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In
this sport, underdog chews up competitor
Written By: Kyle Tucker
July 15, 2003
NORFOLK -- Carson ``Collard Green'' Hughes was the underdog.
Sure, there had been signs of greatness. Previously, he had
scarfed down 2 1/2 pounds of collard greens in 17.5 seconds, hence
the nickname.
But these were hot dogs, and Crazy Legs Conti was a proven master.
So, there they were Saturday. Hughes, the local favorite from
Newport News, and Conti, the big-time competitive eater from New
York City and ranked 16th in the world.
They, and 20 other competitors drawn by the drama of the dog,
brought all the trappings of big-time sport to MacArthur Center
on Saturday for the Norfolk Hot Dog Eating Championship. It wasn't
just sport, but dueling philosophies of life.
``Gluttony Kills,'' warned one poster, from a protest group seeking
to bring the plight of hungry children to the fore.
It was up against another on a competitor's T-Shirt: ``Nothing
in Moderation.'' Hundreds of fans packed around center court,
standing shoulder to shoulder, hanging over the railings on all
three floors of the mall.
``It was awesome,'' said Susan Ragudo, a spectator from Virginia
Beach. ``We thought one guy was going to throw up, and the kids
got really excited about that.'' George Shea, event director
and chair of the International Federation of Competitive Eating,
counted down from 10 to zero. Twelve minutes of frantic face-filling
ensued.
A few staggered by the half-way point, crumbs dangling and dropping
from flushed faces and bulging cheeks.
A handful stepped away from the table in surrender before the
final bell.
But Hughes and Crazy Legs Conti -- his real name, according to
his driver's license - simply shoveled in the pups.
Hughes bolted to a big lead by devouring six hot dogs in the
first two minutes, dunking dogs and buns in water, with a touch
of mustard, and wolfing them down. His pace slowed in the closing
minutes, though, and Conti started to catch up.
``After eight minutes, people hit the wall,'' said Conti, who
has, on separate occasions, also gulped down three pounds of pancakes
and 17 dozen oysters in one sitting. ``In the final four minutes,
it's like the back nine. It's where dreams are made and broken.''
In the end, it appeared that the 44-year-old Hughes had taken
the title, successfully swallowing 16 hot dogs and buns. With victory
came a tall trophy and a free trip to Coney Island, N.Y., for the
88th Annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog
Eating Contest.
There, competitors will try to reclaim the world title from two-time
defending champion Takeru Kobayashi of Japan. Last year, Kobayashi
gobbled 50 1/2 hot dogs and buns.
After the upset win Saturday, Hughes exalted. ``It's pretty
hard jumping when you eat 16 hot dogs,'' he said. ``But I'm very,
very excited. I've got now to the Fourth of July to work on my technique.''
His crown, however, wasn't undisputed. Conti, who had been
disqualified late, felt he was robbed in Saturday's showdown. Conti
was first accused Saturday of ``urges contrary to swallowing.''
That's the IFOCE's way of saying he vomited.
But upon review of the video tape of the event, at Conti's request,
it was determined he had no such urges. The replay showed instead
that Conti had stuffed two whole hot dogs, the would-be winners,
into his mouth as time ran out. The scraps that didn't fit
spilled on the table. Not vomit, but not legal either.
``There is a rule. You can't just cram a bunch of hot dogs in
your mouth at the end and then take 30 minutes to eat them,'' Shea
said. ``The ruling stands. Collard Green is the winner, fair and
square.` Collard Green leapt. Crazy Legs steamed.
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