By Brett Grassmuck

Staff Writer

Drinking and driving is an issue that can affect anyone at anytime. Alcohol is the No. 1 contributing factor to death of people under the age of 24, and driving is the No. 1 cause of teen death in the country.

With those stats in mind, the Rams joined the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA) and the Missouri National Guard to host a drinking and driving summit at Russell Training Center on Wednesday, February 27, to educate young St. Louisans on the dangers of driving under the influence.

“It’s a critical issue,” said Edward Tasch, Executive Director of the NCADA. “We’re most appreciative to the Rams for their sponsorship of this event and their leadership. They really pulled (the summit) together.”

Nearly 80 student athletes from McKendree University , Clayton High School and Kirkwood High School were in attendance Wednesday. The drinking and driving summit focused on not only educating the student athletes about the dangers of drinking and driving, but also educating them about ways to prevent tragedies from happening.

“It was a great opportunity for us to be involved in a co-sponsorship with the Rams and the National Guard to raise visibility about drinking and driving, particularly how it impacts young people,” Tasch said.

The event centered on a keynote address from Dave Emigh, who told the students about the tragedy that befell him after a night of drinking in downtown St. Louis . Emigh was in St. Louis to attend a wedding and went out with friends the night before the ceremony.

After deciding to drive back to his hotel, which wasn’t too far away from where he was, Emigh ended up driving the wrong way on a major highway, striking a car head on and killing not only his passenger, but two other teenagers in the car he struck.

Emigh awoke handcuffed to a gurney in a hospital room having a Sheriff tell him he was responsible for the deaths of three people. He spent multiple years in multiple prisons, and even though his sentence has ended, he will have to live with the fact that he was responsible for his actions that night.

Emigh has since turned his life around. He is married, has children and travels around, telling his tale to other student athletes hoping to help others make better choices and keep them from suffering the same tragedy that he has.

“This something that doesn’t just touch college kids,” Tasch said. “It transcends all economic barriers and careers. People that abuse alcohol and drive, there’s so much tragedy associated with it, and I really commend the Rams for being willing to come out and try to help others to prevent this from happening.”

At the summit, the students also heard from NCADA Prevention Training Coordinator Marilyn Bader, who spoke about the dangers of binge drinking and how to recognize if someone has alcohol poisoning and what to do if facing that situation and watched a video about the dangers of drinking and driving.

“It really wasn’t a scare-tactic type of thing,” Tasch said. “It was really about sitting down and listening to somebody talk to you from the heart about what can happen. I’m sure it had an impact on these (students).”

After the presentations, the students were invited into the Rams indoor practice facility where they enjoyed pizza and refreshments as well as several activities put on by the Missouri National Guard.

"The Missouri National Guard is excited about teaming up with the Rams to help combat drinking and driving,” said SFC Dominic Butel, Army National Guard. “This is a problem that isn't tied to any specific organization or social group. With this program, the National Guard hopes to assist in the education of young people who are constantly being exposed to activities that lead to potentially fatal consequences. The military has long been an advocate of safety, however this program allows us to reach out past the boundaries of our own organization and hopefully affect the decisions of young adults." 

There were inflatable games, such as a bungee run and a joust, a football toss and field goal kicking stations set up in the Rams indoor practice facility for the students to enjoy.

“Realistically, when you talk about a tough subject like drinking and driving with kids, the whole point is for these young people to have fun while they’re also learning,” Tasch said. “This will be a very memorable occasion for most of these students, having the chance to come into the ( Russell Training Center ) and throw a football around.”

This was not the first time the Rams and the NCADA have teamed up, nor is it the first time the NCADA has teamed with the Army National Guard. All three entities have worked with various drug and alcohol prevention programs with one another, the latest being the drinking and driving summit at the Russell Training Center .

Tasch said the NCADA is a national health organization, similar to a cancer society or diabetes foundation that focuses on education and prevention of substance abuse and addiction. They offer several services including counseling and educational programs. For more information, visit www.ncada-stl.org.