Breakfast of Champions

     It was a rainy and dark morning when I pulled in to the parking lot of the Wells Fargo Center at 5am on Friday.  I was amazed to find people, mostly male, tail gating at that hour of the morning.  They were a part of the sold out crowd of 20,000 who were there to witness Wing Bowl 24, an annual competitive eating contest.

     It took a while to find my club box, but once there I had a great view of all the festivities.  It was like college homecoming, Mardi Gras, New Year's Mummers Parade, a carnival side show and old fashioned burlesque all wrapped up into one event.  One competitor even downed a cactus in a hoagie roll to the delight and amazement of the crowd.  There were bagpipes and string bands leading the way, along with scantily clad "wingettes," as those competing made their entrance into the center on homemade floats.

     Guest commentators narrated the scene, notables such at former Eagles great Jon Runyon, Flyers star Bernie Parent, NBA all-star Dennis Rodman and 5-time Wing Bowl champ Bill "El Wingador" Simmons who had recently been released from prison.

     Competitors with names like Golden Buddah, Ukraine Train, Rumspringa and Heavy Kevy were all there to win, as was last year's winner Patrick Bertoletti who downed a record setting 444 wings. The rules were pretty straightforward. "You heave, you leave." And 6 were eliminated for doing so.

     And after 3 rounds of downing the 10,000 wings provided by P.J. Whelihan's, a local eatery and watering hole, 125 pound Molly Schuyler emerged victorious.  The 36 year old from Bellevue, Nebraska consumed 429 wings.  That equates to 33 pounds, or 77,650 calories. For her first place finish she received a brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.  

 



Not bad for an hour's work.