Softball Begins Second Half of OKC Challenge
November 24, 2014 | Softball
The teams were even at the start of the second half of the OKC Challenge. Senior Whitney Arion recaps Monday's action.
Seven innings
As Day Three came to an end it was evident that it was by far the most intense day out of them all. Both teams were tied up, hyped up, and ready to battle after a weekend of much-needed rest. Today was composed of seven different events. We referred to these events as innings and each inning was worth 100 points. Captains assembled their line-ups and based on those lineups each squad member was assigned to accomplish one particular inning. The first five innings involved three people from each squad going head to head and the last two innings were a total team endeavor.
Red Squad with the early lead
The first inning began on the bikes. The captains read off the first three people on their lineup and those people had to grind out 1.5 miles each on gear 24! I was one of the "lucky" ones that had the privilege of experiencing pedaling on the highest gear possible. All 130 lbs. of me was completely leaning on each side of the bike as I was trying to turn one pedal at a time. My skiing form was on point. The Black Squad was falling behind during this event and it wasn't long before that Red Squad claimed the first 100 points of the day. The second inning was the versa climber and the first versa climber to reach 1,000 feet wins. The whistle blew and it was three against three. Teams could transition their three people whenever they wanted but there was always one person on the versa climber at a time. The best strategy here is to set a goal and go all out until you reach that goal and then make that quick switch. Each team was neck and neck until the last 800 feet and that's when the Red Squad closed the gap. The first two innings belonged to the Red Squad. They were on fire!
Black Squad answers
It was safe to say that today did not start off in favor of the Black Squad. It wasn't until the third inning that they would shake things up. Sleds were next on the agenda. One sled was assigned to three members of each team. First sled to complete two down and backs of a total of 160 yards wins. These sleds are exactly like the sleds we pushed on day one except for one minor detail. They each weighed over 330 lbs. You better hope some adrenaline assists you on this one. The Black Squad dominated this inning and they won their first 100 points of the day. The fourth inning consisted of wall sits. Each team had three people sitting at 90 degrees with 25 kilo plates on their lap. The team to have the last man standing wins. Red squad killed this inning and snatched another 100 points.
The fifth inning had a change of scenery. We all rushed out to the track to find out that we were doing "move the mountain" which is another oldie but goody. Once again, three people from each team would compete during this inning. The goal here was to move one object at a time (a sand bag, 25 kilo plate, and a medicine ball) through a small obstacle course that consisted of weaving in and out of cones, under a hurdle, over a box, under another hurdle and over another box. The first team to get all three people through this obstacle course wins. Although the Red Squad was on their heels the entire time, the Black Squad pulled off the win.
Down to the wire
The last two innings involved the entire team. The sixth inning was a relay race where each person had to sprint 100 yards with an exception of a few team members who could not sprint, but had to do 20 ball slams or carry 50 pound dumb bells 100 yards instead. Black won this event leaving only one inning left for day three. We went old school with the last inning and had an old fashion race. Each team member to win a race was awarded a point. After everyone had went points were tallied up and black squad had sealed the day. After all seven innings the Red Squad earned 500 points and the Black Squad earned 700. As we soar through three days of the OKC Challenge, it is obvious that each team is equally capable of winning the whole thing. It will all come down to the last day. Which team will fight for that last inch?
Scoreboard
Red Squad - 300
Black Squad - 1000
