Jeff Wrestlers Take Navy Seal Challenge

[dstruck]

Jeff Athlete's Take Navy Seal Fitness challenge

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200881128017

 

Jeff athletes take fitness challenge

The Courier-Journal November 28, 2008

 

The two groups of athletes were in great shape, but most of the swimmers couldn?t do as many pull-ups or run as fast as the wrestlers, and most of the wrestlers took longer to swim 500 yards.

 

Some 70 Jeffersonville High School student-athletes, about half of them swimmers and half wrestlers, took the Navy SEAL fitness challenge today.

 

The challenge? Swimming 500 yards, doing timed push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups, and running a mile and a half.

 

Head wrestling coach Danny Struck, who organized the event, said the idea was not only to see how well the students would do, but to give them first-hand appreciation of the rigorous workouts that other athletes endure.

 

And, Struck said, the swimmers and wrestlers would have a chance to get to know each other a little better.

 

As his wrestlers thrashed in the pool?s six lanes, Struck smiled and said, ?I know swimmers will laugh at this, but our goal is 10 laps in 10 minutes.? The student swimmers? times ranged from five minutes, 20 seconds to nine minutes, 47 seconds.

 

Struck said the challenge was developed by the elite Navy commandos and is used by some high school coaches across the country.

 

Two of the wrestlers, Trey Harbin and Renaldo Weekley, both 15-year-old sophomores, smiled but were puffing hard after climbing out of the water.

 

They said they had finished in less than 13 minutes and were enjoying the program.

 

?We?re getting some good exercise out of it,? Trey said.

 

Renaldo said he was looking forward to the run.

 

?I know we?ll do good at it,? he said.

 

Swimming coach Keith Gast said some of his swimmers were worried about the push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups.

 

Two of his seniors, Emily Akalski, 17, and Zach Ruoff, 18, said swimmers don?t do a lot of push-ups. They don?t hurt, but they don?t help much either, Zach said.

 

But Emily said it was the run that she was dreading. She finished it in just under 13-1/2 minutes, well behind Sean Simpson, 16, a junior wrestler whose run time of eight minutes and 19 seconds made him the top boy in his group. The fastest girl swimmer in the run was Shelby Simcoe, 17, a junior who also runs cross-country and track, with nine minutes and five seconds.

 

?It?s a lot harder, doing all of it together,? Shelby said, adding that she had done 60 sit-ups in about two minutes, 55 push-ups in the same time and three pull-ups.

 

Struck tried to inspire the students when they were doing push-ups.

 

?I know it?s hard,? he told them. ?It?s not supposed to be enjoyable. It should be hard.?