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2003 King of the Jungle   The Fantasy Jungle fantastic finish has been well documented by now. In the end, the man who took home the title of "King of The Jungle" was John Piontek, 30, from Orlando, Florida. Recently, The Fantasy Jungle got a chance to sit down with John at "The Champions Dinner" in Orlando. It was a great time, and John is a very humble person. We are

proud to have him as our first champ. Here is the interview:

FJ: Well first off, congratulations.

The Champ: Thank you very much.

FJ: I've got to jump right in and ask, was it as crazy for you as it was for those of us just following along that last night?

The Champ: It was. I had a feeling after Favre's good start, that I had a chance.

FJ: You had an absolutely enormous last weekend, posting over 220 points that last week and coming from several spots back. Did you think that you had a good shot coming into that last weekend?

The Champ: Actually I did. I thought that if I could post a 180, I would give myself a chance if the leaders threw up a 120 or so. You never know with fantasy because it's so unpredictable, but I was cautiously optimistic.

FJ: That last game was pretty much fueled by your core of Green Bay Packer players. You had Favre, Ahman Green, and the Packers all going for you. That had to be even more exciting, made by the fact that you are a big Packer fan.

The Champ: That was definitely great that the packers players helped me out. I'm originally from Wisconsin and have been a lifelong Packers fan.

FJ: Most people don't know this, but you actually got into the contest about an hour before the signup deadline was over. In fact, I was over at a bar setting up for our draft selection party when Scott walked in and said we had one more signup. Was that planned to be last minute?

The Champ: I actually work with Nicole Sheehan, who is the co-owner of the team Devdon's Dynasty with her husband. She told me about this new contest that they were playing in on that last day. I checked it out and immediately was in. I play in several other ones, but this was the first I had heard of the Jungle.

FJ: You are in several contests. Do you enjoy all the fantasy sports?

The Champ: I would love to become a professional fantasy player. By that I mean, I would love to be able to play in several contests per year that were of the high stakes variety. That would be a lot of fun.

FJ: As far as the Fantasy Jungle goes, obviously you are the champ so you feel good about it, but what else can you offer about your experience with the Fantasy Jungle?

The Champ: Every contest is unique and offers different things, but the customer service and interaction with the owners of The Fantasy Jungle is unmatched by anyone. I especially love The Fantasy Jungle Gazette and I couldn’t wait for that to come to my inbox every Thursday. Those little things are really important and they make every one feel excited about playing here. You guys really care about your customers and that shows.

FJ: Now to one of the more fun questions, have you thought about what you are going to do with your prize money?

The Champ: Well I am going to do a few things with it. My sister is a single mother so I'm going to help her out and give her some of it. I also am going to pay down my student loans and buy a home computer system, and take an extended vacation out to Vegas in March. Lastly, I’m going to put some of it back into play so I can enter some more contests for 2004.

FJ: Commenting about your thoughts on the Fantasy Jungle, you made a quote that we fell in love with. You praised all of your fellow competitors and regarding the Jungle, you said "We all got to see the garage band play in a local club and knew it was something special. Years from now, when it's selling out stadiums, we can all say, We were there from the beginning." That still almost brings tears to my eyes, (laughing). What do you think lies ahead for the Jungle?

The Champ: I've noticed you love that quote. (laughing). I really feel that The Fantasy Jungle is going to grow significantly over the next few years and I’m honored to be the first champ. All of my fellow competitors did a great job and many of us could have won. There's not enough nice things that I can say about the Jungle. I recommend it to all.

FJ: Well John, we are proud to have you as our champ and I think that all of the members out there should be proud to have a humble person such as yourself representing us as the Champ. What are your plans for this upcoming year?

The Champ: Well I will be entering Jungle baseball and a few other fantasy baseball games, and then gearing up for football. So I'm looking forward to a great 2004.

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