Romney Family Vacation Is Competitive, Mandatory

No one can skip contest sports, family grill sessions
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 2, 2012 1:04 AM CDT
Updated Jul 2, 2012 1:55 AM CDT
Romney Family Vacation Mandatory
Mitt Romney walks with son Josh at his vacation home on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, NH, yesterday.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

What kind of president would Mitt Romney make? For some clues, take a look at his summer family vacation, where attendance by his grown sons and their families is mandatory, the days are packed with competitive games, and the little girls posed for the annual group photo last year in matching polka-dot dresses. The annual summer vacation just started and, as usual, all 30 Romneys are chilling at one of Mitt's homes: an $8 million, 13-acre New Hampshire mansion in Wolfeboro on Lake Winnipesaukee. There will be plenty of daily exercise by way of a carefully organized regimen of sports and games known as the "Romney Olympics," according to the dish dug up by the Washington Post.

Mitt and his five sons and their wives swim, bike, and run in a mini-triathlon against one another (Mitt almost came in dead last one time against a daughter-in-law who had recently given birth), as well as compete to determine who can hang onto a pole the longest, who can throw a football the farthest, and who can hammer the most nails into a board in two minutes. Most of the 18 grandkids put on a talent show. At night, family discussions take place. There is no excuse for skipping the get-together. One year, Romney's oldest, Tagg, now 42, said he couldn't attend because of his work with the Los Angeles Dodgers. "My dad said, 'No, you will make it," Tagg told the Post. "I had to beg forgiveness from my bosses." Still, he says, it's a vacation most of them look forward to more than any other week in the year. It's easy to see why: The house features a horse stable, tennis and volleyball courts, 768 feet of shoreline (with kayaks to enjoy it), and a $630,000 boat house. (More Mitt Romney 2012 stories.)

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