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Contest Sends Youngsters To Camp

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By LAURA FRAZIER

lfrazier@tampatrib.com

Published: October 15, 2008

RIVERVIEW - Jill Andrew will be ready to rock when it's her turn to scale the climbing wall. And when they roll out the logic puzzles, look out.

Andrew and other adventurous types will put their physical and mental skills to the test Nov. 7 at the YMCA Corporate Challenge: Survivor! The annual fundraiser, held at Camp Cristina on Balm Riverview Road, provides scholarships for kids and families who can't afford to pay for summer camps or recreational classes at the Y on their own.

Camp program director Bryan Beckham said in 2007 the event raised about $5,000, enough to send dozens of children and families to summer camp and swim lessons.

Teams from local businesses and civic organizations register for the event and compete in a daylong series of "Survivor"-style challenges at the Y's 65-acre outdoor adventure site.

A few teams registered early for the competition, and more are welcome to join in the fun.

Andrew twice participated with a team from the Riverview Chamber of Commerce, which earned second-place bragging rights a year ago. This year, the adult living facility director formed her own team with nine co-workers, and they intend to bring it on.

"I have the winning team," she said.

Andrew enjoys the team camaraderie and the intergenerational aspects of the challenge, where contestants range from young adults to senior citizens.

"The teams where they were all very young, they're just sure they're going to win," she said. But she said that's not always the case.

She admits some of the physical challenges stretched her to her limits, such as the time she reluctantly strapped herself into the seat of a giant slingshot swing. Her teammates launched her like a rubber band toward a target she was challenged to hit with a sand-filled balloon.

"I did OK, though, because I thought about things like angle and velocity and throwing it before I got in line with the target," she said.

Then came the cryptograms, word logic puzzles that some of the younger contestants had never seen. Teams with at least a few mature players tended to fare better on the mental tests, she said. Likewise, young adults often help elders on their teams pull forward in the physical competitions.

"It creates a real respect back and forth between the generations," Andrew said.

GET INVOLVED

WHAT: YMCA Corporate Challenge: Survivor!

WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 7

WHERE: YMCA Camp Cristina, 9840 Balm Riverview Road, Riverview

COST: The $500 registration fee per team of 6-10 members covers activities, breakfast and lunch. Proceeds benefit YMCA's Building Strong Kids Campaign, which provides summer camp scholarships to children and families who qualify for financial assistance

INFORMATION: Bryan Beckham, (813) 677-8400

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523.

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