He was in the zone. Looking past the eager press contingency and
the rabid spectators, the valiant athlete ate until he could eat no
more.
“I need a bucket. I am going to throw up,” Anthony
DeFrenza said.
No chunks were blown in a competitive eating contest held Monday
night in Hedrick Dining Hall. The only thing blown was my mind, as
I witnessed an incredibly impressive display of athleticism.
Don’t scoff ““ competitive eating is a legitimate
sport. Check out the International Federation of Competitive Eating
Web site (ifoce.com), which claims that Takeru Kobayashi’s
consumption of 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes, July 4, 2001, was the
most phenomenal win in sports history.
That’s right, the most phenomenal.
So, it makes sense that UCLA, home to a student body with a
diverse palette, would produce some excellent competitive
eaters.
Monday night two behemoths of UCLA’s competitive-eating
world collided with electrifying results, as sophomores DeFrenza
and Nick Martin battled it out to determine who could eat more
cheeseburgers (sans condiments) in 15 minutes.
For some perspective, the hamburger-eating record is 11 burgers
in 10 minutes, set by Donald Lerman November 10, 2001.
In Monday night’s matchup the athletes were allowed
beverages of their choice and allotted all the burgers they could
eat, and the rules for this contest were simple: the competitors
faced automatic disqualification for vomiting, and were forbidden
from competing under the influence of any type of drug that might
stimulate their appetite.
Standing at 5 feet, 11 inches and weighing in at 175 pounds,
DeFrenza is the president and sole member of UCLA’s
Competitive Eating Club. He lists his most memorable eating
achievement as the four “beyond spicy” buffalo wings he
ate in the 12-wing challenge at Cluck-U-Chicken in Santa Clara,
Calif.
DeFrenza, who is always a fierce gamer, thoroughly prepared for
the competition.
“I originally thought I would drink gallons of water,
which would loosen my stomach,” DeFrenza said. “I
wanted to keep food consumption to a minimum. However, as the day
progressed, I quit drinking so much water. The best way for me to
train is to be myself.”
Knowing the stigma that competitive eaters face, DeFrenza spoke
confidently about his sport.
“The motivation for competing in a sport is to impress the
ladies,” DeFrenza said. “I don’t know how many
ladies are impressed by competitive eating. You know, football gets
a lot of funding at UCLA, and I don’t see any funding for
competitive eating.”
Funded or not, UCLA’s competitive eating world certainly
produced an able competitor for DeFrenza in Martin. Weighing in at
260 pounds and standing at 6 feet, 3 inches, Martin boasts
polishing off a large pizza in one sitting as his favorite
competitive eating memory. Â
Pre-matchup, each competitor had an interesting take on his
opponent.
“Nick may be bigger than me, but that doesn’t
matter,” DeFrenza said. Â “He’s got a bigger
mouth and a bigger stomach, but I’ve got a bigger
heart.”
While DeFrenza played up his role as the underdog, Martin
emphasized his opponent’s nerves.
“I’ve eaten with Anthony many times, and his
abilities in social settings have impressed me,” Martin said.
“But, the added pressure of competition will make him
buckle.”
At 7:15 p.m. the historic contest began, with Martin getting out
of the gate quickly as DeFrenza faltered early ““ maybe it was
the nerves or all the meat in his mouth, but DeFrenza had trouble
with his first burger and seemed to need to vomit, while Martin
packed it away. Â
For their beverages, DeFrenza chose water, while Martin elected
to drink milk, a decision that, in the middle of the competition,
perplexed Ryan Teofilo, a sophomore defensive tackle on the UCLA
football team who served as competitive eating commentator.
“Nick is doing well, but the milk will slow him
down,” said Teofilo who, at 6 feet, 2 inches and 280 pounds,
claims he could have eaten 12 cheeseburgers.
With eight minutes, 22 seconds left on the clock, Martin
finished his fourth burger, much to the chagrin of DeFrenza, who
was working on his third at the time.
“Look at him, he is unbeatable. This is unreal,”
DeFrenza moaned between bites.
“If I were you I would do a little more eating and a
little less talking,” Martin snapped back.
So, the fierce competitors ate on, and DeFrenza seemed to enter
into a sort of semi-conscious, hallucinatory state, his legs
shaking, and eyes glazed over, as he attempted to cut into
Martin’s lead.
With three minutes remaining, DeFrenza made his fateful call for
a bucket, but never made good on his promise to vomit. As seconds
ticked off the clock, the athletes slowed their pace, with Martin
devouring his sixth, and final burger with a minute to go, and
DeFrenza, his fifth, with 21 seconds remaining.
DeFrenza failed in his attempt to shove the tying burger in his
mouth, and slumped down in his seat as time was called.
“I should have watched “˜Rudy’ before the
competition,” the runner-up said.
DeFrenza shared a conciliatory embrace with the champion, and
asked him to join the Competitive Eating Club.
Martin accepted.
“I’d like to say, I don’t think my parents
would be very proud,” DeFrenza said. “My dad would say,
“˜Tony you are an idiot.’ They think I am here to
study.”
Competitive eating may not be something UCLA students learn
about in lecture halls, but it does teach students about something
quite important.
Heart.