Turtle Derbies

Promotional poster for the Third Annual Turtle Derby at Loyola, 1952

The dawn of the 1950s ushered in a new sport at Loyola and Mundelein - the turtle derby, an annual event in which "hard-shell thoroughbreds" went neck to neck to the cheers of students. The two colleges appear to have held their turtle derbies at different times of the year. Loyola's was held in May, whereas Mundelein's first annual turtle derby was initially held in December but  by 1954 took place in October. 

"Splendid examples of reptilian robustness" 

Students could enter their individual turtles or those of their society. For the first turtle derby at Mundelein, students could sign up to purchase turtles from the Biology department of Loyola University. Entrance fees for clubs and individuals were 25 cents and 50 cents respectively; funds raised during the first Mundelein turtle derby were donated to the Red Cross for international humanitarian aid.

It is unclear whether Loyola students obtained their turtles in a similar fashion for the first derby but by the third annual turtle derby, the Wasmann Biological Society was procuring turtles from "a soup company of Southern prominence." 

"We have been training"

"Turtles Swim Away in Flood of 1954"

After the turtles were procured, they were apparently "conditioned" for the race, although it is unclear what this involved (the Wasmann Biological Society advised competitors to look at the "Army Manual for Tank Maintenance"). Unfortunately, mishaps could also sometimes happen in the lead-up to the race, such as rainstorms sweeping competitors away. 

At Mundelein, races were held at the  gymnasium and at Loyola, races were held at locations such as the stadium and the athletic field. Bemused members of the public would be caught off guard at the sight of many turtles inching toward the finish line.