By Michelle Colesanti
The Brandon area YMCAs’ sponsored their 2008 Corporate Challenge-Survivor in early November, benefiting the YMCA’s Building Strong Kids Campaign. The idea of going back to camp after all of these years seemed a bit intimidating, but I was ready for the challenge. Our team, FishHawk Area Networking Group (FANG), was one of five teams that participated. In the end, it turned out to be a fantastic learning experience – except maybe for the worms. Each of the teams rotated between seven events throughout the day. The events included archery, an obstacle course, Fear Factor, a climbing wall/zip line, Leap of Faith, Spiderweb and a boat race. Every event depended on teamwork to earn points. Some of the events such as the Leap of Faith, which involved climbing a 50-foot high telephone pole, balancing on the top and then jumping off, proved that you need both mental and physical determination to do more than you might have thought possible. Having my team’s encouragement down below was the only thing preventing me from still being up on that pole. Back to the worms: Fear Factor involved eating foods that were not so enticing. I was not planning to participate, but our whole team decided to go for the highest amount of bonus points by indulging in the worms. Since letting down my team was not an option, I ate the worms. I can tell you that I will not be adding them to my meal planning anytime soon. We all broke for a great lunch that was graciously donated by Chick-fil-A on Lumsden Rd. in Brandon, Beef ‘O’Brady’s and East Coast Pizza, both located in Riverview. After lunch, we participated in one more activity, which involved more mental prowess than physical. We had to construct a boat out of cardboard boxes and duct tape and then have one of our team members get the boat across the pool, a futile attempt on our part as we came in fourth in this event. I personally learned that through team encouragement, it’s easy to work just a little harder and go that extra mile when everybody is cheering you on. In the end, our team came in last place, but we were definitely not losers. I highly recommend this experience for everyone. If you are interested in serving on the planning committee for next year’s event, contact Bryan Beckham or Cindy Sofarelli at 684-1371.
