Rowdy Fast Racers earn decisive win in fifth annual Mayflower Mill Elementary Kindy 500 race
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The skies were clear, and the conditions were perfect as the racers walked onto the field in hopes of winning the fifth annual Kindy 500 race hosted by Mayflower Mill Elementary School.
Winds were blowing at around 3 mph, the temperature sat at 78 degrees and the grass on the McCutcheon High School soccer field was the hue of an evergreen — ideal conditions for these young racers.
This year’s competition saw over 125 students broken up into 20 teams qualify for the race to determine the fastest kids in Mayflower’s kindergarten classes.
Many of the racers appeared nervous as the race's start drew near. Racers could not sit still, opting to take a quick jog before the starting flag flew. Others were frantically getting prepared in the last minutes, calling for support from their teammates and teachers, mostly asking for someone to tie their shoes.
The race consisted of four qualifying heats with five teams racing per heat. The winners of those heats would advance to a final heat.
The racers came from one of the four kindergarten classes at Mayflower, led by teachers Claire Brown, Kara Bunch, Hayley Potts and Gypsi Waber.
A championship worth the wait
In four prior years of the race’s existence, Waber had never helmed a team that could win the Kindy 500, let alone take home the Kindy 500 trophy.
That all changed at this year’s race. Not only did Waber craft a team talented enough to win the Kindy 500, but her entire class of racers swept this year’s competition.
With each race, it became clearer that Waber's teams, racing out of Pit 4, were at a clear advantage, thanks in large part to the seasoned pit crew assembled by Mayflower’s administrators.
Fifth-grade teacher Samantha Sturgis brought in Farrah Mounce and Joey Anderson to help the kindergarten racers in and out of their cardboard karts as they transitioned racers.
The final heat was comprised of Waber’s Rowdy Fast Racers, Screaming Snakes, the Fast Bunnies and the Crazy Chickens.
Although the racers were all classmates, that no longer mattered in the final heat.
In this final moment of their kindergarten career, they all had one goal: to win and have the opportunity to drink that celebratory milk — the 1% variety.
Timing your pit stop is everything
Unlike the prior heats where there was a clear leader in the pack from the start of the race, this was not the case for the final heat.
The Rowdy Fast Racers initially jumped out of the pit with incredible speed for 6-year-olds, but the Crazy Chickens quickly caught up to the heat leaders, largely thanks to the team’s quick Pit 4 crew.
The neck-to-neck race changed on the the final lap of the race, when the Rowdy Fast Racers solidified their lead after the Crazy Chickens lost some momentum — one of the other racers cut in front of them in order to pit and switch racers.
This brief moment of time lost cost the Crazy Chickens their opportunity to take the lead, ultimately finishing in second place.
As the checkered flag cut through the air, the members of the Rowdy Fast Racers — Lincoln Blom, Xavier White, Charlie Thomas, Timothy Griffin and Bryson Hill — were in disbelief and unable to process that they had won.
It wasn’t until they were called to stand in front of the cardboard bricks that the excitement of the moment finally hit them.
Got milk? It's a win
As they raised their trophies and drank their celebratory milk, the smiles on their faces marked the greatest achievement of their kindergarten careers.
The Journal & Courier asked the racers how they felt at that moment. The group responded in unison, “Great! Good!”
They explained to the J&C that they had been training for this race for the entire week — it's Monday.
“We practiced this morning,” Griffin said. “We were practicing laps.”
When asked if they had any plans to continue their racing careers after winning the Kindy 500, Blom explained that he had dreams of becoming a policeman, but after experiencing this race, he is considering on becoming a racer in the future.
When asked what advice they would give to the next generation of racers, the Rowdy Fast Racers highlighted the importance of trusting one’s pit crew.
“They need to race really fast, and when the pit crew takes them out, have them sit down and listen to the pit crew,” Blom said.
And with those closing remarks, the Rowdy Fast Racers took a moment to kiss the cardboard bricks and then took their celebratory lap around the course.
