Hot wings, a packed crowd and the spirit of friendly competition sparked excitement Tuesday night at the inaugural Gainesville Chicken Wing Bowl Eating Contest benefiting the Child Advocacy Center.
The CAC is a local non-profit that serves neglected and abused children.
Team Dynamo and Bosshardt Companies put on the event, held at Gator's Dockside Restaurant.
The wing bowl provided a family-friendly atmosphere full of wings, raffle ticket prizes and a clown for the children.
Eight teams participated in the contest. Among those, the Gainesville Firefighters were matched against the Alachua County Firefighters.
"We want to make sure all the kids have what they need," said Kevin Gutierrez, a contest participant and firefighter for the Gainesville Fire Rescue Department.
Each contestant had to raise a minimum of $100 to participate. Teams were given $20 tickets to sell before the event. The contest consisted of two rounds, each lasting five minutes.
Former UF football player Shannon Snell, 29, set the record for the competition in the first round after devouring 48 chicken wings.
Supporters yelled his nickname, "Big Boss," from the crowd as he chowed down on his wings.
Contestant Owen Anderson, a 20-year-old Santa Fe College student and member of the Student Maid team, said he didn't have a technique at first.
After a while, he started eating less and almost threw up during the last 30 seconds.
Alex Lopez, a firefighter for the Gainesville Fire Rescue Department, came away with the only injury in the competition as he burned his fingers on the wings.
Lopez, who ate 27 wings, soothed his tender fingertips with ointment after the contest and said he could have eaten more if the wings were not so hot.
