hardheadjarhead
Senior Master
Okay...this was a LOT of fun.
I came up with this idea for raising scholarship money for the local YMCA's "Partnership For Youth" scholarship fund. I thought I'd challenge a member of the "Y"s board of directors, physician Rick Weidenbener (who, at 43, is very physically fit), to a push up competiition. The goal was to see if we could get people to do a pledge for each push up, or sponsor one or both of us for a flat amount.
The fund drive each year has always been fruitful, but never a whole lot of fun. To ramp it up, I dramatized the "challenge" by storming into the board meeting with an entourage of muscular martial artists and loudly trash-talking Rick. I entered to Bach's Toccatta and Fugue, in D minor (remember "Phantom of the Opera" with Claude Raines?) and slapped Rick with a little itty bitty glove as a part of the "duel" schtick. He slapped me back after pulling a boxing glove out of a bag.
For the competition we dressed Rick up in a toga with a laurel leaf crown, and he entered in to the theme from "Gladiator." I came in dressed as an executioner (replete with an axe...which is real, by the way) and to the music of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana."
Rick then proceeded to kick my *** in push-ups. I did 79, he did...and I still can't quite believe this...100. I knew he was in good shape, but Gawd. It looks like next year I'm going to have to actually train for this thing.
We raised over $2,500 for scholarships for kids. A pretty good take for two minutes work...and a lot of fun. I encourage anybody here to try a similar challenge for raising money for a good cause.
The kids from my martial arts program went out and got pledges, and in fifteen minutes from writing this I'm taking the top pledge-getters out to breakfast at a local restaurant.
Pics enclosed.
Regards,
Steve
I came up with this idea for raising scholarship money for the local YMCA's "Partnership For Youth" scholarship fund. I thought I'd challenge a member of the "Y"s board of directors, physician Rick Weidenbener (who, at 43, is very physically fit), to a push up competiition. The goal was to see if we could get people to do a pledge for each push up, or sponsor one or both of us for a flat amount.
The fund drive each year has always been fruitful, but never a whole lot of fun. To ramp it up, I dramatized the "challenge" by storming into the board meeting with an entourage of muscular martial artists and loudly trash-talking Rick. I entered to Bach's Toccatta and Fugue, in D minor (remember "Phantom of the Opera" with Claude Raines?) and slapped Rick with a little itty bitty glove as a part of the "duel" schtick. He slapped me back after pulling a boxing glove out of a bag.
For the competition we dressed Rick up in a toga with a laurel leaf crown, and he entered in to the theme from "Gladiator." I came in dressed as an executioner (replete with an axe...which is real, by the way) and to the music of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana."
Rick then proceeded to kick my *** in push-ups. I did 79, he did...and I still can't quite believe this...100. I knew he was in good shape, but Gawd. It looks like next year I'm going to have to actually train for this thing.
We raised over $2,500 for scholarships for kids. A pretty good take for two minutes work...and a lot of fun. I encourage anybody here to try a similar challenge for raising money for a good cause.
The kids from my martial arts program went out and got pledges, and in fifteen minutes from writing this I'm taking the top pledge-getters out to breakfast at a local restaurant.
Pics enclosed.
Regards,
Steve
