News Racing Toward Success: Fundraising Event Hosted by the Girls’ Wrestling Team
Published on December 22, 2023While brainstorming fundraising ideas for the team, Coach Adam Hale conceived the “Indy 500” workout, a unique event where teams of two alternate carrying dumbbells and run around Pella High School. This event, coinciding with Christmas and our wrestling team’s downtime, became an opportunity to raise funds. Inspired by the Jump Rope for Heart model, each pair gathered flat-rate or per lap pledges. To add a twist, escalators were introduced, increasing the weight during the workout. Partnering with Pella Motors as the title sponsor, we set a matching donation for our girls to achieve.
With overwhelming support from individuals like Greg Ebeling, Dan Zylstra, Josh Manning, Scott Tjeerdsma, Todd Smith, Austin Burkland, and Kade Terrell, our coaches and wrestlers formed additional bonus teams. With 26 runners and 10 volunteers, the event not only garnered tremendous support but also provided a pre-holiday workout. The camaraderie and encouragement echoing through the hallways made the event truly memorable, with uplifting comments from athletes, administrators, teachers, and everyone involved.
Hale stated, “The money raised helps us cover expenses such as hotel costs for overnight tournaments and State, our recently installed record boards, team bonding activities, team shirts, and other general operational costs for running a team and a season. We’re excited about the prospect of making this an annual event and welcome suggestions on individuals people would like to see participate in the future!”