State-Journal.com - WHHS teachers pig out when students have gone

Photo By State Journal/Hilly Schiffer

Tiffany Marsh eats one of her seven burgers during the White Castle “Showdown” at Western Hills High School Wednesday. Marsh, the choir teacher, competed against Jessica Gira, a special education teacher, and Judy Conde, the foreign language teacher.

Photo By State Journal/Hilly Schiffer

Judy Conde, left, a foreign language teacher, is deemed the winner of the White Castle “Showdown” by Jessica Gira, a special education teacher, at Western Hills High School Wednesday.

"Either victory or vomiting," Western Hills High School special education teacher Jessica Gira said about her chances of winning a White Castle burger eating contest.

WHHS Principal Dennis Hancock organized the competition, which took place Tuesday in the school media center, between Gira and music teacher Tiffany Marsh.

The current record for White Castle burgers is 103 in a matter of minutes.

"Since this is closing day we wanted to send out everybody on a good note," Hancock said. "We thought, "what can we do to make things a little bit fun for the faculty and staff?'"

Hancock said the competition got going when Marsh said she could eat "plenty" of the White Castle burgers.

"I think I can hold my own," Marsh said before the competition.

Hancock decided Marsh needed to compete against someone and he eventually found his challenger in Gira.

"I got a swarm of e-mails and phone calls and text messages and notes from the office nominating me and I said no every time," Gira said. "I just gave in, I was really sick of hearing people."

Gira said she ate her first burger from the restaurant a week ago and didn't like it, but her competitive nature forced her on.

"I'm very competitive," she said.

With the competitors lined up, Hancock decided the rules. The contestants had to consume a minimum of 12 burgers within 25 minutes to be eligible for prizes. If any contestant ate fewer than eight burgers, they would forfeit her $5 entry fee. The winner would receive a crown and a $25 gas card.
Each mini burger has 135 calories and seven grams of fat, according to White Castle nutritional information.

With the friendly White Castle competition, WHHS teachers joined a growing trend. The most famous eating contest is the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest, which has been held each year since 1916, according to the Nathan's Famous Web site. Last year, more than 50,000 people attended the event at Coney Island in New York.

The most famous competitive eater is Japan's Takeru Kobayashi, who won the hot dog contest six years in a row. Kobayashi was dethroned in 2007 by 23-year-old American Joey Chestnut, who ate 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Chestnut also holds the current White Castle burger record.

The competitors at WHHS were seated across from each other ready to begin, with more than 30 faculty and staff members behind, cheering them on.

"I'm just here for moral support and to rub the shoulders and blot the forehead," music teacher Stephanie Wallace said about Marsh.

The contest began slowly for both competitors.

"This is not going well," Gira said with two bites left of her first burger.

With Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf" playing on the stereo, Gira took an early lead.
After finishing her third burger, Gira held up three fingers and flexed her bicep while her co-worker Elise Holcomb chanted her name.

"Three to one, big lead!" announced Hancock.

As 10 minutes elapsed Wallace continued urging Marsh to eat.

"The slower you eat the harder it is, eat faster!" Wallace exclaimed.

With 15 minutes remaining in the competition, there was a call from the crowd.

"I'm challenging both of you," said foreign language teacher Judy Conde, as she took a seat at the competitors table.

"I used to eat six of them at a time when I was younger so I thought, hey I can surely eat 10," Conde said, explaining her late entrance in the competition.

Gira was on her fifth burger and Marsh her fourth, but Conde quickly made up ground.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, Gira stood up, took a deep breath and put her hand on her
stomach.

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever done," she said.

"They're all on their sixth now, youth can't handle the pressure," Hancock said, as Conde quickly caught up to her younger co-workers.

"Marsh's middle name is pressure," retorted Wallace after she squirted Marsh with a water bottle.

With time winding down the lead changed hands several times. When the clock struck zero, Conde was victorious. The score was Conde eight, Marsh seven and Gira almost seven.

Hancock declared the contest a three-way tie because none of the competitors finished the 12 required for prizes.

"We're going to give them all something tomorrow," Hancock said.

With the contest over, but none of the contestants quite ready to leave her chair, all three were asked if they would compete again next year.

"I guess I'll have to," said Conde. "I'll be prepared because I won't eat breakfast."

"I'll try it again," said Marsh.

"No way," said Gira. " I'll never eat White Castle again."