It’s National Deep Throat A Hot Dog Day! And in honor of it, here’s a photo of me standing behind Joey Chestnut after he won the 2009 Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Competition by mowing a record-breaking 68 dogs. For two years, I proudly served as Chestnut’s “Bunnette,” the girl who counts hot dogs, roots for the eaters and entertains the crowd. In a nutshell, I was a competitive-eating cheerleader.

Sharing a stage with professional gluttons and being sprayed with wiener shrapnel may not sound like an accomplishment to most, but for me, it was a dream come true. I had always aspired to become a competitive eater until an overzealous bite of a hot dog nearly left me dead and certainly left me fearful of chewing massive amounts of meat at a rapid rate. All of my gorging dreams, dashed.

But this is America, the land of opportunity. It’s where hot dogs were invented, where competitive eating is considered a sport and, of course, where dreams are made. And even though I wasn’t shoveling hot dogs into my maw, I was still a part of the greatest eating competition in the world — without having to deal with post-match meat sweats.

So thanks for making my dreams come true, America. Happy Independence Day…and go Chestnut!