How he rolls: Bentworth superintendent takes wheel in school bus demolition derby
Thirteen buses are scheduled to face off at the Washington County Agricultural Fair无毛视频檚 annual school bus demolition derby 无毛视频� one of the fair无毛视频檚 most popular events 无毛视频� at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Behind the steering wheel of the Bentworth School District bus, ready to crash into the other buses and hoping to emerge as the winner, will be Bentworth Superintendent Scott Martin.
Wait 无毛视频� the district无毛视频檚 top administrator wants to drive in the demolition derby?
无毛视频淚 thought it was something that the community could get behind and that the kids could get behind,无毛视频� said Martin.
Mission accomplished, said Dave Schreiber, Bentworth Middle School principal and district transportation coordinator.
无毛视频淥ur community无毛视频檚 really excited about this, the kids are so enthusiastic,无毛视频� said Schreiber. 无毛视频淎mong his peers and colleagues, we无毛视频檙e thinking, boy, oh, boy, I wonder if he无毛视频檚 watching old videos of Evel Knievel to get ready for this. I don无毛视频檛 know who, at age 56, wants to get in a school bus and get beat up, but Scott has a remarkable desire to do whatever he can to create a positive culture in our district, and this has ignited a lot of excitement as we start the new school year.无毛视频�
It无毛视频檚 also a chance for Martin to fulfill a long-time goal to participate in a demolition derby.
When he was a senior in high school, Martin bought a used Oldsmobile Delta 88 for $50 and worked on it, with the intention of driving the car in the Harrison (Ohio) County Fair demolition derby. But Martin, who had been active in the 4-H and served as Harrison County Fair King, had enlisted in the U.S. Army earlier that year, and two weeks after he graduated from high school he left for basic training.
无毛视频淪o I didn无毛视频檛 get to drive it,无毛视频� said Martin, who served in the U.S. Army National Guard for 12 years.
To prepare for the event 无毛视频� metal crunching against metal under the bright lights 无毛视频� Martin has been getting advice from Bentworth无毛视频檚 mechanics and has spent some time in the bus garage working on accelerating, backing up and stopping.
无毛视频淚 drove larger-sized vehicles in the military, but buses are a little different. I无毛视频檝e been reading online what无毛视频檚 the best strategy, but there isn无毛视频檛 a lot out there,无毛视频� said Martin.
For the competition, Martin will don a Hawaiian shirt decorated with school buses and emblazoned with 无毛视频淭his is how I roll无毛视频� on the back. He also plans to wear a helmet, boots, knee pads and safety glasses: He无毛视频檚 ready to take some hits, but plans to plow into some buses, too.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 just going to do my best and see how it goes. There无毛视频檚 a bet that I won无毛视频檛 be here on Thursday because I无毛视频檒l be too sore to show up, but even if I无毛视频檓 on death无毛视频檚 doorstep I will make it in,无毛视频� said Martin, laughing.
Washington County high school bands 无毛视频� who decorated the Pixar-themed buses last week 无毛视频� will perform at 6 p.m., and a large contingent of Bentworth students and parents will cheer Martin on as he competes on the dirt battleground.
无毛视频淚f he wins, he无毛视频檚 a hero; if he doesn无毛视频檛, he无毛视频檚 still a hero,无毛视频� said Schreiber. 无毛视频淚 commend him for doing it.无毛视频�
Martin, a cancer survivor who was diagnosed 3陆 years ago with head, neck and throat cancer, said the school district无毛视频檚 motto is 无毛视频減urpose, passion, pride,无毛视频� and he无毛视频檚 hoping his stint as a demolition driver motivates students.
无毛视频淢y purpose is to get kids excited and motivated. We always tell them to find their purpose, pursue it with passion, and be proud about it. I want them to know that if you have a purpose and a passion, you can accomplish anything,无毛视频� said Martin. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 just going to do my best and see how it goes.无毛视频�
And, sometimes it无毛视频檚 just fun to wreck stuff.