MINIATURE OLYMPICS

By JEWEL CALABRO

Gym class.  One might either be groaning or cheering at these words in a heartbeat.  No matter the response, everyone has to take the Physical Fitness Challenge at the end of each semester at Washingtonville High School.  This challenge tests the physical abilities of our Wizards with an overall average score combined from different strenuous events.

Thomas Garrison running in the pacer test.//JEWEL CALABRO FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

There are several different events that factor into a student's score.  Each of these events test a different skill: strength, agility, endurance, and flexibility.  First up is the pacer test.  Students line up on one side of the gym waiting for the bell.  Once it rings, the students jog across 20 meters to the other line and wait for another bell.  This can go on for quite awhile.  The time between each bell ring decreases each level (one level is about 5 to 10 bells).  This would give less and less time to run across the gym.   The challenge is that you must keep up with the bells.  If a students is unable to make it to the other side at/or before the bell rings two times in a row, they are eliminated.  

On December 17th during his third period Physical Education class, Thomas Garrison beat the school’s record for the pacer test.  The original record was 165.  He bumped this up to 171, raising the bar even higher for future Wizards.

The second event is the broad jump.  This is measured in inches, all the way up to 125 inches (about 10ft).  Students  must stand with their toes on the line and with their feet together.  Then they can use their arms for extra momentum as they jump across, keeping their feet glued together.  This is rather difficult since they must keep their feet together throughout the entire jump.  

One Washingtonville student made the broad jump look as easy as brushing one's  teeth.  Brendyn Marrero held the school record at 123 inches as of last year.  This year, he bumped up his own record to 125 inches, jumping the entire way of longest measurement mat the school has.

There are still plenty of events going on throughout the week where alumni, or current students, still hold the current record.  Deadlifts, sit and reach, shuttle run, sit ups, and push-ups, are just some of the arduous events students will be competing in.  By the end of the marking period, the high school will discover all the girls and boys for each grade that have won the Physical Fitness Challenge.  Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.