Captain Take Heart spices up pizza eating contest

Ryan Hubbard or "Captain Take Heart" demonstrates a compression-only form of CPR on Scott Stevens at the Wilderness Trail Festival in Christiansburg on Saturday. Photo by Travis Williams | The Burgs

CHRISTIANSBURG — Cheers turned to gasps when Scott Stevens dropped to the ground Saturday just moments after announcing the winner of the Pizza Inn pizza eating contest at the 39th annual Kiwanis Wilderness Trail Festival.

The crowd’s concern for the collapsed radio host of 107.1 WPSK was short-lived, however, as the thumping beat of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” soon overtook the gasps and announced the presence of Stevens’ would-be hero — Captain Take Heart.

Stevens’ portrayal of a heart-attack victim was part of the Christiansburg Rescue Squad’s flash-mob style presentation to promote its “Take Heart Christiansburg” program, which teaches a chest compression-only version of CPR.

Captain Take Heart, otherwise known as Christiansburg Rescue Squad member Ryan Hubbard, demonstrated this CPR technique on Stevens, using the music beat to keep his rhythm, while other squad members passed out program information throughout the crowd.

Stevens was soon back on his feet and said he was happy to spread the word about this method of CPR.

“People don’t realize now the big push is to literally push,” Stevens said.

While Hubbard played the role of hero, he wasn’t the only member of the squad who was celebrated Saturday. Fellow volunteer Kevin Hamm took the title of pizza eating champion, as well as the $200 cash prize, for being the first of eight competitors to down a large thin-crust pepperoni pie.

Hamm, who admitted he had not originally intended on competing, said his method was simple.

“Nice and steady and don’t get nervous,” Hamm said.

The pizza eating contest was just one of several acts that took place on the main stage and included performances from Dancer’s Dreams, the Virginia Techniques, Mike Petersen’s Kempo Karate, Christiansburg High School’s Chamber Ensemble, The American Arrow Band and Allegheny Strings.

The all-day event hosted on Main Street in Christiansburg also featured a variety of local vendors, craft demonstrations, and a children’s area with face painting, games and a train ride.

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