Today from 7-9 p.m. in the west Columbia Area Career Center parking lot, next to the baseball field, crowds of students will wait in line for their chance to release their stress and rage from school, sports and clubs on the car with a baseball bat at the second annual car smash.
The event costs $2 for three hits and $5 for 30 seconds of denting the car. Kelley Wittenborn, the sponsor for StuCo said StuCo will donate money from the car smash to leukemia awareness. She also said the idea came from the football team to raise money.
“The football team selected two families that are close with Rock Bridge [that have a family member with leukemia,]” Wittenborn said, “and Student Council kind of jumped on board with that instead of picking an independent charity.”
The previous year, the car smash raised about $800 for hurricane relief aid, and Wittenborn said the money raised was a good amount and that she hopes to raise as much or more
“Last year was great and I hope to gain as much or more this year,” Wittenborn said. “It was a great hit.”
Wittenborn also stated there were conversations about the “weaponry” used in the car smash, but the administration wanted just baseball bats to for safety reasons.
The idea for hosting a car smash came from the seniors last year. One of them watched a movie and “saw a car smash in it.” That person had an idea to have one at RBHS and presented it to Wittenborn.
“Honestly, I thought it would never get approved or would be a total flop,” Wittenborn said. “[But] admin actually liked the idea,and it was a big hit. Before that, we mainly did a bonfire, and for a few years we tried a movie in the field, but inevitably, it didn’t work out.”
Unlike last year’s bonfire-car smash combination, this year, the event will not include a bonfire.
“The bonfire was the most complicated event because you have to get the fire marshal’s approval, and the weather has to be pretty much perfect,” Wittenborn said. “The bonfire was kind of the thorn in everybody’s side and so we took that out this year.”
There is a lot of students that are planning to go this year and there is some hype about it. StuCo had an announcement today reminding people about the event and put posters up. Carson Dale is a freshman that might go to the fundraiser.
“I might go to the car smash because I like hitting things,” Dale said, “and I think hitting a car would be really fun. I mean, it’s not every day that I get to smash a car.”
Arden Beard, a senior at RBHS, is also going to the car smash.
“I just want to go because I want to take out pent up aggression and just have fun,” Beard said.
Wittenborn also said there is something special about this event that brings RBHS together.She added students really tend to get into the smash.
“My favorite part [ of the event last year] was that you could have big strong football players or tiny little freshmen, and they all cheer,” Wittenborn said. “I don’t know what it is about it, but kids really get excited about it. I’m hopeful that it’ll be a good community builder for the week.”
Are you going to the car smash? Tell us in the comments below!
