Resilience, teamwork, mental and physical strength were all put to the test on Saturday 16 November 2019 when the eleven IAS squads assembled at Stuart Park Wollongong for the annual Leadership and Personal Development Camp. This year was the first ‘Survivor Challenge’ camp for the IAS, organised by new IAS partner, Savvy Fitness.
“We wanted to challenge the athletes, push them out of their comfort zone and Savvy Fitness came up with a Survivor Day,” Athlete, Coach and Program Manager Dane Robinson said. “The day was focused on teamwork, leadership, bonding, challenging themselves.”
All athletes were separated into four Tribes encompassing a mix of sports, ages and abilities, aiming to work as a team and earn the most points to be crowned the winning Tribe at the end of the day.
The first activity was a series of 3-minute boot-camp style competitions, where athletes were challenged with burpees, squats, planks, and tyre races. With each competition came the additional task of finding a new group of four and stepping away from their familiar team mates to meet other Scholarship holders.
The Tribes ventured to the beach for the second activity, where they had a four-station rotation consisting of a battle rope run, linked sit-up, leapfrog and tyre flip relays, finishing off with tug of war battles. The beach challenges proved extremely tough and pushed athletes well beyond their comfort zones. Click here to see this in action.
Next up, athletes participated in a running relay with each lap counting towards points for their tribes. Athletes demonstrated resilience and pushed themselves well beyond what they thought they were capable of.
After a well-deserved lunch break, each Tribe separated into smaller groups and set off for the Amazing Race. Along the way athletes had to remain joined by a rope and complete checkpoints testing their teamwork and thinking skills. After cracking the checkpoint clue the teams completed tasks including eating lemons, kicking goals blindfolded, counting rice bubbles and throwing eggs.
The Survivor Day finished with a Yoga and Stretch session, including time reflecting on the day. An activity well needed and enjoyed by all!
After completing all the mental and physical challenges throughout the day, the Blue Tribe finished victorious.
Congratulations to the Tribe MVP’s, selected from their peers based on their leadership, enthusiasm and attitudes throughout each challenge of the day:
RED
· Ivy Halliwell
· Jake Treyvaud
YELLOW
· Chelsea Groves
· Max Ferri
BLUE
· Claire Ridding
· Liam Hinchcliffe
GREEN
· Michael Milross-Rose
· Claudia Decker
The day was a great success with athletes coming away with new friends and many saying it was the best camp they have ever done with the IAS! Thanks to Savvy Fitness for organising such a fantastic, challenging day!
