Totally Unflappable under Pressure – Albany Diaper Derby

Published 7:53 p.m., July 4, 2013. Updated 11:55 a.m., July 5.

When it comes to remaining calm in the heat of competition, Olympic champions could take a lesson from the contestants at the 3rd Annual Albany Diaper Derby.

Not for a second did the compact competitors show the slightest sign of stress despite the excited exhortations of emotionally-wrought fans. Nor did their focus ever stray from the in-the-moment zen zone of giving total attention to whatever sensation happened to cross their field of awareness, regardless of whether it was connected to the "race."

After initial indications that competitors in the second heat may not have completely mastered the rules of the competition, 16-month-old Nathan Magdaleno crawled forward in a relative burst of speed for an early two-foot lead. 

Then, like the hare in the race with the tortoise, he paused for a rest, which gave fresh hope to supporters of a young man in denim shorts who surged within a head's length to grab a pair of sunglasses that had been placed in front of him as an inducement by one of his supporters. But when he grabbed the sunglasses, he  paused to ponder his new find.

And for a few very long seconds, the two front-runners became the front-sitters, with Nathan seemingly obvious to the cell phone being offered in front of him by one of his fans while his rival continued his examination of the sunglasses. 

Finally, Nathan – perhaps feeling pity in his young heart in the face of the mounting suspense that was taxing the nerves of onlookers – resumed his forward motion. The checkered flag came down, and he received a trophy featuring three shooting stars.

Nathan's mother, Leticia Magdalena, said the small champion had come with his family from their home in Vancouver, Wash., to visit her sister in Albany.

The Diaper Derby – which had three divisions according to age – was one of the highlights of the city's free "Green, Red, White & Blue Celebration" at Memorial Park Thursday in commemoration of the Fourth of July.

For more coverage of the event, see our article, "Beards, Babies, Ponies, Eats & Much More at Albany July 4th Fest." And you can check Albany Patch on Friday for a brief video of the cheek-stretching, chin-drenching watermelon-eating contest.

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