Why does it take so long to get an item?

I have been playing Mario Kart Wii for quite a while, and when I started watching Mario Kart Wii videos on YouTube, I noticed that a lot of the players get their items from item boxes much faster (the CPUs in 1P mode also get items faster). What I mean by this is that it takes longer for the item to choose itself and to become usable from the point where I collect the item box. Why does it take longer for me than other players to get the item? Is this caused by a hidden feature, or possibly by a cheat code?

Solution 1:

Pressing the "Use Item" button repeatedly while the picked up item is still "spinning" will get you the item much faster.