Sweetest 16 ice cream challenge gives rise to a champion

Chiron Melendez didn’t plan on taking down 16 heaping scoops of ice cream in a 28-minute sitting Saturday.

He’d just watched his twin daughters, Daysha and Shayla Melendez, help St. George capture third place at the State 2B girls’ basketball tournament at the Spokane Arena. On his way out of the venue, though, he walked past a sign boasting the “Sweetest 16 Challenge,” and figured he’d give it a whirl.

Only four other people were brave enough to attempt consuming the gigantic bowl of ice cream and its assortment of toppings Saturday.

The stakes? Two tickets to the forthcoming NCAA tournament women’s basketball tournament at the Spokane Arena.

Each contestant had 30 minutes to do the dairy-filled deed. Some tried to strategize, turning the ice cream into a soupy mixture to attempt to guzzle it down.

Melendez, a tall and sturdy butcher, was the only one to emerge victorious.

But it came at a price.

“It was really challenging, especially 80 percent though,” said Melendez, who said he is giving his NCAA tournament ticket bounty to his daughters. “You started to really feel it in your guts. It started hurting a little bit.”

“As soon as I started, though, I was in it to win it.”