Recap: The Salomone Spiral Debuts — and Wins — at the 2023 National Championship
September 23, 2023 · By Council Staff
Michael Salomone reclaimed the National Pineapple Championship in Orlando on September 16, 2023, finishing in 0:47 — a new championship record and more than five seconds clear of runner-up Jake Winslow, who had beaten him for the title exactly one year earlier.
The win marked the first competitive appearance of what judges and fans would soon nickname the Salomone Spiral: a single continuous cut that removes the pineapple's skin in one unbroken ribbon rather than the four-panel peel most competitors use. Judges scored it as not only faster but cleaner, with zero penalty seconds — the technical standard Salomone has now maintained through every sanctioned appearance.
Florida's Gabriel Santos took third on his home turf, with Texas's Priya Natarajan fourth and Illinois's Nadia Petrov fifth. For Salomone, the win completed a full-circle year: a technique built in direct response to his only career loss, debuted on a national stage, and immediately vindicated with a championship record.
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