Daily Record Article

Here is a link to the article in the Canon City Daily Record. I am also putting the complete text below. My comments are in (bold italics).

I think the article makes me sort of sound like an asshole, but I don't think I'm an asshole.

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Publish Date: 7/3/2007


Andrew Lane, a competitive eater, consumes a two-pound cheeseburger.

A 'skinny boy' with a big appetite
(one word, please. I did not specifically specify that, but it was in emails as one word)


Charlotte Burrous
The Daily Record


FLORENCE — Being on stage does something to him. He loves people cheering and calling his name.
(hmmm..)

But for Andrew "Skinny Boy" Lane, it's also a challenge.

After several years of competing, he is ranked 33rd in the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

Whenever he competes, "the people sit in the audience and yell, 'eat, eat, eat,'" Lane said. "It's surreal."

His interest began when he saw it on ESPN in 2003. His fascination grew as he followed it on the Internet and on TV.

"When one of the contests came to Denver, I said, 'I'm there,'" Lane said.

But when he told his wife, Tommy, she wasn't as sure about it.
(TommyE, please. Tommye. Admittedly we did not spell her name but wouldn't most people ask..)

"I asked him how long he had been interested in it," she said.

But it's more than just eating the food.

"It's fun for one thing and I get to travel," he said. "The first one, I placed eighth out of 14 people" in a grilled cheese competition. "And I hate cheese and I hate butter, which is two thirds of it. I ate 12 of them."

Since then, he has competed in various contests, including three grilled cheese, nine-pound hamburgers, three hot dogs, kalachis, pizza and French fries contests around the country such as North Carolina, Arizona, Las Vegas and Albuquerque, N.M.
(meh..)

His latest contest was in San Francisco, Calif., where he ate several hot dogs.

"I won third in that one," Lane said.
(I know I didn't say WON)

He determines which competition to enter when he goes online. The contests are posted at majorleagueeating.com. When he begins to train, he goes to restaurants and ordering lots of food to eat. And at home, he practices when Tommy is there because of the dangers of choking.
(umm..)

"It's different than when you were a kid and you're mom was telling you to eat," Tommy said.
(yes, and your welcome.)

"It's fun being up there, fun traveling and seeing how much you can eat and know that the top guys eat like 16 pounds of food," Lane said. "I may eat four or five pounds."

For him, it's a hobby.

"Some people paint or garden, but I eat," he said. "The people are all good people."
(Two separate thoughts here. I said the "I eat" bit. It sounds humorous to hear it, but to read it that sounds dickish. And "the people" part is meant to be a shout out to the other eaters who kick ass!)

To keep from gaining weight taking on too many calories, Lane works out and eats balanced meals when he isn't training.

The next competition will be a pie eating contest July 20 in Oregon.
(July 28th)

"I've never eaten pie without hands before," he said.

Tommy said he couldn't train in a restaurant because it would be too messy.

"I told her they do not condone home training so I have to eat out," Lane joked. "It's consternation and a Catch 22. I can't eat at home, but I can't eat out."
(I know I didn't use 'consternation'. I don't even know what that means. Using it there sounds wrong.)

He may begin training at Village Inn, where it offers 'all you can eat' pancakes on the menu.

"Before I begin eating, I did not eat at all," Lane said. "To me, eating all of that is a kind of a new thing."
(Knowing the tenses I would have said "began" instead of "begin".)

When he isn't training, he works as a computer programmer.

Lane moved to Colorado in 1991 and attended the University of Colorado, where he earned a degree in geography. In 1996, he married Tommy, who is training to become a nurse at Pueblo Community College.

"I'm an athl'eat'," he joked.
(Yeah, I said that. Again, it looks dickish to read but it's hard to convey the delivery..)