Professor makes hobby of strange contests

By Lea Victoria Juarez

            Crowds are cheering, music is blaring and the fire rages on inside the mouth of Elizabeth P. Garcia as she continues to eat one jalapeño after another. With her adrenaline high and only a rice-milk drink to douse the flames on her taste buds, her main focus is trying to stay calm.

As the only woman competing in Brownsville’s 2006 Sombrero Fest jalapeño-eating challenge, Garcia felt she had something to prove to the crowd and the little girls cheering her on. Although she finished in a tie with her husband for fourth place, she left with her head held high and without any regret.

“It’s more about the competition itself for me,” explained Garcia, a Florida native. “I just like trying new things and meeting new people.

The jalapeño-eating contest is just one of the many types of contests the communications studies lecturer has competed in. Since she was a youth Garcia has been participating for fun, winning prizes and earning bragging rights.

“I started entering contests around 8 (years old) through 4-H,” Garcia said, referencing the youth development organization. “Then I just continued from there.”

From public-speaking competitions to guessing games, Garcia is willing to take on any challenge that sparks her interest. She’s competed in over 100 contests and has won about $1,500 in cash, along with gift cards and goody baskets. She’s also won sweepstakes and drawing prizes from Mountain Dew, The Monitor and HEB.

“I don’t really gamble, but it’s usually a fun way to gamble without losing any money,” Garcia said. “I always have an eye out for anything, especially local, that I could kind of just try out.”

Although Garcia has competed in too many contests to remember, one of the most memorable was the 2006 Talk Like A Pirate competition in San Antonio for International Talk Like A Pirate Day on Sept. 19.

“You had to talk for a certain amount of time using pirate lingo,” Garcia explained. “I wrote my own script ahead of time so that I had something to say, and then I practiced it.”

With only about a week to prepare for the contest and do research on how to talk like a pirate, Garcia took home second prize–a San Antonio tour pack.

“It was a lot of fun because it was at Ripley’s Believe it or Not,” Garcia said regarding the event at the famous museum. “The staff was dressed up and they were talking like pirates, too, so they made it a lot of fun.”

No matter the outcome of the competitions, Garcia always has a positive attitude and takes pleasure in the experience itself whether she goes home with a win or not.

“I’ve lost far more contests than I’ve won, but I always have a good time and enjoy seeing other people’s talents,” she said.

Garcia explained that her goal is to some day be on a game show, and she doesn’t see herself retiring from competitions any time soon.

“I think I’ll continue to do this as long as there are opportunities available,” she predicted. “I think it’s made me where I’m not afraid to lose and I think that’s an important strength because you have to be willing to lose in order to get out there and try something.”