Alex Blackwell brought his “Captain’s Curse” monster truck to the Mission Valley YMCA on Thursday to encourage elementary school students to study science and technology.
Blackwell, who is here for Saturday’s Monster Jam at Petco Park, patiently answered student’s questions about his 10,000-pound, 10-foot-high truck that he said has been clocked at 76 miles per hour.
Nearly 30 students from nearby Toler Elementary School built tiny monster trucks under YMCA supervision. They showed Blackwell their trucks, then crowded around his, feeling the giant tires and peering at the engine.
After giving a tour of the massive vehicle, he started the 1,500-horsepower engine for the crowd, drawing ooh’s and ah’s from the students. “You can do whatever you put your heart into,” he told them.
Andy Cuffel, regional director of grant-funded before- and after-school programs, said the YMCA is helping local schools teach students the STEM subjects — science, technology engineering and mathematics.
“We’re really pushing STEM-based teaching,” Cuffel said. “These are the fastest growing jobs in the U.S.”
A total of 16 trucks are competing in Saturday’s Monster Jam, which begins at 7 p.m. Feld Motor Sports has transformed the baseball stadium with more than 7,500 tons of dirt for the event.