Mary Rucinski
Staff Writer
“It’s
a homecoming tradition,” Director of Fan Experience for UW athletics, Greg
Ashley said.
The tradition calls on
students to make teams and compete against each other by pushing a car up one of
the ramps at War Memorial Stadium. There are two weight divisions of
1,000-1,999 pounds and 2,000-2,999 pounds. Men and women can participate on the
same team and there is no limit on the amount of team members. The only
requirement is that the team fits into one of the two weight categories.
Kevin McKinney, Senior
Associate Athletic Director, said the first Car Push was in the early 1970s.
“It started out as a
competition between the ski team and the wrestling team,” Ashley said. The
teams challenged each other in a battle of strength and endurance. The ski
coach at the time was Quentin Skinner and the wrestling coach was Joe Dowler.
For the first Car Push, the two teams actually used a truck.
McKinney said the event turned
into a homecoming tradition a few years after the initial competition between
the ski team and the wrestling team. Ashley said the competition has evolved
since the first one and that “they started to get campus involved a few years
after that.”
Even the Laramie Police and
Fire Departments participated a few years ago, McKinney said, though currently
“it’s mostly fraternity and sorority life [now],” Ashley added .
Ashley said that General
Motors has been providing the car for the Car Push for the last several years.
McKinney has been driving the car for the Car Push since nearly the beginning,
steering the vehicle up the ramp.
“They let us borrow a car for
the afternoon,” Ashley said. “It’s still a car that they’re trying to sell, so
hopefully we don’t ever wreck it”.
Ashley said the students seem
to enjoy it mostly for “the opportunity to have the bragging rights”. There is
not a big prize that comes with winning the competition, but the championship
team for each weight division receives a banner. Though, Ashley reiterated that
the bragging rights seem to be the main motivation. The Car Push had about nine
teams register last year, Ashley said.
“As many people as we can get
out the better,” she said.
The Homecoming Car Push will
take place today at 5 p.m. on the southwest ramp of War Memorial Stadium.
Weigh-in begins at 4:30 p.m.
