On August 2 2020, the convenience store chain of 7/11, acquired Ohio based Speedway for a whopping 21 billion dollars.

To most people, this may just sound like your run of the mill business news, but for some people in the Elder community it is a devastating loss. Perhaps the people most affected by this business transaction will be the Elder High School Cross Country team, who have been frequenting the Anderson Ferry Speedway for quite some years now.

After most practices, a good portion of guys from the team head over to Speedway to get either a healthy post run recovery snack, or a not so healthy one.

I talked to three-year runner, and junior Zach Noeth about what he likes about going to speedway. “Nothing smacks more than a giant coke from Speedway after a long run. I’d marry it honestly.”

I also asked Logan Schneider, a runner and avid Speedway supporter, what he thinks about his favorite convenience store closing.

“I think it’s a shame. There are a lot of memories for us as a team here. The biggest travesty is what will happen to Speedy Freeze’s.” Logan loves his Speedy Freezes, he bought one nearly every day after conditioning in the summer. Unfortunately, Speedy Freeze’s will soon be replaced by 7/11’s staple frozen drink: the Slurpee. I’ve never had a Slurpee, but I find it hard to believe that there is a frozen drink that can rival both the quality and price of a Speedy Freeze. Slurpee’s cost $1.19, as opposed to the unbeatable price of an 89 cent Speedy Freeze.

There are certainly other changes coming to your local Speedway store. For example, the all-important Speedy Cards will be replaced by 7Rewards cards. I’m not sure as to what changes this may bring as far as gas reward points, but either way I don’t like it.

Some of the more opportunistic guys on the team have begun the process of seeking out a new gas station to patronize. We have started going to the UDF on Rapid Run now and it seems like it will be a good fit. Although more expensive, a chocolate malt is a close rival to a Speedy Freeze in my opinion.

Nevertheless, it’s still sad to see a place that my friends and I visited quite often, biting the dust.