Frogtown, Angels Camp, CA…Seven-year-old Bria Heintz won the 2021 Jumping Frog Jubilee. Her frog named Firefly jumped 20 feet and 1 inch – short of the 21 feet 5 and ¾ inches World’s Record but creating lots of excitement Sunday at the Calaveras County Homecoming celebration. She is the third generation of an Angels Camp-based frog jumping dynasty and a member of the Calaveras Frog Jockeys team – five of the eight top winners in the Grand Finals are tied to the team.
Bria’s cousin Raychel Nash won second place with a jump of 19 feet and 1 inch. Their grandfather Jerry Heintz was a longtime member of the Angels Camp Boosters Club, helping to manage Frog Jump staging for decades.
Calaveras Frog Jockeys was established over 30 years ago by Raychel’s father Mike Nash and his friends Jon and Laura Kitchell while students at Bret Harte High School in Angels Camp. Since then, the Kitchell, Nash and Heintz families have been consistent winners at Frogtown.
The first Calaveras Frog Jockeys winner was Joe Kitchell in 2005 – his daughters Caitlin Jarrell and Kylie Kitchell placed seventh and eighth is this year’s competition. Their team The Foothill Froggers is spin-off from Calaveras Frog Jockeys.
Also placing in the top tier were Joseph Fasano, third place; Madison Busch, fourth; Jack Smith, also a member of Foothill Froggers in fifth place and Lucy Fasano, sixth.
Calaveras Frog Jockeys have now won First Place at Frog Jump nine times – Joe Kitchell in 2005, Mike Nash in 2006, Laura Kitchell in 2012 and 2018; Riley Kitchell in 2013 and 2015; Casey Nash in 2014, Morgan Kitchell in 2016 – and Bria Heintz, 2021.
Seven-Year-Old Bria Heintz wins 2021 Jumping Frog Jubilee as Local Frog Jump Dynasty Scores Again added by admin on
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