Students strive for ROTC title
Marshall freshman Lindsey Merkel wanted to do something to stay out of the frigid temperatures Friday.
Central Michigan University ROTC’s Ridiculously Outrageous and Totally Confused Games seemed like the perfect idea.
“It was free, seemed like a lot of fun and gave me a chance to spend time with my friends,” she said.
Six five-member teams competed in a variety of events planned by the ROTC, including the army physical fitness test, shaving a balloon, hot shot basketball, a rock wall relay and a large obstacle course called The Crucible.
During the physical fitness test, participants have to perform as many push-ups and sit-ups as they could in separate two-minute sections. The test also requires a timed two-mile run.
East China sophomore Jackie DuBois completed the most sit-ups in a two-minute time period to give the Saxe-Herrig residence hall team the highest score on the test.
“I did 75 sit-ups and couldn’t believe it,” she said. “It really didn’t feel like I had done that many.”
Teams received points in each event and the team with the most points won a plaque and individual medals.
Clinton Township freshman John Doman, the leader of the Saxe-Herrig team, cheered his members on in each event.
“Our strategy to winning this competition is to perform all the tasks in an efficient and timely fashion,” he said. “We hope we are going to win, but in the end it’s all about having fun to us.”
Maj. Gregg Mays, military science professor, said he got the idea last year from a member of the University of Nebraska’s ROTC.
Mays changed the event’s name to make it a play on ROTC and created some of the events himself.
The severe weather that hit Mount Pleasant Thursday caused him to push everything into one day instead of two.
“I’m happy with the turnout we received even with the weather and the postponement,” he said. “I would have liked to have had more people, but the people here are having a good time.”
