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Show ‘COURIER Le FESTYLE Wasatch PAGE 8 County’s Source for | | TUESDAY News hat drives them? LiL J Behind the wheels of the Demolition Derby By JEAN CROASMUN | | I hate it." The simple sentiments of that didn't’ get a number. before the derby," says mother, Jill. But with her Delta 88, Tasha still managed to win. "I think it's because people already thought she was out," says Jill. Tasha Ford's always loved adventure. that have been too squashed to move. Digger makes a couple of allowed modifications to his derby cars-a steel bar She, like every other derby participant, behind the dri- Last year, Tasha won driving, as se 3 CC TE she herself says, a "p.o.s." Lyris Mason, in the derby. "Two or three years — wheel his first later, I burnt all the hair on my time out. LL WL ‘he the annual derby for the adrenaline - ver's seat for tush. There's not much money in support ("I've it, at least not on Tasha's level. been laying on The powder puff division's purse my back a couis only a little over a hundred dolple of times") and a rod to Jars. Steer with, a "My first derby ever, I landed in the hospital. I bent the steering modification he wheel in finds important half," says Lynn since he _ bent. "Digger" Kinsey, a Heber boy who's celebrating his twelfth year — the _ steering arm Above: Wallsburg’ S Tasha Ford. behind the cheek Below: This will be Ford’s second year in the derby; this _ year, Ford is driving a Chrysler LeBaron. Ford claims her Delta 88 from last year was a “p.o.s.” but still took her to = in the Powder Puff F division. AU ph.) A p.0.s." says Tasha. , "Your cousin had too much fun in it Jill Ford, mother of Demolition Derby entrant, Tasha Ford, whenever she even thinks about her daughter being in the But Jill Ford Keep her humor derby. about her. This is Tasha Ford's second year in Heber's demolition derby powder puff division. although does admit that for fun? "My cousin had a car pa Te) | he's had cars LIFESTYLES EDITOR "y How does a normal eighteen year old girl from Wallsburg end up smashing cars and face. ) | required. All flammable materials have to stories. stripped. Digger's first derby was in Heber, where he was born and raised. His first derby car was a 1979 Chrysler Cordoba that didn't treat him too well, putting him belt remains. No padded armrests, no soft But that didn't stop him. Next year, Digger was back. He claims he's addicted to derbies. "It gets in your blood," Digger says. "When I was a kid, I'd pedal my bike.to Wallsburg to look at the derby cars." Now Digger lets the kids paint his car, a mighty flashy car. "I've never had a car that's stopped running,” says Digger, Fly oe of the derby modifications are be removed, which means the interiors are a few of them in Heber. He claims it's a good way to get rid of aggression. His goal in this year’s derby is to win. “When the green flag se hee you put it Only the drivers' seat and seat ceiling cover, no carpet. | See DERBY on page 120 Just bare metal. Vinyl roofs have to be removed, too. Gas tanks must be in the interior of the car. All glass must be busted out. The driv-ers' door can be welded shut, but the rest have to be chained closed, as do the trunk and the hood. How the cars look from there is up to the driver. Ricky "Racoon" Stratton (he doesn't remember where the "Racoon" came from) has been in 38 derbies in his life, Number 33--the car Digger Kinsey ran in the Weekend of Destruction at the E-Center. This is Digger’s 12th Heber Derby. | Guaaed ie hl . a and Rescue volunteers are not permitted to enter the Heber derby. In '93 my fire extinguisher blew up." Digger's. derby tales tell like a vet's war in the hospital. Most a wauiber of Wasatch County’s Search and Rescue, redies his car for last weekend’s Kamas derby. As the sponsors of the Heber derby, Search I spent most of the night Saturday night my door, but I didn't call them in. And yes, with a pre-fab mixture of ingredients like flies probably roamed long before humans sidered indecent, at least for the girl's three year old eyes. Granted, it was something she probably shouldn't have seen. From acetone and superglue so their wings would be rendered useless and I could swat them did, but the bugs could still go around my what I remember of the defendants, it was house. It's not like I walk ao every open door I see. But maybe that's because it would sages effort for me to go through every house with an open door, but for the fly, it's no dif- sometiiing no one should have seen. But it was in the privacy of their own home and they never asked the little girl to come to the door nor were they. standing smack against their windows. , Suppose the mailman started suing for indecent exposure every time someone putting hairspray on flies, spritzing them dead with an old oven mitt. It's not thatI find this to be fun like when we used to cut Barbie's hair and give her ball-point tattoos, it's just what it had finally come ve to. Girl vs. fly. I didn't feel bad about it at the time. But I live in a house that was built on land that ferent than we humans looking through an open window at night. It's not like we real- now, as the acetone-induced fog lifts and ly want to know daylight undrawn shade is just too enticing. approaches, I am aware of just what's inside, but the I remember working for an attorney ae what the mass annihilation must seem like few years ago when a case went to court to any of the fly's friends and family members. But it seems like this is the easiest because a little girl walked up to a neighway to take care of them. | bor's screen door and peered inside and saw something that someone somewhere conI dign't invite the flies i in. Aes, I opened answered the door in a towel. Or we called the cops when a neighbor sang off key. Suppose someone pepper-maced your eyes when you glanced and caught the driver of the car next to you with his finger in a _ By JEAN CROASMUN Courter Liresrytes Eprror ~ See FLY on page 9 t ’ an |