Grit ‘N Wit brings friendly competition to Rider

By Zachary Klein

Obstacle ’course competition Grit ‘N Wit came to Rider’s Campus Mall on Friday as part of the ‘Fitness Fridays’ series hosted by the Student Recreation Center (SRC).

“Grit ‘N Wit” is an obstacle course competition for students where participants can “foster teamwork, a growth mindset and perseverance,” according to their website.

Dianna Clauss, director of recreation programs, said that this is the fourth time the course has visited campus.

“The first two times we offered it, we did it during fall opening for first-year students only and the turnout was great,” Clauss said.

The course itself included obstacles testing both brains and brawn. Brain puzzles included a triangle puzzle, a sudoku-like number grid and a handheld maze. Some of the physical challenges were ladders, an over/under crawl and monkey bars.

Teams participating were a mix of those who had pre-registered and those who walked by and signed up. 10 minutes after the event started, the first teams took off from the starting line.

Justin Drea, a junior sports management major, felt energized about the course.

“It looks fun,” he said. “I love physical challenges and am just looking forward to doing it.”

Drea, whose team was called “SRC Rocks,” finished the course in just under 20 minutes. He and his teammates flew through some obstacles but struggled on others.

“It was hotter and tougher than I expected,” he said while panting after running. “The brain partwas tougher than I expected, especially the puzzles.”

Members from the men’s and women’s volleyballclub also competed in the “Grit ‘N Wit” competition. Clauss said they were participating to build teamwork among their members to have a more successful season.

Everyone, including the event staff, was impressed when the volleyball club clocked in with an impressive time of 14 minutes. Bystanders could see them race through the brain challenges and dominate physically, but they ended up finishing third for the day.

An unnamed team led by junior sports management major Blake Oramas came in with a time of 13 minutes. They were neck and neck with the volleyball group the entire course, but took the lead in the final obstacles.

“[My favorite obstacle was] definitely the monkey bars,” said Oramas post-run. “Or the military one where you have to crawl through it. That was fun too.”

In the end, it was “The X Factor” that raced to the fastest time on the course, beating Oramas’ team and their speedy time. “The X Factor” consisted of sophomore sports management major Zachary Manorowitz, junior health sciences major Isaiah McClain, sophomore information systems major Zach Moyer, sophomore criminal justice major Lynaisha Smith and junior sports management Brandon Williams.

“We thought the course was very enjoyable and challenging, not just mentally, but physically. It was fun for us since we all do track and field here at Rider,” McClain said in an email to The Rider News. “We really were trying to set a high time compared to the other teams, and we all as a collective unit picked the puzzles and zoomed through. It was really a team effort since we all were the brawns and brains.”

“Grit ‘N Wit” was a fun time for all and a favorite among all Rider students who participated. “Fitness Fridays” are hosted by the Student Recreation Center on the first Friday of each month.