital competed strongly into the later rounds of the practitioner competition but couldn’t overcome a tough MD/DC team which beat them out to make finals.

It was left up to Rob, Joe, and Pete to represent Pennsylvania and the hospitals they are now working for; Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Geisinger Healthcare.  As fate would have it, they would once again face their nemesis from California.  Pennsylvania jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first 3 points, before Cali even got on the scoreboard and with just under 4 minutes to play PA held a slim 5 – 4 lead.  Then they went on a tear and with just over 2 minutes and in the penalty phase the score was PA 9, CA 4.  With just under a minute to go PA was clinging to a 10 – 9 lead as CA just wouldn’t go away.  As the seconds ticked down these 2 heavyweights slugged it out and when the buzzer sounded ending time of play the score stood PA 12 and CA 12.  The crowd was going wild and we were going into overtime! 

The Sputum Bowl version of OT is whoever scores 3 points first is the winner and going to the championship match.   In this match for the ages, a titanic battle, it came down to one last question.  “Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in…” San Anton - the mighty PA team was edged out.

There was probably no greater tribute paid to these young men then the one by Robert Lamme; the moderator of the event who just happens to be a member of the last PA team to win the championship back in 2000; as he shook their hands, one champion recognizing another.