Heat 1
- Pit #1: Mrs. Brown – Tiger Cubs: Maia Herera Suazo, Joselyn De La Cruz, Joshua Salazar, Hailey Smith, Nolan Phillips
- Pit #2: Mrs. Bunch – Rhinos: Oliver Jones, Rosabella Houston, Adam Stahl, Emi Phillips, Dana Taylor
- Pit #3: Mrs. Brown – Dino Stomp: Aamir DeGraffenreid, CrCyiah Halmon, Saul Perez, Ryleigh Springer
- Pit #4: Mrs. Waber – Rowdy Fast Racers: Lincoln Blom, Xavier White, Charlie Thomas, Timothy Griffin, Bryson Hill
- Pit #5: Ms. Potts – Spidey Fast: Li’Nya Ducker, Lorenzo Pacheco, Leighton Phillippo, Lucas Keen
Heat 2
- Pit #1: Mrs. Brown – Black Tiger: H.J. Coleman, Gus Imhof, Symphony Shanklin, Faith Slaughter. Shyla Payne
- Pit #2: Mrs. Bunch – Blue Orcas: Beckett Howard, Ava Fryk, Carter Poynter, Parker Holcomb
- Pit #3: Mrs. Bunch – Memos: Everleigh Battleday, Janilya Jackson-Tate, Heaven Smith, Dakota Davis, Aarianna Williams
- Pit #4: Mrs. Waber – Screaming Snakes: Laurryn James, Skylar Haylet, Leo Gauthier, Kinlee Cole, Karrie Smith
- Pit #5: Ms. Potts: - Flash Cars: Quinn Nagel, Lilly Rock-Roberts, Zy’Aire Wilson, Alyce Voz, Oliver Atkinson
Heat 3
- Pit #1: Mrs. Brown – Team Fast: Marcellus Gainey, Karter Lee, Alex Garica, Nia Russell
- Pit #2: Mrs. Bunch – Team Winners: Carter Charlesworth, Mia Rodriguez, Weston Britton, Aarianna Williams
- Pit #3: Mrs. Waber – The Screaming Skulls: Lucille Eddy, Deonne Ridgner, Trina Robinson, Nevaeh Hill
- Pit #4: Mrs. Waber – The Fast Bunnies: Maizey O’Connor, Ja’Brela Daugherty, Oaklynn Anderson, Peyton McBride
- Pit #5: Ms. Potts - Fire Peeps: Holden Burwell, Raelyn Monter, Aaliyah Turner, Zylo Perry
Heat 4
- Pit #1: Mrs. Brown – Tiger Motorcycles -William Fusiek, Jakhyia Holmes, JaMichael Poindexter, Grayson Springer, Makhi Miller
- Pit #2: Mrs. Bunch – Super Flash – Roman Bunch, Jersey Manns, Zion Dixon, Malekai Cervantes-Lopez
- Pit #3: Ms. Potts – Star Trophy – Hailey Kauffman, Matthew Gutierrez Cisneros, Marcelline Bravo, Ameer Nowling
- Pit #4: Mrs. Waber – The Crazy Chickens – Oakleigh Sharpe, Aria Thomas, Elijah Hernandez, Vincente Salgado, Malachi Mitchell-Woodrow
- Pit #5: Ms. Potts – Sonic Unicorn – Absalon Campuzano, Chole Tyler, Kendrick Geiger, Lleana Melendez, Avery Shoemaker
Final Heat
- Pit #1: Mrs. Waber – Rowdy Fast Racers: Lincoln Blom, Xavier White, Charlie Thomas, Timothy Griffin, Bryson Hill
- Pit #2: Mrs. Waber – Screaming Snakes: Laurryn James, Skylar Haylet, Leo Gauthier, Kinlee Cole, Karrie Smith
- Pit #3: Mrs. Waber – The Fast Bunnies: Maizey O’Connor, Ja’Brela Daugherty, Oaklynn Anderson, Peyton McBride
- Pit #4: Mrs. Waber – The Crazy Chickens – Oakleigh Sharpe, Aria Thomas, Elijah Hernandez, Vincente Salgado, Malachi Mitchell-Woodrow
Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla