Swimmer dives into dash-dining with gusto

Downs two dozen wings in first minute of contest

Monday, July 31, 2006

By TOM LOEWY

The Register-Mail

GALESBURG - Travis Hunter picked a winner.

"There's your boy right there," Hunter said 30 minutes before the start of Sunday afternoon's wild chicken wing-eating contest at Sully's Pub.

The 35-year-old representative from R and B Distributors pointed at a blond-haired, blue-eyed teenager.

"It's the skinny ones you have to watch out for," Hunter said. "They're the ones who can put away the food. Get that kid's name, he's my pick to win this thing."

The kid's name was Jon Cline. And the 18-year-old made Hunter's prediction reality when he ate 45 wild chicken wings in four minutes.

Cline took home a big trophy and a crisp $100 bill.

Hunter and Jesus Valdez finished just behind the kid. They ate 42 each.

"I really wanted that trophy," said Cline, a three-sport athlete who graduated from Galesburg High School this spring. "It was close, though. I was getting kind of worried."

At 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, if Cline wasn't the lightest of the 11 men who devoured wings in Sunday's contest, he was the most physically fit.

"I did swimming, cross country and track in high school," Cline said. "And I'm going to swim for the University of Wisconsin - Steven's Point.

"I practice every day with my high school coach, John Willy, and I lift just about every day. I don't know if my experience in sports will help me with this kind of contest, but I can tell you swimming sure made me hungry. I like to eat."

Cline disclosed he had been in eating contests before Sunday's spicy showdown.

"I hold the Sully's record for eating 75 wings in one sitting," Cline said. "I did that in a little over an hour."

If Hunter had known the rest of Cline's background, he might have opened book on the kid.

"My friends and I like to see how much we can eat. I hold the taco title. I ate 18 tacos in an hour," Cline said. "And I won an ice cream eating contest. I ate 22 cones in one hour."

Tristian Garrett was one of the volunteers who helped with the contest.

"I'm calling myself a Wing Bone Watcher," Garrett said. "My job was to make sure they took all the meat off the bone."

The 24-year-old marveled at Cline's performance.

"He was pretty awesome," Garrett said. "He was putting them away really fast. I thought he had it for sure."

Cline finished his first basket of 24 wings in the first minute. He polished off 12 more wings over the next two minutes and ate nine in the final 60 seconds.

"I have to admit I got some practice in at Lake Bracken," Cline said. "I work there as a lifeguard, so my food is half off. I ate a bunch earlier this week to get ready for today."

Cline knew what he wanted to do with the proceeds from Sunday's victory.

"That's easy. I'm going to go out and blow it," Cline said. "I just made 100 bucks in four minutes, what else would I do with it?

"I think I'm going to take a bunch of my friends out for food tonight."

And where did he intend to dine?

"I'm not sure," Cline said. "Maybe we'll go out and eat some more wings to celebrate."