If you happen to be cruising around the valley and find yourself in the vicinity of West Jordan and you need, say, some eggs, a loaf of bread, a few cans of soup and maybe a carton of milk, you might want to pop into the Macey's grocery store and get in the checkout lane where 18-year-old Erika Jensen is the bagger.

Not only can you count on the cans not crushing the eggs and the milk not smashing the bread, you'll get to see a world champion at work.

Only don't go this Wednesday. That's the night the world champ will be in New York, on Letterman.

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Who says the road to fame and fortune and an appearance on Letterman can't start in a checkout lane in West Jordan?

Two months ago, Erika was just another bagger in another grocery store. Then she won the Utah state best bagger competition at Thanksgiving Point, which qualified her for the national and international tournaments a week and a half ago at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.

There, cool as a cucumber wrapped up tight in a produce bag, she first outlasted the best baggers from the rest of the U.S. prior to polishing off Gord Groves, the Canadian champion, to claim the international title and the $2,000 first prize.

The recent Taylorsville High School graduate is the best bagger in the world.

Erika is quick to spread the glory around. She praises her "trainers" at Macey's who would stay after their shifts and help her practice in the back room, alternately shoving perishables and hard goods at her while yelling and screaming to approximate the yelling and screaming that is part of the competition.

"You don't want to freeze up when it gets really loud and noisy," says Erika.

But her highest praise of all goes to her sister, Emily, who won the national best bagger title three years ago when she was 21 and also worked at Macey's (they didn't have an international competition back then).

Erika started bagging at Macey's shortly thereafter and has been following in Emily's footsteps ever since.

"Me and my sister, our secret strategy, if you can call it that, is to just have fun and do the best you can and call it good," says Erika. "We love bagging; it doesn't stress us out."

Before the sisters, there was no history of bagging talent in the family. Their dad, Carl, is a mailman; their mom, Deann, is a secretary at a junior high school. The family's trademark is music. Each of the five kids plays a musical instrument and sings.

Mom and Dad "are just proud that we love what we do and that we have fun with it," says Erika, who knows her celebrity status won't last forever.

For one thing, she plans to soon head off to school. For another, once you've won a best bagger competition you can't compete again. Every champ retires on top.

And for the record, Erika isn't interested in a family bag-down with Emily.

"Oh, gosh, we honestly have no idea who would win," she says before quickly adding with a gracious smile, "Anyway, it would be unfair. She's out of practice."

And besides, that's a competition that might just stress them both out.

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Lee Benson's column runs Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com and faxes to 801-237-2527.