‘Team Italy’ students learn pizza dough throw from expert

With anxious grins on their faces and flour staining their clothes, a group of Bellefontaine Middle School students sunk their hands into some pizza dough Thursday afternoon and prepared themselves for a lesson in dough tossing from a local expert at Michael Angelo’s Pizza in Rushsylvania.

The eight pupils want to learn the skill of pizza dough tossing to wow the judges when they compete as “Team Italy” at the Junior Ohio Model United Nations event in Columbus March 21-23.

So one of their coaches, Dr. Linda Costin, asked for the help of Michael Angelo’s owner Michael Shepherd, who has participated in pizza competitions throughout the world as a member of the World Pizza Champions.

The group remembered seeing Mr. Shepherd showcase his pizza dough tossing prowess on The Food Network, and wondered if maybe he could give them a few pointers.

“We laughed about the idea at first — we thought we’d have pizza dough everywhere,” said Dr. Costin, a local pediatrician. “But then I talked to Mr. Shepherd, and he said we would actually be able to do it.”

Team members have already spent several months preparing for the Junior OMUN, which allows students to learn about the complete operations of the United Nations and its role as the world’s largest international peacekeeping and humanitarian organization, according to the Ohio Leadership Institute Web site, http://ohioleader.com. Two other BMS teams will also participate next month.

Students received individual help from Mr. Shepherd, who holds four gold medals in acrobatic pizza tossing, during the session at the 117 N. Sandusky St. business. Prior to performing any tosses, pupils worked to stretch out the dough with their hands and a rolling pin, which is actually more difficult than the tossing itself, the pizza expert said.

“Forming it out to make it round is the hardest part,” Mr. Shepherd said. “Our employees actually take about three months to perfect the processes entirely by hand. It’s more difficult for them because they don’t use a rolling pin.”

Then it was time to let the dough fly. The business owner demonstrated the toss, starting out with both hands under the dough, and then giving it a slight twist and releasing.

“When you release the dough, you want your hands to be fairly flat. And then the harder you spin it, the bigger it will get,” he said.

Dr. Costin’s daughter, Jenna Fannin, was one of the first team members to try out the dough throw, while her peers, her mother, fellow coach Jamie Stripe and high school helper Ashley Burkhammer watched.

“Mom, why are you looking at me like I’m about to have it on my face?” Jenna asked before launching the dough toward the ceiling.

Overall, their pizza coach said the students picked up the technique fairly quickly, and the pupils noted they appreciated his specific instructions.

“It’s not as hard as it looks. I did better than I thought I would,” seventh-grader David Guajardo said. “He was a good teacher.”

The Italy team plans to incorporate the dough tossing into the talent segment of the Junior OMUN competition. Students will dress in traditional Renaissance clothing, and perhaps some members will dance and others make pizza while member Marcy Sebring sings a song in Italian.

In addition to the talent portion of the competition, the teams also compete in the resolution segment of OMUN, where they must present and debate possible solutions to a current issue plaguing their country.