The Atomic Challenge officially kicked off after school on March 9 with the ceremonial lap around the track. All athletes that play spring sports attended the event. The Atomic Challenge is an important fundraiser that raises money for the athletic department.

“[The Atomic Challenge] is critical for athletes to provide all the supplies necessary, meaning equipment like uniforms and our athletic fields,” Assistant Director of Student Activities Dick Adams said.

Each athlete sent out red letters to friends and relatives asking for a donation to support sports at AHS. “The Atomic Challenge is very easy because all we have to do is send out letters and it really helps raise a lot of money, so I’m happy to do it,” junior Steven Lose said.

In return for the donations, the athletes run two miles and do push-ups and sit-ups with their respective team. Each sport met all together to kick off the event and run one lap around the track together. All spring sports attended the event.

Some teams jogged the lap together while others ran their hardest hoping to win. Junior Adam Wattenbarger came in 1st, followed closely by sophomore Andrew Boyd in 2nd, and Joel Hoisington in 3rd.

“It feels good to win the first lap,” Wattenbarger said. “We do the Atomic Challenge to fundraise for sports, and I don’t mind it because it benefits us directly.”

The Atomic Challenge raises a large amount of the money needed to sustain athletics at AHS.  “We generate between $20,000 and $30,000 and all of that and much more is needed to maintain all three fields and provide supplies,” Adams said.

Adams maintains all three fields at AHS and works year-round to make sure the fields are in the best shape possible. “It takes a lot of money [to maintain the fields] and the booster club works very hard but it does not provide enough,” Adams said. The Atomic challenge helps make up some of the difference.