2008 Plane Pull presented by Credit Suisse sponsored by ResCare and American Eagle, RDU International Airport

Staci Powers never thought the women in her "Pirate Princesses" team could pull an airplane with their bare hands.

But they managed to drag a 40,000-pound American Eagle jet 25 feet in 15.52 seconds.

The princesses competed in the 10th Annual Plane Pull to benefit Special Olympics North Carolina April 19 at RDU Airport. Five-person teams competed to see how fast they could pull a plane 25 feet.

Powers, 24, of North Raleigh, stands 5-feet, 6-inches and weighs 130 pounds.

"It's all about the legs," Powers said. "If you try to pull with your arms, you'll fall over."

On the other end of the spectrum is Theodore Walker's Prison Emergency Response Team-Central Region, pulling the jet 25 feet in 9.30 seconds to clinch the championship.

Walker, 46, of Chapel Hill, is 5- feet, 9-inches tall and 275 pounds. And he was the smallest person on the team, which trained for weeks by pulling buses.

"The hardest part was getting it started rolling, but once it started, it was easier to pull it to the finish line," Walker said.

Big haul

The 2008 Plane Pull was a big success, according to Special Olympics spokesperson Megan O'Donnell.

"We had 75 teams and raised $115,000," she said.

Credit-Suisse, the largest sponsor, contributed over $68,000.

Jim Farrell, 40, head of philanthropy at Credit-Suisse, was part of the action.

While his pulling team didn't break any records, he was pleased with their efforts.

"For a bunch of desk jockeys, we did OK," he said.

4/25/2008 News & Observer
Column Courtesy of News & Observer correspondent Teri Saylor terisaylor@hotmail.com

View 2008 Plane Pull Photos in the SONC photo gallery.

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