Softball's Oklahoma City Challenge is Underway
November 21, 2013 | Softball
Nov. 21, 2013
The University of Louisville softball team has embarked on the fourth annual Oklahoma City Challenge as the Cardinals begin their quest to reach the 2014 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
About the Oklahoma City Challenge
Four captains are 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. 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.
Junior shortstop Whitney Arion has taken over the reins as the team's official blogger and will provide daily updates as the competition progresses.
"Louisville softball is back in action. We've had three months of strength and conditioning training, speed and power potentiality, and "fun Fridays" that test us not only physically but mentally; molding us into team that can't be shaken by adversity. We are ready to bring everyone's own individual attributes together, taking measures to check the quality and performance of our physical and mental fitness. The OKC Challenge does just that.
Meet the teams
This year we have two captains for each team. Leading the Black squad are Rachel LeCoq and Nicole Pufahl and leading the Red squad are Ally Vaughn and Brittany Sims. These captains took their next step in strategically choosing who will be on their team. The black squad consists of: Taner Fowler, Caralisa Connell, Kelsi Jones, Maryssa Becker, Morgan Meyer, Autumn McDuffie, Paige Alford and myself. The red squad includes: Kristina Dillard, Tiarra Sanabria, Maggie Ruckenbrod, Kayla Soles, Katie Keller, Hannah Kiyohara, Rachel Houck, Jordan McNary, and Brittany Duncan.
OKC Begins
Day one's competition was in the form of four events and one bonus opportunity; each event worth 50 points and the bonus worth 50. Teena incorporated something that is quite familiar in the world of softball, a line up sheet. There are nine spots on this sheet that determine a specific order in which each player will follow and are required to stay in that order through out all events. After the lineup was assembled we started at the sand pit, a classic repeat of last year. The sand pit is an event where we are required to carry heavy objects across a certain distance at the quickest pace possible. Each team had to follow their line up and complete the task of carrying four objects, one at a time, to the other end and sprint back for the next object. These objects consisted of: two 40 pound medicine balls and two 40 pound chains. After lugging each object to the other side we were to give our next teammate the green light by a slap of the hand.
Now for those who might think that this doesn't sound all that complex or challenging, the unsupportive, sinking, and rather deep sand makes for a pretty good workout when you're racing back and fourth while trying to hold tight to multiple 40 pound objects in the frigid November weather at 6 a.m.
The Black squad had a good jump at the start of this event but that doesn't mean anything considering the deep competing will and desire of each team member. As the event came to a close it became evident who was going to earn the first 50 points of the day - the Red squad.
Biking and Climbing - inside the Marshall Center
The second event shifted focus to two main conditioning tools we have used various times throughout the years, these being the stationary bikes and versa climbers. The versa climber is a machine that simulates climbing vertically, using your upper and lower body equally which can increase heart rate quickly. You can add resistance which enables you to push and pull which makes the difficulty increase even if you're on it for only a few minutes.
Now for the infamous stationary bike, a team favorite, having done many five-mile bike trials on gear 12 in the past. We were asked to take a gigantic step and pedal two miles on gear 20. The only rule for this event was that each team was to divide however they wanted, sending at least four people up to the bikes where they were expected to reach two miles and reach 1000 feet on the versa climber. The Black squad won this event, positioning both teams with 50 points.
Move the Mountain
The third event was back outside but this time on field hockey turf. Here we were reacquainted with the epic challenge of "Move the Mountain" which looks a little something like this; the starting point is in between two cones where you will find one weighted jump rope weighing 20 lbs. Bear in mind this is not your ordinary P.E. classroom jump rope. There is also a 40 lb medicine ball, a red 25 lb bag of sand, a 50 lb kettle bell and a 20 kg plate. Like the first event, each object had to be carried one at a time from one end to the other, each team player going accordingly to their spot in the line up. This event is more tedious then the rest, having to pay attention to small details because failure to do may affect your team's outcome.
Here's how it goes. The leadoff player is up anticipating the sound of Teena's whistle. Ten jumps in a row with the weighted rope. Next, picking up one of the objects of our choice and running through an obstacle of three red hurdles in an over-under- over fashion. Keep in mind that if anyone should hit the hurdles, they are to sit their object down and bust out one push up before continuing forward. Both teams managed to hit the hurdles a little bit more than expected, some even coming out with a few battle wounds. Afterwards, we were to zig-zag around three rows of smaller hurdles jump over a 24 inch box and place our object completely behind the line before sprinting back to retrieve the next item to lug through the obstacle course. The Red squad took the lead on this one, but the Black squad was not too far behind, challenging each other until all objects and the last team member crossed the line. This placed the red squad in a 50-point lead after this event.
Now the fun part
The fourth event was by far an epic one. Players both teams agree this might have been one of the most fun in OKC challenge history. We were back in the sand pit and the only object used in this event was a tug that was filled with 50 pounds of sand. This tug had two handles on each side enabling two members from each team to go head on in a very competitive game of tug-of-war. It was best out of five and both teams were determined to not give up. Every round became more intense as the event went on. By the fourth round both teams were able to wrestle up two wins each, with the final round determining who claimed an additional 100 points for the day. The black squad was victorious, now sitting both teams with 200 points, which lead us to a 50-point bonus event.
The final event came down to Maggie Ruckenbrod representing the Red squad and Maryssa Becker representing the Black squad. These two were chosen based off their spot on the line up. Teena made the "clean up" face each other in this event. We all gathered around the versa climbers. The goal of this event was to be the first person to reach 300 feet. To put it in perspective, this is about four long, hard minutes of resisted climbing. Everyone was hyped; screaming and cheering on their teammate in hopes of grinding out a victory for Day One. This matchup was so close, even the smallest let up could make a difference. As each step got closer and closer to the end, both teams, even the coaches and trainers couldn't help but to join in on all the fun. Jumping up and down, encouraging our teammates to not give up and get it done.
This is an amazing thing to be a part of. The final whistle blew as Maggie Ruckenbrod pulled through for her team but Maryssa Becker only four meters behind her. It was a great day for both teams but day one belonged to the Red squad, highlighting the scoreboard with 150 points to the Black team's 100 points.
No matter the outcome, it is moments like these that make all the long mornings of training worth every second because like the quote goes "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
