By ASHLEY SLOTADAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES —

E d Work, a hot wings connois-seur, met his match in the formof the Hottest Wings in

The Villages Challenge hosted by Orange Blossom Hills Country Club.

The challenge: Eat all eight and they’re free. Sounds easy, right?

Many have taken on the test, but onlysix have prevailed. Work is one of thosechampions.

Ed and his wife, Cindy, have traveledthe country and sampled wings from manydifferent places that lay claim to spicywings.

Ed usually laughs at restaurant’s claimsthat their wings are as hot as they come.But who would have the last laugh thistime, Ed or the wings?

Aug. 5 started out as an average Fridayfor the Village of Glenbrook residents asthey tried to decide on a place to eat thatnight.

Then they spied an ad in the paperissuing the hot wing challenge. That wasall it took for them to make their choice.

“At home we try to eat right. But whenwe go out, then that’s my chance to eatsomething not as healthy. I often orderthe wings at many different places andalways order them extra crispy with thesauce on the side,” Ed said.

At the country club, the waiter cau-tioned Ed about taking the challenge andEd’s response was, “Bring it on.”

Before the wings arrived, Ed was madeto sign a waiver accepting responsibility

for whatever happened after the wingswere eaten.

“We thought it was just a big joke,”Cindy said. Soon they would realize that it was no laughing matter.

Ed was armed and ready to go with hisplate of eight wings, half a pitcher of beerand some rolls from Cindy’s liver andonion meal.

“I brought the first one up to take abite and it really did take my breath away.So I ate it and before I could finish withit, the tears were ready to come and mynose was running,” Ed said.

He turned to his wife and told herthere was no way he could eat all eight.The challenge was winning.

After taking a long drink out of the pitch-er of beer he was able to down three more

wings bringing him to the halfway point. By this time his stomach was churning

and his face was burning, so it was time tohead to the restroom to wash away thesting of defeat.

Heading back to the table he admittedto his wife that he was giving up and theirwas no reason to get a doggie bag to takethe rest home. He wouldn’t ever be ableto eat them.

That’s when the table turned and Cindytold him, “What do you mean you’re notgoing to eat those four? Suck it up.”

This was a popular comment he madeto his wife when the golfing weather wastoo hot for her to handle. She enjoyedbeing able to turn it back on him.

Then he was bound and determined toeat the final four. He ordered up anotherhalf pitcher of beer and some more rollsto counteract the heat.

It was time to show those wings whowas boss.

He slowly started in on the last of thewings and it was over before he knew it.He had beaten the hot wing challenge andearned himself a spot on the CountryClub’s Wall of Flame.

“On the way home I could feel mystomach burning and my lips were onfire,” Ed said.

All the while, Cindy sat back andlaughed as her husband finally met hismatch. She tried a small sliver of meat tosee what it was like and was left withburning lips for the rest of the night.

Ed admits that he probably won’t betrying it ever again. Unless someone dareshim, then he will rise up to the challengeagain.

THE MIX IN THE VILLAGES NORTH Saturday, August 20, 2011Page 4

VILLAGE OF GLENBROOK

Beat the heatHottest Wings in The Villages Challenge hard to beat

Submitted photoEd Work, a Village of Glenbrookresident, is shown after beating the Hottest Wings in The VillagesChallenge on Aug. 5 at OrangeBlossom Hills Country Club.

To commemorate his journey through the fire, Ed Work composed the following poem:

‘The Hot Wings Challenge’

Wifey and I were looking for an evening of fun

When I spied this ad in the Daily Sun.’Twas the Hot Wing Challenge at Orange

Blossom you seeEat all eight wings and you get them free.

Now I like wings and I’ve tried ’em allThey’re advertised hot, but ain’t hot at all.You must sign a waiver before you eat

In case your system can’t handle the heat.

I signed, the wings arrived, and I ate oneMy eyes started watering, my nose

on the run.If it hadn’t been for the

pitcher of Coors LiteI’d surely given up this frivolous fight.

Three more wings and I was halfway there

But still four to go — this just wasn’t fairNot sure what they use

to give ’em the heatShould Ed just admit that he’s been beat?

Off to the restroom to — what? You supposeWhile I was there I blew my runny nose.Back to the table with four wings to goI ate the fifth one, but very, very slow.

Another half pitcher helped cool off my jetsThree wings to go and I’ll win this darn bet.

Now bound and determined to eat the last three

I choked them down — my meal was free!

I never dreamed that my claim to fameWould be my picture on O.B.’s Wall of Flame.Yes, there I am with four other brave souls

Whose innards had burned like red hot coals.

D5DAILY SUNSunday, April 29, 2012 Calendars / From Page D1

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Recreation ScheduleRegularly scheduled activities in The Villages Recreation Department facilities are open only to residents of The Villages and their guests with valid guest ID cards and photo IDs. Residents and guests must bring their ID cards to all events.

