I had the opportunity to interview Stan Friedman, a two-time ESPN Zone Ultimate Couch Potato Competition champion.  The Ultimate Couch Potato competition is comprised of a limited amount of participants who then sit in a recliner and watch non-stop sports programming.   Contestants are allowed to order an unlimited amount of food and beverages and can only leave their recliner every eight hours for restroom breaks.  So let’s begin with the 6 mind blowing questions.

Sports Gatherings: What is your favorite food to eat during the competition?

Stan Friedman: Normally I like spicy food, but during the competition I go for items that won’t make me thirsty, sleepy, or play havoc with digestion. A plain cheese quesadilla usually does the trick.

Sports Gatherings: Have you met any ESPN sports anchors and/or sports stars from your involvement with Ultimate Couch Potato?

Stan Friedman: Last year a couple  of NY Giants happened to be at ESPN Zone during the competition. I didn’t get to meet them but someone in their entourage made up a little Couch Potato cheer and performed it for us.

Sports Gatherings: What is the first body part to hurt during the competition?

Stan Friedman: Probably the neck. There’s a lot of looking back and forth at the 14 different TV screens in front of us.

Sports Gatherings: What is the last body part to hurt?

Stan Friedman: The brain. It doesn’t really hurt so much as it feels like it has been removed and replaced with cotton balls.

Sports Gatherings: What do your loved one(s) and/or significant other say about participating in Ultimate Couch Potato?

Stan Friedman: My dad, who’s 93, spends a lot of time in a motorized chair so he provides some good inspiration. My girlfriend isn’t thrilled that I have to hit the sack shortly after the ball drops on New Year’s Eve,  but she shares in the prizes which more than makes up for the inconvenience.

Sports Gatherings: How do you stay awake for eight hours at a time and wait this long before taking a bathroom break?

Stan Friedman: I don’t feel that I’ve really been tested on staying awake. 29 hours is the most I’ve had to do so far, which isn’t all that hard if you’re exerting no energy during that time. As far as bathroom breaks go, I’ve always had a great bladder. I guess I’m genetically disposed to Couch Potato-ness.

Sports Gatherings: Have any tips or suggestions for future participants?

If during the competition you feel an uncontrollable need for the bathroom coming on, pretend you’re asleep. It’s better to be disqualified for napping than being the guy who lost and also didn’t get to the john in time.

Sports Gatherings: With that I want to say thanks to Stan Friedman for taking the time to interview with me.

Below is more information on the competition and how to enter.

ESPN Zone began taking entries this week for its eighth annual Ultimate Couch Potato competition, scheduled for Jan. 1, 2010. In a nut shell, four sports fanatics from New York will square off in a competitive sitting competition on New Year’s Day to see who can watch the most continuous hours of televised sports (bathroom breaks only once every eight hours and no sleeping allowed). Entries close on Dec. 9.

Winners get a recliner, free cable for a year and a $1,000 toward the ultimate home sports theater. To enter, potential couch potatoes have to e-mail couchpotato@espnzone.com with 200 words or less describing why they have what it takes.