Committee hears concerns about binge drinking print
Wednesday, 30 January 2013 12:42
Recent activities at Rapid City Rush hockey games have raised concerns about binge drinking, after college students vomited on the ice during a contest that took place between hockey periods. Those concerns were discussed at Rapid City's Legal and Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday.

Mary Jo Ferrington is an alcohol educator who works with college students and says the definition of binge drinking is consuming multiple alcoholic drinks in a short time period. Ferrington's concern is who would be liable if something tragic were to happen at an event such as that.

City Council President Bonny Petersen says that binge drinking kills a lot of our youth, and the council doesn't want to see that in Rapid City.

Petersen says, "We don't want to be encouraging our youth to have fun with binge drinking because obviously when you end up vomiting it's not very much fun."

The Rapid City Rush did not have a representative present at Wednesday's meeting, but an administrator with the team gave Petersen reassurance that similar events would not happen again.

-Darren Leeds