'Survivor' fundraiser set for Pawnee athletics

PAWNEE CITY - The CBS television show "Survivor" has traveled all over the globe to remote locations, pitting contestants against each other to see who comes out on top.

This Friday and Saturday, Pawnee City student-athletes will see who can outwit, outplay and outlast each other as the school holds a Survivor: Pawnee City fund-raiser.

"Athletics are expensive and most schools do a bunch of small fund-raisers like car washes and bake sales to raise enough money to support the program," Pawnee City football coach Bud Pettigrew said. "I wanted to do something different, one big event to raise money for all Pawnee City athletics."

Pettigrew, who is a big fan of the show and has tried out for the program several times, said the Survivor: Pawnee City fund-raiser wouldn't be complete without an actual Survivor contestant.

"Survivor: Africa" contestant Frank Garrison will be a part of the two-day fund-raiser, speaking to the Pawnee City students during school Friday.

"He'll be talking about his time on the show and about the importance of living out your dreams," Pettigrew said.

The student-athletes will get into the act from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday as 16 contestants, split into two teams, vie to be the Survivor: Pawnee City winner.

The competition will feature 14 different events designed to test the contestants physically and mentally.

"The United States Marine Corps will be bringing an obstacle course down for the event and we'll have plenty of other challenges for the kids," Pettigrew said. "We'll even have a mystery food to give them a real good gut check to see who really has what it takes to win."

Pettigrew said the students seemed to be worried more about the mystery food competition more than the rest of the challenges.

"They don't have any clue what they're going to be eating," Pettigrew said.

Following the television show's guidelines, the team that loses each challenge will be forced to vote to eliminate a contestant.

"This is where the strategy really kicks in because they don't want to eliminate someone who can help them win a challenge later, but they also don't want to keep all the strongest competitors around, either," Pettigrew said.

Once the field is narrowed to two people, the final seven competitors eliminated will vote to crown a Survivor: Pawnee City winner.

The contest will be free to the public and several organizations, including the Marine Corps and Southeast Community College, will have exhibits set up for the audience to experience.

During the event, Garrison will be on hand to assist in the competition, mingle with the crowd and sign autographs.

A barbecue will be held at 5 p.m. and will feature Wimmer's "Der Viener Schlinger." Cost for the meal is $4 per person.

After the barbecue, the top four competitors in the event are awarded prizes and then the program will again focus on Garrison.

Garrison will give another speech about his "Survivor: Africa" experience at 8 p.m. in the Pawnee City Auditorium.

"This time he'll focus his discussion on the show more, like how he was selected, what went on during the show and how it's changed his life since then," Pettigrew said.

The cost for the Garrison speech will be $3 per person.

Pettigrew said he believes this fund-raiser will be a much better experience for both the participants and the audience than conventional fund-raisers are.

"With other fund-raisers, people might end up with a clean car or some baked goods, but with our event they'll get to see a fun-filled competition, get some great food and will be able to see Garrison," Pettigrew said. "It's an experience that they won't forget."