LOUISVILLE, KY (WDRB) - The sounds of thousands of beer bottles clanging together filled this historic track's infield as hundreds of volunteers spent Sunday cleaning up Churchill Downs.
What began with a beautiful sunny day in the mid 80s Saturday ended with the drunk, disheveled and disoriented leaving behind a massive mess. Several hundred high school athletes volunteered to clean up the infield and the bleachers as part of a fundraiser to earn money for uniforms.
Coaches claimed the event not only helped raise money but was meant as a "team building" exercise. Well, they say championships are built from the ground up. And when the ground is covered in muck and massive amounts of trash, victory for these high school athletes becomes a smelly, humbling journey.
"I don't have the words to describe it. It is an awful lot of stuff," said Jesse Evans.
The high school athletes spent Sunday cleaning up what 165,000 people left behind.
"It's been pretty disgusting and one of the girls found an iPhone," said Kelsey Crady, a member of Atherton High Schools girls' soccer team. "We'll work together, pick up trash together and win together."
The high school teams received about $7,000 for their efforts.
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Kelsey Crady helped earn money for her high school by cleaning up mounds of garbage left behind after Derby.
