Casey Harper, an agriculture educator and FFA advisor at Schuyler Central High School, competes in demolition derbies and thinks it is very fun. “My father-in-law wanted to do it starting this summer and it has been a lot of fun working on the cars and going and meeting new people in this industry,” Mr. Harper shared. Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport which has drivers who try to ram their car into other cars. The goal in this motorsport is to have the last vehicle capable of moving. Demolition derbies are often found at county fairs or festivals. The basic rules are, you must remove all glass from the cars, the trunk and all doors must be welded. The original fuel tank must be removed, and there should be a specific number on the car visible to see. According to Mr. Harper, his wife and children seem to be positive about him participating in this motorsport. “They love going to the events and seeing me crash into other cars and also just being around the derbies is a lot of fun,” Mr. Harper said.

Competing in many demolition derbies and teaching at SCHS, Mr. Harper has advice for people wanting to get into demolition derbies. He advises people to have fun with it, and that the amount of rules can seem overwhelming, but to keep asking questions and “you cannot screw up anything.” So for anyone who wants to get into demolition derbies, you now have some advice from someone with experience. “Cumming County Fair was a lot of fun, because I had a lot of my family members and friends there to watch and support,” Mr. Harper shared. According to Mr. Harper his favorite thing about working here at SCHS is the students.