ALLAMANDA750-1941

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)7 p.m.: Billiards (8-Ball Mixed Doubles)

BACALL350-2281

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)12:30 p.m.: Mah-jongg (Open)

BRIDGEPORT259-6590

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)1:30 p.m.: Aloha ‘O Ka Hula Dance Troupe6:30 p.m.: Whist

CANAL STREET205-8571

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)6:30 p.m.: Pub Trivia

CAPTIVA259-7422

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)

CHATHAM753-4570

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)1 p.m. Parkinson’s Fight Club; Triple Play (Open)4 p.m.: Sociable Singles6:30 p.m.: Double Deck Pinochle

CHULA VISTA753-0002

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)Noon: Mah-jongg Lessons/Play (Organized)12:30 p.m.: Sunday Wonders5 p.m.: Croquet Social; Samba (Open)

CHURCHILL STREET751-6200

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COCONUT COVE750-5870

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COLONY COTTAGE750-1935

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EL SANTIAGO753-1410

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FISH HAWK 750-3525

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HIBISCUS751-6761

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753-1716

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LAKE MIONA430-2950

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LAKE SUMTER LANDING MARKET SQUARE751-7110

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LAUREL MANOR751-7110

9 a.m.: Table Tennis (Open)Noon: Table Tennis Club12:30 p.m.: Bridge (Duplicate)1 p.m.: Mish Mash3:30 p.m.: Hau’Oli Hula Halau5:30 p.m.: Card Club (Organized)

MULBERRY GROVE259-6040

1 p.m.: Foreign Films; Bunco6:30 p.m.: Mexican Train

ODELL750-2700

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)4:30 p.m.: AWOL (Amelia Women of Leisure)

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PARADISE 753-0637

4 p.m.: Pokeno6 p.m.: Broadway Bound6:30 p.m.: Pinochle (Double Deck)

PIMLICO259-6990

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)7:30 a.m.: Walking off the Pounds8 a.m.: Billiards (Men’s Pill Pool)1 p.m.: Billiards (Open)1:30 p.m.: Samba; Triple Play7 p.m.: Friends Western Workshop

SADDLEBROOK259-5377

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)

10 a.m.: Ballet (Advanced)12:30 p.m.: Step Family Cloggers6 p.m.: Bridge

SAVANNAH750-6084

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SEABREEZE750-2488

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SILVER LAKE

259-1377

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)

SOUTHSIDE753-1749

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SPANISH SPRINGS TOWN SQUARE

753-1716No Activities

STERLING HEIGHTS753-4510

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)

12:30 p.m.: Grover Ladies Social Club2 p.m.: Dance Workout (Basic-Plus)6 p.m.: Walk Away the Pounds

TIERRA DEL SOL753-4412

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TRUMAN751-2650

7 a.m.: Billiards (Open)6 p.m.: Phase 10; Adventurer’s Club

“(Without McGlone) I really wouldn’t have entered the contest, because one of the things as a writer, particu-larly a beginning writer, you’re always wondering ‘Am I wor-thy to submit something to a real editor?’ I was kind of shy about doing it,” Hardin said.

But if there’s one thing Har-din has learned from this expe-rience is to always keep trying.

“I think one of the most important things about writing is not to get discouraged. The words you hear most often are, ‘No, thank you.’ You’re going to hear it once, you’re going to hear it twice, you’re going to hear it a hundred times — it doesn’t matter. You should always be working to improve the way that you write and don’t give up hope,” he said.

Before he was a writer, Hardin worked in the com-puter software business and his experience has led to his inspiration in all his works of science fiction.

“I had always been very impressed by the advancing of the technology and how fast things were moving along, and that’s really been a lot of my subject matter for what I’ve been writing about. It’s think-ing about the technology and how it’s moving forward and what it might mean for all of us,” Hardin said.

“Fast Draw” was one of his stories influenced by his inter-est in advancing technology.

“Essentially, it’s about a man who, on his 70th birth-day, goes into a bar and is

feeling kind of sorry for him-self. He has a woman who he’s never met before offer to buy him a drink, not just any drink, his favorite drink for his birthday,” Hardin said. “He’s not sure why she’s doing this or how she even knows about his birthday. He takes the drink and goes to talk to her. Very shortly after that his world starts to spin

out of control.“I had spent so much time

watching the computers become faster and faster and more and more powerful. I just sort of drew a few lines and said, ‘If they continue to improve at the rate they have for the last 30-40 years, they’re going to be in some amazing places.’ That’s sort of the undercurrent for the

story,” he added. Hardin’s short story is

now published, along with the other winners, in “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume XXVIII” which can be purchased through Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

It’s easy for Hardin to explain why he prefers science fiction writing to any other genre.

“Science fiction gives you more license to speculate I think. I really wanted to specu-late. I wanted to look at what I’d seen before and imagine what it might mean for the future, not just in terms of the technology, but what it might mean for us, the people who have to live in the new world,” he said. “I’m a pretty optimistic guy, I think the future is bright

for all of us.” After returning from Hol-

lywood, Hardin is now think-ing about writing a full-length novel, but he will still continue to write short stories.

Ashley Slota is a reporter with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9303, or ashley.slota@thevillagesmedia.com.

HARDIN, from D1

Peter Travers / Daily SunAuthor Roy Hardin of the Village of Rio Grande reads his short story ‘Fast Draw’ to his wife, Ginny Hardin, on Thursday. The piece won an L. Ron Hubbard Award in the 2012 Writers of the Future contest.