My first taste of real competitive eating was quite an adventure.
Friday morning, my two friends Kelly and Allyson came to my house, and we set off toward my Aunt's new condo in North Myrtle Beach. We followed my dad, and two grandparents who were going to stay in the condo and visit with my aunt and uncle. The trip was going perfectly fine, when I had to stop and get gas in South Carolina. I had directions with me, so my Dad drove on and we were on our own. I do a pretty decent job with directions and maps, so I wasn't worried. The only problem: I was driving, and navigating at the same time. We ended up missing a turn and going through the city of Darlington as opposed to the route that would take us around the city. As I was reading directions and driving, I did not realize the speed limit had reduced to 35, and that there was a cop waiting to catch speeders. I got pulled over for going 51 in a 35. The cop asked if we had just graduated, I told him politely no, we were going to a Hot Dog Eating Contest and luckily he wrote me a warning because he didn't want to ruin our weekend. It was a very pleasant surprise and I definitely watched the speed limit from then on.
We made it to the condo in about 5 and a half hours. Which isn't terrible considering we stopped to eat twice, got gas, pulled over and slightly lost. After getting there, we walked to the beach and enjoyed the Atlantic ocean and the hot tubs at a beachside hotel.
Later that evening, I wanted to be sure I knew how to get to the Hard Rock Park. It took approximately 30 minutes to get there from our condo and I was getting excited for the next day.
The next morning, I woke up early because I was just too excited to sleep. I decided to go on a short run (mainly because I am not the cross country runner I used to be, and a short run is all i can do.) and came back to get ready. To our luck, it started storming, brutally. I wasn't sure if my friends would want to go to the park since i only had one extra ticket, so they would each have to pay 20 dollars to get in. I didn't want them to spend their money and not be able to ride any rides. However, they decided to go, and by the time we got to the park, it was clear.
We got to the park and rode the Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane roller coaster. it was a small roller coaster, but fun. The Eagles were blaring during the whole ride.
It got to be about 11:00 and I made my way to the amphitheater. I discovered that I was the only girl competing, got my t-shirt and signed the waiver. While I was waiting in the backstage area, I began to get nervous and my adrenaline was pumping. The Emcee (Micheal I believe was his name. He gave me his card but I don't have it with me right now.) began the introductions. I waited and waited for my name to be called. Come to find out, I would not be a table-ender at all. There was one person in between Allen goldstein and myself. I was in the middle. I have all of the introduction on video, but then when the national anthem played, my friend who was filming turned off the recording and forgot to hit record again. Hopefully I can get in touch with someone who was also videoing and get a copy.
The countdown began and I was off. I didn't notice anything around me. When Crazy Legs Conti talks about the zen in each contest, I definitely know what he is saying. It was just me and the hot dogs. Toward the end, I began to felt the wall. they announced 30 seconds, and I chipmunked my 9TH HOT DOG!. I definitely felt that last one, and had to hold back from spitting it out. I hate to say it, but the hot dogs were not very tasty. The wieners were cool, not even warm, but I guess that is for safety.
Anyway, I do not know the exact results, but I am guessing I came in about 5th place. Allen Goldstein finished first with 22 or 23, the second was 18, and third 13. I talked to a few later who ate less than me, and were quite embarrassed to be beaten by a girl.
Immediately after the contest was over, I was feeling fine. I guess the elation of finishing the "race" had my endorphins pumping. I knew I wouldn't ride any rides yet though. Kelly and Allyson rode a few, and I went back to my car to get some money for a soft drink and sit for a while. It was probably 3 hours after the contest, and as I went back to the park to get a drink, I began to get nauseous. I couldn't hold it, I had to go to the bathroom and face urges contrary to swallowing. I tried not to, but there was no way I could keep that last hot dog down. After that, I was fine to ride some rides and ended up riding Led Zeppelin: The Ride three times.
It was a fun weekend and Hard Rock Park was a pretty cool place. I hope to be able to enter a few contests again!
