AHOSKIE – Have you ever looked at the weekly Gridiron Gurus contest and thought you could select possible winners better than those on the panel?

Well, now’s your chance.

Starting today, Roanoke-Chowan Publications presents its annual football pick ‘em contest. In the new and improved edition of the contest, readers will have the opportunity to match wits with four football ‘experts’ from the RCP staff.

Each week, readers will have the chance to predict the winners of 10 games – both college and professional – and try to beat RCP Publisher Joe Cowart, Editor Cal Bryant, Multimedia Manager Patrick Bryant and Managing Editor Thadd White.

“As we were thinking about our contest this year, we thought  we’d add a little fun to it,” Cowart said. “In addition to the normal competition, we thought it would be fun for our readers to match wits with the four most sports-minded people on our staff.”

The entry blank will appear each week and readers will have the opportunity to make their picks and return the completed form to the Roanoke-Chowan Publications office, located on the corner of Main Street and Catherine Creek Road in Ahoskie. It can also be mailed to Beat The Experts, c/o Roanoke-Chowan Publications, P.O. Box 1325, Ahoskie, NC 27910. The deadline for contest entries is 5 p.m. each Friday or postmarked by that day.

The winner each week will receive tickets to a football or basketball game at East Carolina University or Chowan University. The choice of venues will be made by the winner, but which sport will be decided before the contest. The winner will be the person who successfully has the most correct picks and beats at least two of the experts. In the event of a tie, the person who correctly picks the closest in the tie-breaker (total points of one designated game) will be the winner.

The person finishing second will have the opportunity to claim the tickets not sued by the winner.

Games pieces are available weekly at the main office of the News-Herald and Index, located at the corner of Main Street and Catherine Creek Road in Ahoskie during regular business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m. M-F). No purchase is necessary. One game piece will be provided per request.

No photo copies of newspaper entry blanks or the game piece will be accepted.

The contest is open to those 18 years of age or older. Employees or contractors of Roanoke-Chowan Publications and their immediate families are not eligible.

The contest begins with today’s edition, so cut out the entry blank and “Beat the experts.”