MARYVILLE, TN - The weather was brisk, but the chilly temperatures and wind just seemed to push the 100-plus Maryville College freshmen who participated in the Team Fitness Challenge a little harder.

One “must do” for the Fitness Challenge was having a member of each team climb to the top of the 60-foot Alpine Tower.

On Nov. 11, five Freshman Seminar 120 (FRS120) classes were divided into 30 teams of three to four students. Each team was required to complete, collectively, 70 push-ups, 65 sit-ups, a 30-second hang and one climb to the top of the 60-foot Alpine Tower, a vertical obstacle course located near Mountain Challenge’s Crawford House.  Every participant had to complete a two-mile run (or walk) around the campus.

      The idea for a fitness challenge started when Dr. Jerilyn Swann, associate professor of biology and FRS120 instructor, contacted Mountain Challenge Director Bruce Guillaume and asked him if he had any ideas for strengthening the wellness component of the course.

      A requirement of every first-year student, FRS120 focuses on the theme of “The Individual.” As a part of that focus, students explore their sense of identity, vocation, spirituality and wellness philosophy.

      Swann taught the course previously and said she felt past years’ assignments that were designed to get students thinking about their health and well-being weren’t asking enough.

      What Guillaume proposed was similar to a successful and popular faculty-staff challenge that his Mountain Challenge staff organized last year.

        “He called me and said, ‘Here’s an idea for your wellness unit – what do you think?’” said Swann, who thought it would accomplish the objective. She then offered the challenge to other FRS120 classes. (Swann and three other instructors competed on a team.)

      Some rules:  Teams had to be diverse in their makeup. No all-athlete teams, for example, or all female teams. During the two-mile run or walk, the members of each team had to remain within 10 yards of each other, and the team’s time was recorded after the last member crossed the finish line.

      The team with the fastest time at the two-mile run and the other activities was declared the ultimate victor.

      “In the challenge, we had to work together to achieve certain goals. This was not only a physical exercise, it required us to work together mentally and emotionally, which is just as important when it comes to being a completely healthy person,” said freshman Andrew Tompkins of Kingsport, Tenn. “I thought the challenge went along with the wellness section of FRS120 very well.”

      An offensive lineman on the Scots football team, Tompkins said he was in good physical condition but recognized that finishing would require a team effort.

        “What was great about the challenge was that each team had to strategically decide what specific events that they wanted to do first,” he explained. “You could split the two-mile walk/run into two laps and choose to do the events in any order. The challenge was as hard as you wanted to make it. For me, the hardest part was the run, but we paced ourselves so it wasn’t too bad.”

      The winning team came from Roger Myers’ FRS 120 section. Dylan Johnson and Max Davison won with a stunning time of 33 minutes and seven seconds. 

      As a part of the challenge, students also were asked to write a paper, reflecting on the event and the feelings they had before, during and after the challenge. 

      Swann said she was pleased with the event.

      “Most teams seemed to be having a good time. I heard teams cheering each other on during each event and saw teams jockeying for position during the walk/run,” she said. “I expect we will do this again next year