Eagan Bagger Going for the Win

If bagging groceries were an Olympic sport, Eagan's Blake Westling would be going for the gold. 

This 20-year-old University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student has been bagging up wins for four consecutive years. That's how long he has been named the fastest bagger in the Eagan Byerly's store competition, this year going up against 13 other baggers.

And, this year marks the second consecutive year he has won the Lunds and Byerly’s corporate best bagger "Big Dog" award, a record that has never been accomplished before.

The win allows him to compete in the state competition, being held at noon on Saturday at the Mall of America Macy's Court. 

Westling has his sights set on the ultimate prize: an appearance on the David Letterman show and $10,000. But first, he has to win the state title at Saturday’s showdown.

Westling says he is ready this year. 2010 was his first state competition and he chalks that up as practice round. He admits to being thrown off by the tablecloth on the table last year which he kept grabbing along with the items he was bagging.

This year he has been practicing with a tablecloth and feels he is ready. He also has been practicing blindfolded, with a conveyor belt, with items stacked up high, and anything else his trainer can think of.

Yes, Westling has a trainer. As store manager Patrick Cullen says, "this is big stuff."

Westling even has been watching videos from prior year’s competitions to get a feel other bagger’s techniques and an idea of the assortment of items typically on the table.

The Best Bagger contest is sponsored by the Minnesota Grocers Association and points are awarded for speed, weight distribution, technique, and style, attitude and appearance.

Westling lost state last year with a time of 55 seconds. This year, his best time is 37 seconds - an improvement that is an example of Cullen’s characterization of Westling as “tenacious and determined.”

Westling, who hopes to be an orthopedic surgeon someday says, “every time I talk about (Saturday) I get more excited.”

He also has been watching a few David Letterman episodes to get ready for his national debut.