Larry Swanson, associate athletic director, competes in a cow-milking contest at the Quad. The competition -- held as part of Homecoming Day festivities on campus Oct. 14 -- found about eight staff, faculty and students competing in three 30-second heats to see who could fill their milk buckets the fastest. After the final round of the contest, runner-up Swanson, congratulated student Melanie Borges, right, on her win. Participants included Liz Applegate of nutrition, Gilda Garcia of student affairs and Aggie football team captain Tommy Parisi. Swanson, who has won the event for most of the past 10 years, offered advice to his fellow competitors. "You must have warm hands and a calm cow and you have to be assertive -- show 'em that you're there and you mean business," Swanson said with a smile. Swanson admits that he had a bit of an insider's advantage from his days growing up on a farm outside Lebanon, Ore. "I started milking at age 9 and did it twice a day all the way through high school; so I had a little practice in my youth," he said. In the final round though, Borges was able to slip past the favorite, turning in more than a cup's worth of milk to Swanson's two tablespoons. "Melanie just absolutely dominated me," says Swanson, joking, "I'm already in training, though. I'm going to try to reclaim the crown next year." The annual event is sponsored by the Aggie Pack and ASUCD.