Tucson, 2012, Nov 18

On Sunday, November 18, Speed Rack made it’s first ever trip to Arizona for the second stop of the Speed Rack 2012-2013 National Tour in search of the fastest lass in the Southwest. Ladies from far and wide traveled to Tucson to battle for the Speed Rack Crown.

The Casino del Sol hosted the event and doors opened to the public at 3pm. Guests were treated to sponsors’ punches and cocktails, as well as beer and non-alcoholic offerings and snacks provided by the Casino. Host Chris Patino and DJ Dulce Jesus (Ryan Fitzgerald) kept the crowd entertained as the ladies prepared to go to battle. Our competitors were supported by a strong group of barbacks including Ricky Gomez, Dan de Oliveira, Jacob Briars, Tyson Buhler and Dante LoPresti.

The impressive panel of judges included Misty Kalkofen, Julie Reiner, Charlotte Voisey and Tony Abou-Ganim. The round began with the judges each calling out a drink for the girls to make. The contestants had to make the drinks as quickly – and as accurately – as possible. The judges then compared the girls’ drinks side by side and issued penalty seconds to the girls for any mistakes made. The girl with the lowest time was declared the winner and moved on to the next round.

Six heated battles ensued, until we were down to the final two: Kate Gerwin vs. Shel Bourdon. In the end, Shel proved victorious while Kate was runner up for the second year in a row (last year she placed second in Las Vegas). Shel will be representing Tucson in the finals in NYC in May.

A fun time was had by all, and most importantly, over $2,500 was raised for breast cancer research, education and prevention!