Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Around 1 p.m. Saturday, the grease pole was winning 3-0. <\/p>\n
Two teams had tried, and failed, to summit the storied pole at the corner of Ninth and Montrose Streets. Their bodies buckled under the weight of each other. Their clothes were slimy, and their skin was soaked with sweat. <\/p>\n
The objective<\/a> at the South 9th Street Italian Market Festival\u2019s<\/a> most popular event<\/a> <\/b>is to scale a 30-foot pole slathered in five gallons of lard using brute strength and slippery physics to reach dangling cheese balls, cured meats<\/a>, and bragging rights. The strategy, multiple competitors said, is simple: Big guys on the bottom, little guys on top. <\/p>\n This uniquely Philly feat draws hundreds of spectators over the weekend-long South Philadelphia<\/a> festival <\/b>and all are <\/b>eager to cheer on intrepid climbers. It\u2019s one of the city\u2019s most-treasured, albeit bizarre, traditions<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Greased pole climbing in Philly: Why we do it and why we love it<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n In their first attempt \u2014 and the inaugural climb of the festival \u2014 a group of friends, some of whom grew up watching the grease-pole climbing competition, just \u201cdidn\u2019t have enough bodies\u201d or speed, according to 29-year-old Vincent Roscioli.<\/p>\n Pace Roofing<\/a>, a local business that competes yearly, assembled a large squad but the issue was structure. On their initial try, strategically-placed and sturdy men formed a base, hoisting others up onto their shoulders, like cheerleaders forming a chunky pyramid, while the smallest man scrambled up shins and shoulders. But the tower toppled just shy of the prizes. <\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t strategize a ton, the nerves really get you,\u201d said co-owner Johnny Butler. \u201cYou got all these people out here wanting to see a show, and you\u2019re worried about performing.\u201d<\/p>\n Butler joked, \u201cWe\u2019re roofers, we climb all the time.\u201d <\/p>\n The Pace crew\u2019s second attempt was felled by a similar fate. And the sizzling heat \u2014 an unseasonable 80 degrees<\/a>, which softened the lard and made the pole hot to the touch \u2014 only added to the teams\u2019 woes. <\/p>\n