It's been a summer of firsts – from aerobatic plane rides to rappelling down Lambeau Field – so it seems fitting I'd throw my hat into the ring for some competitive eating, too.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I agreed to faceplant into a cream puff at the State Fair's Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Contest. I knew I'd get messy, but the cream puff quantity seems to change yearly, so I wasn't sure quite how messy.

I thought I would at least be able to hold my own when I found out we only had to eat one, but I didn't have to wait long to realize I wasn't going to win it.

I'm a slow eater by nature; it's not in me to shovel it down for bragging rights or cream puff glory. Still, not 15 seconds after my fellow contestants and I dove in, the judges were declaring a winner on the far end of the table.

Somehow in those 15 seconds, Dave Murphy of Oldies 95.7 had managed to plow through his whole cream puff. I had barely made it through my first third and was just starting to get my rhythm.

After I cleaned myself up I asked the champ to clue me in on his technique. His response was simply, "I just inhaled it."

I guess I'm not cut out for this kind of thing after all. My lungs only work with oxygen. Still, I got (part of) a free cream puff out of the deal, so I like to think I won just a little bit.