Challenge to connect players and community
Cardell Butler may be great at putting the ball through the hoop, but how is he in a football tire toss or a PlayStation 2 game?
Utah State students and members of the Cache Valley community will have the opportunity to find out as Butler, along with numerous other USU sponsored and club athletes, compete in the Challenge Your Favorite Athlete activity Thursday in the Fieldhouse.
The event will go from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and admission is free.
Associated Students of Utah State University Athletics Vice President Tyler Olsen, in conjunction with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, are putting on the event in hopes of showing the public that athletes are normal students, too.
Olsen said once he presented the idea to SAAC the group developed even more ways to interact with fans.
“They thought they would like it better if they were able to compete against someone in a different sport,” he said. “We are going to have activities that are non-contact and we won’t allow people to engage in physical contact. Above all we don’t want anyone to get hurt. We want this to be a fun activity.”
The chance to take on a collegiate athlete will give people who played in high school or in recreation leagues an opportunity to compete against someone who moved to the next level, he said.
This year’s activity was modeled somewhat after the Student-Athlete Double Dare event from last year.
“It didn’t really get people’s attention, though,” he said of last year’s activity. “I know it’s best if I can participate somehow.”
He compared the Challenge Your Favorite Athlete event to that of a hypnotist show because of the ability for crowd participation.
Olsen said although he encourages everyone to challenge an athlete, everything will be on a volunteer basis.
“We’re not going to force anyone to do anything, but they will have the opportunity to compete on a higher level,” he said.
Olsen said he is planning for about 1,000 people to show up.
Aside from the chance to mingle and compete against USU athletes, there will also be free Aggie Ice Cream.
“I think [this activity] will increase our awareness and desire to go and support the athletes because we will know they are just like us and they are students,” Olsen said. “It will give people a personal connection with them.”
-juag@cc.usu.edu