Softball's Oklahoma City Challenge Concludes
November 23, 2010 | Softball
Nov. 23, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - 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 Black: 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 details the final day of the Oklahoma City Challenge
An early start
As everyone's alarms went off at around 5:20 am we all knew that today would be a big day. The Red team was down, but the point values were high so we knew that if we performed well we definitely had a shot to come back. The Black team was very confident going into the day with nearly a 500 point lead. As we all walked up to the Marshall center in the pitch black, we could barely see the outlines of a few items in the sandpit, the sandpit is always a challenging place to compete.
The final challenge After we foam rolled and stretched out, Teena told us to head out to the sandpit for further instructions. She then explained to the captains what we would be doing and they relayed the message to us. The task was to "move the mountain" which is no easy feat.
In this competition each member would wear a 20 pound weighted vest and then individually pick up each of the three implements and take them to the compete other side of the sandpit. The three items included a 44 pound kettle bell, 20 pound sandbag, and a very bulky 40 pound chain. The member would pick up the first item, run about 10 yards, climb over a 24 inch box, run another 15 yards, go under two hurdles, drop the implement behind the cones, and sprint back to pick up the next item. This process would continue until all three items were at the other side of the pit. Once one member of the team was done, the next could begin after putting on the weighted vest. It was a race to see which team could get five members to complete the task the fastest. The first team to win 4 heats would be crowned the winner and earn 600 points for their team.
Facing the challenge
As the competition began, I had high hopes for our Red team, however after about one trip down and back in the sand I realized this competition would not be easy. The items were very heavy and maneuvering them over and under obstacles in the sand is a lot harder than it seems. The Black team won the first heat, and the Red team took the second.
Just as the competition was getting good the Black team, powered by Kristen Austin, took charge and won the next three heats in a row. Winning this competition sealed the deal for the Black team and they were crowned the first annual Oklahoma City Challenge Champions. As the Black team celebrated their victory by taking pictures and holding up their trophy bat, the Red team cleaned all of the sand off of the equipment and brought it back into the Marshall Center.
Reflecting on the first annual Oklahoma City Challenge
Looking back and reflecting on the past four days of challenges, both teams worked hard but unfortunately the Red team came up short. Congratulations to the Black team, they definitely earned their victory. This four-day challenge was good for our team because it forced us all to display physical and mental toughness. Everyone worked hard and competed well. Luckily for me I still have two more years to try and earn back the title, because I can assure you I will not graduate without being crowned an Oklahoma City Challenge Champion.
