Area youths test their limits through unusual physical competitions

Most high school athletes have a pretty good idea of how much weight they can bench press and how fast they can run a 100-yard dash.

Few know how quickly they can push a Ford truck or the number of times they can flip a tractor tire.

More than 50 participants got a chance to try some a-typical feats of physical fitness at "Gladiator Night" on June 26 at Ricky Gwynn Stadium.

The activity, not limited to but largely attended by current and incoming Yuma Catholic students, were divided into five teams to compete in the different events. Some were schoolyard classics such as the human wheelbarrow and bear crawl races. Others, like flipping tractor tires, pushing a truck, dragging a 90-pound sled, were a bit more obscure.

"I thought it was something kids would enjoy because working out becomes monotonous," Yuma Catholic football coach Rhett Stallworth said. "Parents got to come out and watch their kids do what they do, and we kept them out of trouble for a Friday night."

Anthony Desante, a senior linebacker at YC, appreciated the chance to do something different with equipment not commonly found in a gym.

"It was fun. It was good competition and it got pretty intense toward the end in the obstacle course and the final sprint."

Senior lineman Nick Waterford also said the obstacle course was his favorite event, particularly for its similarities of playing in a football game.

"It was the end of the competition and it was all about putting out all your effort as if it was the fourth quarter," he said. "It takes a lot out of you, so I appreciated that more than the event itself."

Desante and Waterford, who also wrestle for the Shamrocks, had a chance to test their agility as well in a "human chess" game in which the players act as pawns and try to avoid being pinned. "We tried to make the teams as even as possible and line them up according to speed and strength," Stallworth said. "We spun it off the strongman competitions you see on TV and incorporated what we could into it."

Andy Determan, an incoming freshman hoping to play three different sports at Yuma Catholic, said he enjoyed working on a team with the older players.

"It was exciting to be with all the football players and have a creative way to help you with your endurance and strength," he said. "They taught you techniques for how to throw farther and use the most of your strength and not get tired easily."