By MADDY VITALE
The competition was fierce. The reward for crossing the finish line ranged from cheese puffs to jangling keys and toys.
There were happy faces and an occasional grumpy face. But most of all, there was an abundance of adorableness Tuesday morning at the annual “Pamper Scamper” in Ocean City, where babies up to 15 months old showed off their crawling prowess.
The races, at Sixth Street beach, started with competitors in the center of a parachute. The quickest tots to crawl to the perimeter to their parents and guardians were victorious in the heats that led up to a championship round.
At the end of the fun, the winners received gift baskets filled with goodies donated by local businesses.
“We are starting a family tradition. Joseph is our first baby. Hopefully, he will like the Pamper Scamper,” Melissa Biedlingmaier, of Ambler, Pa., said of her 11-month-old.
While Biedlingmaier and her husband, David, waited for the start of the Pamper Scamper, other families lined up to register their cuties for the race.
Martha and Patrick Lamb, of Lancaster, Pa., were serious about the competition.
Their 14-month-old son, Baker, is a “fast crawler,” Martha Lamb noted before the event began.
“We came to win. He is very motivated by food,” she said.
The Lambs were with Patrick’s mom, Freddie Lamb, of Ocean City. Like the Biedlingmaiers, the Lambs said they want to make Ocean City events a part of their memories, their traditions.
“I grew up here and I want Baker to enjoy what we have done,” Patrick Lamb said.
There were triplets. There were some major speedsters. The parents and guardians seemed, however, to be the most excited about the event. In fact, one baby decided at the start of a heat to, well, just lay down.
That led to some laughter from the spectators that lined the Boardwalk. People shot video and took photos of the spectacle.
Emily Conover, of Ocean City, tried her best to get her 11-month-old daughter Callie to crawl to her with some incentive.
“Callie! Callie!” the excited mom shouted as she waved a jingly toy at her daughter who crawled over to her mom.
Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen said that after several heats divided into age categories, the winners of the championship round were as follows:
- Jack Sellers,12 months old, Boise, Idaho
- Baker Lamb, 14 months old, Lancaster, Pa.
- Cameron Kennedy, 9 months old, Charlotte, N.C.
Bowfish Kids, a children’s boutique located at 956 Asbury Ave. was the main sponsor of Pamper Scamper.
Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, Johnson’s Popcorn and We Make It Personal also made donations for gift baskets for the winners.
The week highlighting the youngest of visitors has just begun. On Thursday, the city will host its 111th annual Ocean City Baby Parade at 10:30 a.m. The parade features children ages 10 and under cruising the Ocean City Boardwalk in themed strollers, wagons and floats.
Pre-registration for anybody who wants to participate remains open until noon Wednesday, August 11 at www.ocnj.us/babyparade.
The parade starts at Sixth Street with children finishing at 12th Street and all other entries continuing to 14th Street.
The parade is free to watch from either side of the Boardwalk. Spectators are welcome to bring beach chairs to watch from the railing along the ocean side of the Boardwalk. On the parade morning, the Boardwalk will close to bicycle traffic at 10 a.m.
