- April 4, 2025
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Erin and Beaver Shriver see if they can persuade prospective competitor Nathan Bruneau to try the contest.
Photo by Ian SwabyIvan Gorodnitchev, 10, introduces himself to the attendees. After receiving word of the competition that morning, Gorodnitchev headed out with his family to give it a try. "He's very competitive and loves ice cream, and we decided to give it a chance," said his mother Elena Prostova.
Photo by Ian SwabyIvan Gorodnitchev, 10 competed against one other contestant, previous youth champion Leila Schaedler-Luera, 10. Both contestants open their first cups of ice cream.
Photo by Ian SwabyWill Luera narrates the competition.
Photo by Ian SwabyLeila Schaedler-Luera, 10, goes all-in for the challenge.
Photo by Ian SwabyJacob Kozlow, 1, and Adam and Rebecca Kozlow watch the competition.
Photo by Ian SwabyIvan Gorodnitchev, 10 continues in the competition.
Photo by Ian SwabyNikki Day applauds the contestants.
Photo by Ian SwabyLeila Schaedler-Luera, 10 prepares for the final countdown, with one minute left.
Photo by Ian SwabyIvan Gorodnitchev, 10, stands with his emptied containers after finishing the competition. Gorodnitchev described himself as "nauseous," with "brain freeze," but glad to win.
Photo by Ian SwabyIvan Gorodnitchev, 10, and Erin Shriver discuss Gorodnitchev's victory with store customers Paul Williams and Shannon Jones.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe contestants in the adult competition get started.
Photo by Ian SwabyBen Gallaher of Seaward CrossFit and Patti Lawson and Paul Leonard of PLT Nutrition gulp down the ice cream.
Photo by Ian SwabyScott Malouf of Sarasota Street Talk podcast makes his way through a cup of ice cream.
Photo by Ian SwabyBen Gallaher and Tim Riesen of Seaward CrossFit make their way through containers of ice cream.
Photo by Ian SwabyStore employee Ava Bruno and Juanita Christiana finish the competition.
Photo by Ian SwabyThere were plenty of cups emptied that morning.
Photo by Ian SwabyIvan Gorodnitchev, 10, became the youth champion. As a result, he will have the chance to create and name his own ice cream flavor. His mother, Elena Prostova, said the opportunity is perfect for him, as he wants to open his own restaurant one day.
Photo by Ian Swaby“I’ve never been so happy to lose,” said Aaron McWhorter, who lost to his mother, Juanita Christiana, by one ice cream cup. “It’s funny, because I didn’t think I was going to beat my son,” said Christiana, who ate 13 cups. “In the past, I’ve always been egging him on. This time, he was getting me going.”
Photo by Ian SwabyMark Russell was deliberate in choosing the foods he ate at Rise Up Cafe the morning of Nov. 4.
Russell had one-third of a Mary's Cinnamon Bun (named for his daughter Mary Russell, who works at the shop) and one-third of a garlic everything bagel, both of them warm and just large enough to get his stamina up.
"That freeze is real," he said.
Other participants in the Great Ice Cream Eating Championship at Rise Up Cafe, a coffee and ice cream shop staffed by people with intellectual disabilities, echoed his sentiments.
“I know it's cliche, but you’ve got to be quick,” said Aaron McWhorter, a two-time winner. “You have to keep going forward and keep trying to get it down ... It’s ice-cold. If you have sensitive teeth, you’ll freeze up for sure."
McWhorter said the experience is about more than the challenge of the competition. It's also a chance to support the opportunities and work culture the shop offers to those who may not be able to find them elsewhere.
Beaver Shriver, co-founder of the nonprofit-run shop, said ice cream and beignet-eating contests are a means of showcasing the shop's culture and supporting its operations.
The shop faces numerous expenses, he said, some of which are occupational therapists and the cost of the space. Shriver said the shop offers the public a chance to meet people with intellectual disabilities.
"They want to get married, they want to earn their own paycheck, they want to go to Target and buy their own stuff," Shriver said. "They want to do all the same things that everybody else wants to do."
The winner of the adult category in the competition received a $100 gift certificate and a goodie bag from Brick’s Smoked Meats, while the winner of the youth category received the chance to create and name an ice cream, and serve as a "Celebrity Scooper" for its debut, with additional prizes for runners-up.
