By Sarah Davis

May 27, 2004 — What do large muscular athletes, bright lights and wrestling rings have in common with political participation?

Photo by Mike Bailey

Wrestler Chris Nowinski signs autographs at Monticello High School during an appearance to urge young people to vote.

Up until recently, it wasn’t very much. However, with a competitive election on the horizon and a heightened concern about the apathetic nature of young voters, several organizations are exploring methods to solve this problem. One such endeavor is the World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Smackdown Your Vote,” a nationwide campaign that seeks to encourage voters in the 18–30 age bracket to become more politically active.

On Friday, WWE star Chris Nowinski tag-teamed with U.Va.'s Center for Politics and the Youth Leadership Initiative to bring this program to Charlottesville.

Nowinski graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and it was in college that his interest in politics strengthened. He saw nearly every aspect of his life influenced by politics, be it paying college loans or seeing friends stationed overseas during wartime.

It was also at Harvard that Nowinski developed an interest in wrestling. Growing up in Illinois, he was not allowed to watch wrestling, but in college he became hooked on the weekly show that he watched with his friends. After graduating, he began training and in 2001 he was a runner-up to Maven Huffman of Harrisonburg on MTV’s “Tough Enough,” a television program that offered a WWE contract to the winner. Following success on the independent circuit as “Chris Harvard,” WWE finally offered him a contract.

Currently on hiatus from competition while recovering from an injury, Nowinski is one of 10 volunteer WWE stars involved in the “Smackdown Your Vote” program. “We all care about getting young people involved and getting them in the [voting] process,” he said.

True to this goal, Nowinski spent a whirlwind few hours in Charlottesville, kicking off the Center for Politics’ National Symposium on Youth Civic Engagement.

Starting the morning off with an interview on WINA, Nowinski discussed the “Smackdown Your Vote” and its goal of getting 20 million young voters to the polls in November.

Following his radio broadcast, Nowinski spoke to juniors and seniors at Monticello High School in Albemarle County. He discussed the importance of voting and addressed many of the issues facing younger voters.

“It is very important for young people to voice their opinions, especially on the issues like the war, the economy, paying for college and debt. There are a lot of issues that are only going to be important to [young people],” Nowinski reiterated.

The students who heard him couldn’t agree more. “He definitely had some voice of what we all thought. He’s several years older than we are, but he has our same views,” said Monticello senior Brad Buck.

After signing autographs and registering new voters, Nowinski made an appearance at Fridays After Five in the Downtown Mall, working a voter registration table, posing for pictures with fans, and introducing the headlining band, the Guano Boys.

As Nowinski continues touring with “Smackdown Your Vote,” meeting next with the League of Women Voters in Washington, the Center for Politics plans to carry over this success to the many other events lined up this summer and fall, all with the goal of not only attracting more voters for the upcoming election, but instilling a knowledge of and participation in politics that will extend through this year and beyond.