Cleanup crews endeavor to scrub Ducks' stadium.

Byline: JACK MORAN The Register-Guard

Junction City High School student Jessica Hancock has two words to describe what it's like to clean up after a party attended by more than 56,000 people.

Really disgusting.

"People need to learn how to clean up after themselves," Hancock said Sunday as she and two friends swept up peanut shells, empty soda cups and other garbage from the stands at Autzen Stadium.

Hancock and about 60 other students, parents and family members representing Junction City High School showed up outside the newly renovated stadium's west gate, ready to return Autzen to the condition it enjoyed before fans filled it for the Ducks' 2002 home opener Saturday afternoon.

Thanks to all that garbage waiting to be picked up, Hancock and friends raised $1,000 for extracurricular activities at the high school. The extra money might go toward new uniforms for the swim team, or maybe to help the school maintain its freshmen basketball teams, organizer and parent Rod Richards said.

"This year, the money's a little bit tighter than usual," he said, referring to statewide budget cuts for Oregon schools. "People heard some talk that the school might have to consider dropping freshmen basketball, and that sort of raised some red flags."

In all, about 10 different groups - including Boy Scouts troops, Crow High School supporters and even a fraternity from Willamette University - spent part of their Sunday picking up trash as a way to beef up their own budgets. With 10,000 more fans than ever before in the expanded stadium, there was enough trash to go around.

Junction City's work crew included boosters of the high school's soccer, basketball, swim, rally, volleyball and track programs. By year's end they'll have raised $8,000 - thanks to a Duck season featuring eight home games.

The Junction City crew used leaf blowers and brooms to clear out plenty of dust and bags and bags of garbage - all under the watchful eye of cleanup supervisor Steve Green, a University of Oregon employee.

"I'm not a real bashful person and if it's not done right, I'll have you come back and start again," Green barked in his best drill sergeant voice. "I want people who pay close attention to detail."

Green was good to his word, at one point sending a group of blower-wielding youngsters back for a second round of cleanup through south sections of the stadium.

Still, he found time to joke with his young crew, telling them that by the end of the season, "you guys will be able to have this done in 12 to 14 hours." In reality, Sunday's work assignment took about four to five hours to complete.

Richards said he's thankful the university allowed his crew to raise money through some good old-fashioned hard work.

"This is a really neat thing that the university does," he said as he bent down to pick up a hot dog wrapper. "They don't have to work with these kids. They could just as well give this job to a private contractor and let professionals handle it.

"It's a dirty job, but if you can get kids to take responsibility for their own programs, it gives them a better perspective as far as what it takes to make things happen."

Several students shared the same outlook.

"What's there to complain about?" asked senior-to-be Jamie Rear, a Junction City volleyball player. "They're paying us to help with our sports teams. It's hard work, but so are most things that are worthwhile."

Soccer player John Kellerman, who will be a junior, said money raised through the cleanup effort will help send his team to camp.

"We have to find a way to pay for our soccer camp," he said. "This seems to be a pretty good way to do it."

Others, however, said they found the work to be a little on the revolting side.

"I did not expect to see this much trash," said incoming freshman Rebecca Flohr, who hopes to play high school volleyball.

"I think this is really gross. It would be nice if people started using their own bags for these peanut shells."

While peanut shells were commonplace, more surprising items ranged from lipstick to a list of phone numbers.

Andrew Shannon, an eighth-grader, had a solution to reducing the amount of garbage after the Ducks' next home contest.

"Peanuts should be banned from football stadiums," he declared as he strolled down another aisle of seats, surrounded by a cloud of dust.

CAPTION(S):

While Junction City students and supporters work the south side of Autzen Stadium, students from Crow High School (above) clean the north seating. Eighth-grader Andrew Shannon (right) and Darci Spillman operate blowers at Autzen. WAYNE EASTBURN / The Register-Guard Junction City High School student Brandon Johnson blows trash out from under Autzen Stadium seats.