Softball Begins Oklahoma City Challenge
November 18, 2010 | Softball
Nov. 18, 2010
The University of Louisville softball team is embarking on the inaugural Oklahoma City (OKC) Challenge as the Cardinals begin their quest to reach the 2011 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
About the Oklahoma City Challenge
Four captains were selected and teams were drafted to compete against one another in a four-day series of events that tests the athleticism and strategic thinking of the teams. A team champion will be crowned at the end of the OKC Challenge on Tuesday. Sports performance coach Teena Murray oversees the competition, while also motivating her charges to extend themselves to their limits. Coach Murray only gives instructions to the captains who must relay the information to their respective teams. Each day the teams have opportunities to earn higher point values as the OKC Challenge progresses.
The Teams:
Team Red: Alicja Wolny (captain) Jordan Trimble (captain) Tesha Paysen, Colby Wherry, Hannah Kiyohara, Chelsea Jordan, Chrisanna Roberts, Christina Roesel, and Caralisa Connell.
Team White: Katelyn Mann (captain) Chelsea Leonard (captain) Chelsea Bemis, Kristin Austin, Tori Collins, Sarah Anderson, Katie Keller, Taner Fowler, Maggie Ruckenbrod, Jennifer Esteban
Sophomore Chrisanna Roberts' Day 1 Blog:
Today was the opening day of the Oklahoma City Challenge and neither team had any idea what to expect. Both teams were so excited before the challenge - running around the locker room putting on their eye black and their personalized sweatbands. We were told to make sure to wear both our sweatpants and hoodies up to the Marshall Center so we assumed we would be doing something outdoors but boy were we wrong! To start off the competition Teena gave both teams the opportunity to earn 25 extra points by running a half mile, everyone¡¦s favorite! Not! The entire team had to cross the finish line in under 3:15 in order for your team to earn the 25 points. The Red Team prevailed as the last member of our team crossed the finish line at 3:08, no big deal. The Black Team however did not manage to accomplish the goal time so they did not receive any points.
As soon as we crossed the finish line, next thing I know we have two minutes to get to the pool deck! What on earth, the pool deck? I thought for sure we would be outside, not swimming! So as we hustle over to the Natatorium we have to make sure and have our sweatpants and hoodies handy. Why you might ask? Because just plain swimming with your body weight just isn't tough enough for Ms. Teena Murray. She prefers to watch us attempt to stay afloat with heavy soaked articles of clothing on. I swear those drenched pants and sweatshirt must weight at least 30 pounds! I can¡¦t vouch for my entire team on this one, but swimming is not my specialty, so swimming with all that extra weight is just asking for a rough time. However, that¡¦s what makes these types of competitions so much fun so I was down for it.
When we got to the pool deck Teena explained to the captains of each team what the first event would be and they relayed the messages to their teams. In the first event you would split your team up into halves, one on each side of the pool. One person, preferably your strongest swimmer - which for my team was Alicja Wolny - went first and swam to the other side of the pool and linked arms with a teammate. Then, both of them linked together swam to the other side and linked up with a third. This process went on until all nine of our team members were all linked arm in arm swimming across the pool. The first team to get all of their team members linked together and touch the opposing wall was the winner. This race was neck and neck the entire time. Red would take the lead for a lap, then Black would come right back. It was going back and forth until on the second to last lap the Black team forgot to touch the wall so they had to backtrack giving the Red team just enough momentum to edge them at the finish line. It felt so good to have the first official win of the Oklahoma City Challenge under our belts. With this win, plus our 25 extra bonus points we were all getting a little cocky, however we knew there was still way, way, way too many battles that needed to be won.
The second event of the day was a relay race style event which included swimming with our sweatshirts on! (Dun Dun Dun.) The team would again be split up half on one side of the pool and half on the other. The first person would jump in, swim 25 meters and then take off the sweatshirt, and put it on their teammate who was waiting for them in the water. Once they had the sweatshirt on they would swim 25 meters and the same exchange would happen with another teammate at the other end. These transfers would occur until everyone on the team had gone. All of this took place while swimming and treading water in the deepest part of the pool which was around 16 feet deep! This competition was all about the transfers to be honest. The swimming part was challenging, but what really slowed the teams down was when a sleeve would get turned inside out, or a hood stuck over someone¡¦s head. Each team member could not begin their swim until they had the sweatshirt completely on so making sure there was a clean exchange was crucial. Both teams had their fair share of sloppy transfers but in the end the Red team was once again victorious by about 15 meters.
The third event of the day was definitely the most physically challenging. It was exactly the same as the second event, however instead of swimming 25 meters you had to swim 50, and not with just the sweatshirt but with both that and the pants! This challenge not only was more difficult because of the extra length each of us had to swim, but also because the transfer included not only a sweatshirt but sweatpants as well! Both teams started out neck and neck, and then it quickly became apparent that keeping the heavy sweatpants pulled up while swimming was going to be a challenge. Poor Hannah swam half of the way with them around her ankles! When it was my turn to swim I got all of the clothes on began swimming as fast as I could to the other side, however to my disbelief it felt like I was swimming in place! It literally felt like I had bricks tied to my feet. Once I hit about the 35 meter mark was when I really started to get tired. I was trying every stroke I could think of and nothing seemed to be getting me there any faster. In a final attempt I resorted to my personal imitation of a backstroke which would just be embarrassing if anyone with any knowledge of swimming ever saw. It got me to the wall which is all that mattered! In the end of this competition, I unfortunately have to say, the Black Team ended up pulling out a victory by about 15 meters. The Black Team had a lot of solid Michael Phelps-like performances, especially from Bemis, Keller, and Mann.
For the final event of the day everyone lined up on one side of the pool with their sweatpants and sweatshirts on. From there it was an all out 25 meter sprint to the other side of the pool and the first team to get their entire team out of the water onto the other pool deck was the winner. Imagine 20 girls all clustered together trying to swim as fast as they can to the other side of the pool. It was a jumbled mess, people getting kicked and splashed everywhere! As teammates pulled each other out of the water the last Red team member landed on the pool deck just as a few of the Black team members reached the wall rendered us victorious yet again! We were all so excited after a successful day we started cannon balling into the water which was a huge mistake! As soon as I hit the water I immediately sunk to the bottom from the weight of my clothes and had to struggle to the surface before I drowned!
As the opening day of the Oklahoma City Challenge came to a close I¡¦d say it¡¦s an excellent day to be a member of Team Red! We came out on top for the day by winning three challenges and losing one. We are ahead in the competition 150 to 50 points. We all have absolutely no idea what to expect for tomorrow but all I know is that based on today and both teams competitive efforts I know tomorrow will definitely be an exciting day.
