Hit like a girl
Kelsey Ladd starts demo derby with win
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Kelsey Ladd surveys the field after winning the Gut n Go Youth Class demo derby on Thursday at the Brown County Fairgrounds in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Kelsey Ladd (14) hits the 21z car driven by Zachary Janke during the Gut n Go Youth Class demo derby on Thursday at the Brown County Fairgrounds in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau The #44x car driven by Tucker Clemon looks to put a hit on the car of Cashus Plaisance during the Gut n Go Youth Class demo derby on Thursday at the Brown County Fairgrounds in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Kelsey Ladd surveys the field after winning the Gut n Go Youth Class demo derby on Thursday at the Brown County Fairgrounds in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Kelsey Ladd (14) hits the 21z car driven by Zachary Janke during the Gut n Go Youth Class demo derby on Thursday at the Brown County Fairgrounds in New Ulm.
Staff photo by Travis Rosenau The #44x car driven by Tucker Clemon looks to put a hit on the car of Cashus Plaisance during the Gut n Go Youth Class demo derby on Thursday at the Brown County Fairgrounds in New Ulm.
Trending
NEW ULM -- Sleepy Eye's Kelsey Ladd fired up the Brown County Demo Derby crowd Thursday with plenty of big hits and an even bigger victory.
Outlasting four other boys in the Gut n Go Youth Class, the 16-year-old's strong showing led to a first-place finish that saw her awarded extra for it with the title of the class's hardest hitter.
It was her first demo derby at the Brown County Fairgrounds, and while she was the only girl in the class, that didn't mean a thing to her. It was just another derby, the second of her career and her first win.
"My strategy -- I didn't really have one, just if you see them in front of you, go for it," Ladd said.
While she thought there would be more competitors in her class, she was more than happy to take the win, which came after briefly being stuck between the cars of Cashus Plaisance and Zachary Janke. Ladd put her car in reverse to try help move Janke's car out of the way in hopes of putting on one more big hit, but the action stalled and the checkered flag waved.
Janke was awarded second place, while Plaisance took third. Tucker Clemon and Hunter Bejarano also competed in the Gut n Go Youth Class heat.
"I'm really proud of myself," Ladd said. "I definitely lived up to the family expectations."
Ladd's uncle Michael McDermott and her stepdad, Anthony McDermott, are frequent competitors in demo derbies and she said her mom even ran one, too.
Ladd said she's been interested in demo derbies since she was around 7 years old and sees herself doing more as the years go on, with her sights set on October back at the Brown County Fairgrounds.
"I plan to run this for the Pumpkin Smash," Ladd said.
A second demo derby is scheduled for a 6 p.m. Saturday at the Brown County Fairgrounds, while the venue will also host a Pumpkin Smash Demo Derby on Oct. 9.
Note: An additional story with more results and photos will be available online and print in this weekend's edition of The Journal.