The Fourth of July means a lot of things to a lot of people... Independence Day, fireworks, outdoor barbecues, baseball games and Wimbledon tennis.

To me, it's about one of the greatest sporting events of the year, when a collection of the finest competitors on the face of the earth gather at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, Brooklyn. After preparing all year long, these athletes come together to battle it out in the Nathan's International July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest. Last year, six-time defending champion Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi was beaten by American hero Joey Chestnut, who won by eating a world record-breaking 66 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes.

Why do I love this event so much? First, I very easily could have been the heir to the Nathan's Hot Dog empire. True story... my great-grandfather was good friends with Nathan back in Germany and came over with him on the boat to the U.S. back in the early 1910's. On the trip, Nathan asked my skeptical ancestor if he wanted to go into business selling franks. He declined, instead going into the garment business.

But it is my deep respect and admiration for these athletes that really fuels my interest in Nathan's and the Hot Dog Eating Contest. Yes, competitive eating is a sport and if you do not believe it, then you have not witnessed its splendor.

Several years ago, I was cruising up Fifth Avenue in New York, doing some midsummer shopping to freshen up the wardrobe, when I stumbled across a crowd gathering in Rockefeller Center. Now I'm no glutton for punishment, so I usually avoid these touristy type gatherings in big public places. I figured it was just another gang of street dancers spinning on their heads and passing around a spackle bucket to collect $1 bills.

But this was no ordinary crowd so I decided to see what the fuss was all about. As I fought my way to the front of the crowd, there stood a southern man with a terrible suit and great head of hair holding a microphone in the spirit of Bob Barker. He introduced himself as Richard Shea, a representative of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. This was a Federation I was not familiar with, such as American Federation of Labor and the United Federation of Planets. But a pleasantly plump woman next to me informed those within earshot that this is the group that sponsors the annual Nathan's contest.

Shea proceeded to introduce the purpose of his little gathering, an IFOCE-sanctioned Chicken McNugget speed-eating competition. Since I didn't have to meet my friends for lunch in Soho for another hour or so, I decided to stick around and witness what I thought would be a sorry exhibition of grotesque humanity.

And boy was I glad I did.

He introduced the professional competitors, calling out their accomplishments and personalo records like a baseball announcer might during an old-timers game. First up was Morty Sobowicz, a 250-plus pound gentleman from a place called Blue Ridge, PA. Sobowicz once ate 46 Big Macs in 20 minutes. Next up was a diminutive woman who would not have weighed more than 105 pounds. Sonya Thomas, Shea announced, is the greatest living female eater around, holding more than 40 records, male or female. I was suspicious. Finally, a man named Wallace who looked like he was cut from the mold of Hightower from the Police Academy movies.

Next up, a group of young men carried McDonalds shopping bags to the table and laid them out in a neat formation. As Shea indicated, the eaters would have five minutes to eat as many of the chicken pieces as they could. They would have the liquid aid of only one 20-oz bottle of Poland Spring.

And then it began, and Wallace and Morty never had a chance. The raucous crowd grew more fervent with each devoured piece of poultry as the diminutive Sonya Thomas put on the single greatest exhibition of skill and talent that I have witnessed since the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Competition. She simply put one after another in her mouth and swallowed. And when all was said and done. Thomas had downed an astounding 80 nuggets. Wallace finished in second with 42 and Morty only tallied 29.

"Ladies and gentleman," Shea boomed after the remaining pieces were counted, "we have a NEW WORLD RECORD."

With that pronouncement, the crowd of 600 or so gathered observers launched into an ovation worthy of a performer like Frank Sinatra or James Brown. There were hugs between the competitors as the losing two quickly scampered away. Meanwhile, the elated Thomas, at least 10 pounds heavier than five minutes earlier, jumped around and celebrated like a rodeo champion after lasting the full eight seconds. She posed for pictures with the crowd and even signed a few of the empty McDonalds chicken boxes for her new fans, which you could now and forever count me one of...

Thomas has since competed in the Nathan's contest as the only female competitor for a few years now, putting up a respectable number year after year, but not quite challenging the top men. Yet as we celebrate another summer, so should we celebrate these phenoms born with a gift: the gift of rapid metabolism and rapid mandibular speed. I may never be blessed with their skill, but I share in their celebration of great athletes doing great things... no matter what form that takes.