Utterly packed full of students, Golden Cow brought the house down with a benefit performance to the Rocking Against Multiple Sclerosis program.
After countless bad jokes and quality routines, the winners were announced, and then the real big news came as the emcees informed students their attendance helped raise just over $1,500 for the RAMS foundation.
Golden Cow is a lip-synching competition held every year to raise money for the RAMS foundation. Teams audition and prepare for a stage performance in which they are judged by ‘celebrity judges,’ including former RBHS principal Kathy Ritter, University of Missouri football player James Franklin, University of Missouri volleyball player Molly Kreklow, RBHS secretary Kody Guest, and Resource Officer Keisha Edwards.
In previous years, both RBHS and HHS competed against one another for the Golden Cow trophy, but recently the partnership was discontinued. But connection to stopping M.S. through the RAMS group is still strong.
“As RAMS we put on alot of different event, starting in the fall there are 34 of us on a steering committee and with aything from Comedy night, tommorrow night at Deja Vu, it raises money to something exactly like this,” one of RAMS spokesperson Alex Russel said before the performance. “One of the steering committee’s favorite events is service day which makes RAMS so tangible to us, because we actually get to see these M.S. patients andclients we get to work with, and little things we take for granted like putting dishes away, washing dishes, we can just help them feel great.”
Of the seven teams that danced and mouthed their hearts out, Udderlicious, an all teacher group that has competed for the last three years, stole the show. Not only did the group win the “solid gold” man first-place trophy, they also won a chance to compete in the RAMS Rock-It, an even larger lip-synching competition at the Blue Note on Feb. 22-24.
“To be with all teachers and be on top … priceless,” senior guidance counselor Mellissa Melahn said. “We’ll have to talk as a group to see what is next for Udderlicious. The routines are endless.”
Melahn said the team practiced for two hours on five different occasions, and she felt prepared for the task at hand. The team is ready to move on, but was happy to participate in the event featuring RAMS.
According to the RAMS’ website, an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 Americans have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, making it the most common central nervous system disease.  Patients of M.S., contract symptoms of the disease in their early twenties or thirties. Symptoms include: loss of motor skills, loss of sight, loss of hearing and everyday remedial tasks. RAMS puts on events around the community to raise funds for the M.S. Institution of Mid-Missouri.
 

[nggallery id=48] By Parker Sutherland