High School students get up close at ‘Monster Jam’

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Students at Wichita North and South High School got a chance to get up close to a monster truck and meet the people behind Monster Jam at Intrust Bank Arena.

Around 20 students in the Transportation Career Readiness programs at North and South High in Wichita were at Intrust Bank Arena Friday morning, where they had a chance to meet the Monster Jam team and get a first-hand look at the monster trucks.

The teens got the chance to meet with Megalodon driver Ashley Sanford and her crew chief Tyler Carrell. Sanford, who previously was a competitive drag racer, joined Monster Jam in 2023 and was named Rookie of the Year.

She says the experience of having young people look up to her and being an inspiration for others has been surreal.

“I always just wanted to drive I wanted to be behind the wheel and then getting to be behind the wheel and now be on this platform,” says Sanford. “It’s opened my eyes to this whole world of possibility of encouraging and inspiring others to chase their dreams, whether it be with monster jam, in motorsports, or something else. It just shows that people like us had the dream, and we didn’t know what was going to happen, but we went for it, and here we are today, and so it’s absolutely possible for anyone else to go for it. You just have to do it.”

“For me, it’s amazing solely because I was exactly in the same position about 10 months ago,” says Carrell. “It’s unreal being able to talk to kids that were my age not too long ago and then explaining to them what I’ve been doing.”

“I never really thought I’d be doing this. I never really thought people would look up to me and want to do this. So it’s a completely different experience, like having kids that are close to my age looking up to what I do,” says Carrell.

Sandford says opportunities like today are important for teens.

“I mean the upcoming generations to know there isn’t just one route to make a career in life and there’s so many different avenues where you can get your hands on and build things and learn things that are maybe not the typical job that you would think of and I hope that getting to work with the kids here today they’re opened up to that, to see that there are so many possibilities and fun ones like Monster Jam.”

“With trades how they are and how they’ve been dying out in the workforce, it’s honestly amazing to see more and more kids get more involved and more hands-on work instead of your typical office job or being a doctor or something else because when it comes to trades there still is a lot of money to be made and you can make just as good if not better money than you could at a white-collar job,” says Carrell.

The event was sponsored in part by the University of Northwest Ohio. UNOH offers a Bachelor of Science Degree in Automotive Technology Supervision as well as associate degrees in automotive, diesel, hybrid engine, and agricultural equipment repair and maintenance, among other degrees.

Monster Jam is taking place Saturday and Sunday at Intrust Bank Arena, with two shows on Saturday and one on Sunday afternoon. The arena says tickets are still available.

You can purchase tickets online at selectaseat.com, by phone at 855-755-SEAT, or in person at the Select-A-Seat Box Office at Intrust Bank Arena.