The Pilot

Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Brian Arnold The author her strength as she totes Noelle Flauaus during the carry protion of the challenge Saturday at Spangler Stadium

The football field is covered with people yelling, running and sweating. An ambulance waits in the parking lot in case of any injuries, and water bottles are rushed to teams with crucial promptness.

No, it's not football practice; it's the inaugural Chesty Puller Bulldog Challenge.

A total of 47 Gardner-Webb students came out to Spangler Stadium Saturday morning to show if they had what it takes to train like a Marine.

Participants were split into 12 teams of four with the exception of one team that only had three. There were three male teams and nine female teams.

Teamwork, motivation and strength were all factors of the challenge. Everyone who participated put forth enormous effort and drive.

The challenge began at 9 a.m. and resembled a USMC boot camp that consisted of relay races combined with push-ups, sit-ups, and leg squats. But these weren't just ordinary relays.
Students had to run 25 yards while carrying each member of the team on their backs, one by one. After completing the dash, team members had to complete 25 leg squats, also with someone on their back.

These were followed by "buddy drags" that required each person of the team to drag the others across the distance, which was also followed by more squats, lifts and sit-ups.

"You will want to quit," said "Gunny" Scott, a representative of the Marine Corps who supervised the event. Scott stated that the challenge resembled the training methods they use in the Marines. But not completely.

"What we're doing is only half of the beginner's training," Scott said, which seemed like quite an understatement to many of the participants.

He said that the point of this challenge was, "just to get through it," and to prove your ability to complete the challenge.
That's exactly what every team did.

"I am very pleased with the results from the challenge," said Brian Arnold, the Student Activities director and creator of the event. "It was really encouraging for me to see students helping each other out and encouraging one another to finish the challenge."

There were three teams that stood out among the rest.

Continued...

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