by Darian

Created on: June 25, 2008

On July 4th. 1916, four immigrants disputed about which one was the most patriotic. To settle their dispute, they decided to see who could eat the most hotdogs. So began the tradition of hotdog eating contests on the fourth of July.

The skinny hotdogs are the best for a contest. Don't buy the ones stuffed with cheese or any kind of peppers, that would be a different kind of contest all together. You're going to need buckets. Most of us don't want to associate eating with barf buckets but in this case, their necessary. Appoint specific jobs for those involved. Someone has to be in charge of counting, you will probably need two or more people for this. If this is a timed contest, you will need a time keeper. You will also need someone who knows CPR. We don't want to take the fun out of it, but it isn't much fun if someone begins to choke and no one knows what to do. Give each contestant their own container of hotdogs, all with the same amount in them. If a constant eats all theirs, the counter will give them more.

Hotdog eating contests are not for the young, they tend to choke too easily on them. Once you have your brave contestants, the first thing is to make sure you have rules. What would any contest be without rules?

A video camera will be a priceless piece of equipment during this event. Even if the videoer is skilled, your video is likely to turn out jumbled. It's hard to keep a video camera still while you're laughing. Ok, let the eating begin. The best contests are usually the timed ones. The contestants are given a specific amount of time, the one who eats the most hotdogs in that time is the winner. There are also the fastest eating contest. Each constant is given the same amount of hotdogs, the one to finish all their hotdogs first wins.

Prizes. The winner should receive a prize worthy of their efforts. Small trophies are inexpensive. Maybe everyone could chip in and buy a shopping card. A shopping card is good for male or female. T shirts are a lot of fun. You can usually find one off the rack with something suitable for your contest. A picture of a pig gives a double meaning. Aren't hotdogs made of pork? Second place prizes make your contest more exciting, especially if the champ has held the title for three years running. Second place gives hope to the novice. Don't forget last place. Last place gets all they can eat desert. Where was that bucket?

Hotdog eating contests are traditional at many July fourth celebrations. The young ones count the years until their old enough to participate. Will the champ hold onto his title this year, or will the rookie beat him? It's a lot of fun and with a little planing it can be a big hit. Your constants will get serious about competing. They will go into training weeks before the fight. they have developed a strategy that is sure to give them the win this year.

As your July Fourth comes to a close, your winner will proudly were their T shirt telling the world yes, I am a pig, and I have the trophy to prove it.

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