The Montville school superintendent will participate in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest this Fourth of July on Coney Island.

Dr. Rene Rovtar, who weighs only 102 pounds, says that she’s been a longtime fan of the competition. She says that it was watching a specific female contestant last year that made her want to compete.

“She ate a total of four hot dogs,” the mother of two says. “I said to my family, ‘I could definitely eat four hot dogs. I need to find a way to do this.’”

Rovtar qualified at a regional round in North Carolina, winning the women’s category by eating seven hot dogs in 10 minutes. She says that she is now preparing for Tuesday’s competition by not eating all that much.

“Leaving lots of room for hot dogs,” she says.

Rovtar says that her goal is to eat 10 hot dogs and their matching buns during the contest. She says that she is doing it for fun, and as an educator, as a teaching moment.

“For me this is a way to demonstration that it’s important to do things that are fun in your life, to get out of your comfort zone,” she says.

The superintendent says that her planned technique will be to split each hot dog in half and soak the buns in water to help get them down fast. 

She say that while she does not  plan on becoming a professional competitive eater, she does have her eye on a pork roll-eating contest in Trenton this upcoming fall.