New IFOCE Rule

The commissioner of the IFOCE put out a new rule:

Hardy's Rule
1/31/2006

Hungry Charles Hardy, IFOCE commissioner and arguably the most respected athlete in the history of the sport, released an important mandate this morning that presents new standards for dunking and water retention. It is not known if this mandate will apply to all future contests, but Hardy clearly issued this in time for tomorrow’s GoldenPalace.com World Grilled Cheese Eating Championship.

The mandate, dubbed 'Hardy's Rule,' is sure to rankle some of the circuit's keenest gurgitators as it limits the amount of time that a grilled cheese sandwich can be submerged in water to five (5) seconds.

"I've seen eaters submerging their bread for such a lengthy period of time that it essentially dissolves," said Hardy. "Dunking is cool, but extended dunking makes judging all the more complicated."

According to Hardy, eaters that submerge a grilled cheese sandwich for longer than five seconds will risk disqualification.

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I think that is a good step toward some standardization in the sport. The article mentions the grilled cheese sandwich contest but I think it would be good to apply this type of rule to other (all?) contests as well. SB out.