Do you have what it takes to be a firebreather?
The weight room used to be a place to challenge yourself, but the new Firebreather Invitationals have turned it into a place for students to get the competitive juices flowing and breathe fire.
During Spartan Time, the weight room is generally deserted. However, it recently became the battleground for some of the best athletes in the school.
Weight lifting and football coach Brendan Campbell invited nine competitors to compete in his first Firebreather Invitational. Competitors battled head to head during the 45-minute Spartan Time session.
The challenges were not easy. In the first event, three challengers competed to see who could complete fifty “burpees” (an exercise where athletes must touch their chest to the floor and then jump up and clap their hands) in the shortest time.
Although a fierce fight, senior Ali Hassan pulled away at around thirty-five “burpees” and emerged victorious.
The next competition featured senior Ali Kazmi and sophomore Nate Conquest (dubbed by Campbell, “part man, part kangaroo”) in a sixty second box jumping (an exercise where competitors touch both feet to the top of a about a twenty-four inch box) contest.
Although the competition was neck and neck for over almost a minute, Kazmi claimed victory by recording over 70 box jumps.
The third event was more strength oriented. Senior Raul Rodriguez and sophomore Jordan Trunfio clashed in the “Grace” Workout of the Day (WOD).
“Grace” is the name of a workout where lifters must clean and jerk 135 pounds (pick up the bar and the push it over their head) thirty times.
Both lifters made the first 15 look easy, but as they entered the 20 range, muscle fatigue set in. Trunfio managed to pull away at about 27 reps, claiming the victory only a few seconds before Rodriguez finished.
This is it—the moment we’ve all been waiting for. It’s the main event, seniors Nick Pham and Nick Black go head to head in the “Angie” WOD.
This titan of a workout includes sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, and squats. It was a battle for the ages, but Pham pulled away and pulled out the win.
After such a fierce competition, we may be seeing more Firebreather Invitationals in the future.
