RACING AGAINST DRUGS TAKES TO THE STARTING LINE

WOODSTOCK - Day one of the four-day Racing Against Drugs event was a
hit among participants Tuesday at Oxford Auditorium.

"It's not what I expected, it is so much more than I could imagine,"
said Sue Colombo, a parent-volunteer from Drumbo Public School.

"This is awesome. Every kid and every school should be
here."

Her son Josh, 10, was among about 400 other grades 5 and 6 students
who spent the day at 16 different pit stops learning how to say no to
drugs.

And sometimes it is an easy choice to make.

"Would you take something that came out of someone's underpants?"
asked RCMP Const. Wally Silver in his drug presentation.

The students turned up their noses and collectively replied,
"No."

He explained to them how some drug dealers hide drugs in their
underwear or even swallow a balloon full of drugs and pick them out of
the toilet after a bowel movement.

"The dealer won't tell you that," said Silver, who has been doing drug
awareness for 14 years now.

He said that information about drugs is much easier to get these days,
but it's not always accurate.

"Some of the stuff is scary, but they need to know these details,"
said Colombo, adding they need to know the ramifications of doing drugs.

Those consequences definitely hit home with some students.

Doug MacDonald, a teacher at St. Rita school, said the pit stop with
the most impact on his group of students was the paramedics pumping a
dummy's stomach after an overdose.

"A lot of kids were feeling queasy from it," he said.

One student even had to leave.

"It's really engaging and compelling," said MacDonald, adding the
program goes along well with their Grade 5 health education.

The event, hosted by Oxford Community Police Service and sponsored by
local organizations, is held in the area every other year. The theme
of professional car racing is designed to get students pumped up while
learning an important message.

"I really believe in the program," said RCMP Cpl. Ray Valiquette,
co-ordinator of the awareness program in Ontario.

He said they aim to give kids accurate information before they are
exposed to drugs.

At the end of the day, Madison Lantz, 11, of Victory Memorial Public
School, said her favourite part were the race simulators that give
users a virtual NASCAR experience. But she didn't go away without
learning something.

"I learned it takes a long time to get sober and that cough syrup can
be addictive too," said Lantz.

By the end of the week nearly 6,000 Oxford County kids will have
experienced the high-energy event.

"It's hard to say how many kids we are reaching," said Silver. "But if
we reach just one, it's worth it to save them from drugs."