Page 8
Monday, December 6, 1982
Daily Nebraskan
Turtle races likely
to be sponsored
on campus again
By Vicki Ruhga
After a shaky start, turtle races at UNL apparently
will appear again next semester.
Larry Valasek, Coors beer sales representative, said
this year's final race was Nov. 19 in the Men's Physical
Education building. The race was held in conjunction
with the UNL intramural department and featured 40
turtles sponsored by UNL organizations. To enter, each
group could bring its own turtle or pick a turtle provided
by Coors.
Originally, Valasek said, the turtle races were in
Lincoln-area bars. However, in mid-Octpber the Lincoln
Lancaster County Health Department banned the races
because of a city ordinance prohibiting animals in eating
establishments, according to Wally Gerlach, Coors' cam
pus representative.
On Nov. 9 another race was held in the P.E. building
to avoid breaking the health law.
After the races, those using Coors turtles were al
lowed to keep them, and the remaining turtles were
donated, to a local zoo. .
The winner of the Nov. 19 race was Myrtle, a turtle
racing for the 10th floor of Schramm Hall.
The races were open to any Lincoln bars or other
places as long as the night was convenient and Coors
could get the turtles there, Gerlach said. Before the
ban, Coors had three races at different bars and the
response was tremendous, he said.
Valasek said although the turtle races were aimed at
college students, people of all ages had a good time.
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At the last race, a 65 -year-old man and a 14-year-old boy
competed, he said.
Gerlach said organizations such as the Daily Nebraskan,
radio stations, fraternities, sororities and residence halls
also had sponsored turtles.
The turtles, 3 to 5 inches in diameter, were African
sliders shipped from New Jersey, Gerlach said. They
are easy to take care of because they eat only once a
week. Valasek said the turtles eat goldfish or dog food.
Gerlach said that prior to the race, each person was
allowed to pick up a turtle and "train" it. This could be
done by tickling its tail, tapping on the shell or just talk
ing to it, he said.
"We couldn't allow people to paint the turtles for
the race," Valasek said, "but, we did encourage them to
dress the turtles up."
Races were conducted in 16 brackets, Gerlach said.
Turtles were raced two at a time.
Valasek said all race tracks were different, depending
on the space in the bar or racing site. The basic track he
tried to use was a small circle with a larger circle out
side, he said.
The turtles were dropped into the small circle and
could run in any direction to cross the perimeter of the
larger circle. Races could take as few as two seconds, but
Valasek said he knew of races in which the turtles re
fused to move at all, and participants had to pick new
turtles.
Valasek said many people tried to bribe their turtles
during the race, by promising them a goldfish or a beer.
People also were allowed to encourage the turtles by
tapping on the shells or talking to them, but they could
not push the turtles forward, he said.
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