First ever ‘Toughest Texan’ competition held

By SheaLeigh Jones –

The Tarleton State University Recreation Sports Center held its first “Toughest Texan” competition Apr. 13 at the Tarleton Challenge Ropes Course.

The competition was a project by kinesiology interns Joanna Macsas, Isaac Dickey, Karissa Kroll, Matt Green, and Julie Wakeley. They were under the supervision of fitness/wellness coordinator Shanna Moody.

The challenge was a team relay obstacle race. There were teams of three that competed in single-person events and in team events in several rounds. There was also a Rec Sports student employee division which allowed for Rec Sports employees to compete.

The event was partnered with Soles4Souls, which donates shoes for people in need. Any shoes that are too worn will be sent to Nike to be recycled into rubber mats for playground equipment.

Moody said, “This is the first time the course is being opened up not for a group and they’re hoping to open up the course for students.”

There were prizes for the top three teams, medals given out and every participant received a goody bag.

Competition results are as follows:

Team RamRod placed first with a time of 15:07. Team members were Dustin DeWinne, Don Coffell and Jay Pemberton.

In second place were The Other Guys with a time of 16:12. Team members were Ronnie Pawley, Parker Parvis and Jorge Espino.

Team Gladiator came in third place with a time of 17:07. Team members were Barry Tooley, Shane Suarez and Rygh Fullagar.

In the Rec Sports Student Employee Division, Team Control Desk beat Team Personal Trainers with times of 15:09 and 17:39, respectively. Team Control Desk members include Delayna Richards, Josh Granada and Matthew Raulston .Team Personal Trainers members include Ian Reed, Ricky Daniels and Anthony Gonzales.

SheaLeigh Jones is a junior public relations and event management major from Iowa Park, Texas