by Kathryn Sill, Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University’s Health and Fitness Association (HAFA) will host its 10th annual Mini-Arnold Competition on Saturday, April 9, at 1-4 p.m. in the Doden Field House. The event is open to all current Cedarville students for a $10 entrance fee.
The Mini-Arnold was originally conceived by April Crommett, Ph.D., associate professor of exercise science, as a way for college students to highlight their abilities in weightlifting and muscle strength.
The event has grown substantially over the last several years. The first Mini-Arnold in 2006 attracted just 10 competitors, but Crommett expects more than 30 this year.
“When we first started hosting the Mini-Arnold competition, nobody really knew what it was,” Crommett said. “But it’s been fun to watch it grow in popularity, and we expect this year to feature better competition than we’ve ever seen.”
The competition is modeled after a similar event that takes place at the Arnold Sports Festival held each year in Columbus, Ohio, as part of the Arnold Worldwide Classic, which also features competitions for professional weightlifters in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America.
“When I first arrived at Cedarville, I noticed that we often hosted road races and other athletic competitions on campus, but there was not one that highlighted muscle strength and weightlifting,” said Crommett. “The Mini-Arnold is a great way to highlight the weightlifting abilities and muscle strength of our students, and to recognize them for their abilities.”
The event will test competitors in heavy lifting, muscle endurance and a strongman competition. Prizes will be given to the overall male and female competitors in each event. The person who finishes with the best average among the heavy lifting competition and strongman competition will be crowned as the overall champion.
The Mini-Arnold is open to men and women, who will participate in their own separate groups. Last year’s overall winner on the men’s side was senior Trent Johnson (Dennison, Ohio), while junior Anna Church (Panora, Iowa) finished first on the women’s side.
In the heavy lifting competition, students will perform squats, dead lifts and bench presses. The endurance portion features pullups, pushups and planks for men and triceps dips, pushups and planks for women. The strongman competition is comprised of a tire flip, truck pull and farmer’s carry.
Tim Parrott, a senior exercise science major from Derry, New Hampshire, is the current president of HAFA and has been integral in planning this year’s event. As someone who competed in the event last year, Parrott believes that the Mini-Arnold is a great way for students to interact and have fun.
“The Mini-Arnold Competition is a fantastic opportunity for Cedarville students to test themselves and use the talents God has blessed them with while also getting to know each other a little better,” said Parrott.
Registration for the event will begin on Monday, March 21 in the lower level of the Stevens Student Center. For more information, contact April Crommett at adcrommett@cedarville.edu or Tim Parrott at tparrott@cedarville.edu.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.
The Mini-Arnold was originally conceived by April Crommett, Ph.D., associate professor of exercise science, as a way for college students to highlight their abilities in weightlifting and muscle strength.
The event has grown substantially over the last several years. The first Mini-Arnold in 2006 attracted just 10 competitors, but Crommett expects more than 30 this year.
“When we first started hosting the Mini-Arnold competition, nobody really knew what it was,” Crommett said. “But it’s been fun to watch it grow in popularity, and we expect this year to feature better competition than we’ve ever seen.”
The competition is modeled after a similar event that takes place at the Arnold Sports Festival held each year in Columbus, Ohio, as part of the Arnold Worldwide Classic, which also features competitions for professional weightlifters in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America.
“When I first arrived at Cedarville, I noticed that we often hosted road races and other athletic competitions on campus, but there was not one that highlighted muscle strength and weightlifting,” said Crommett. “The Mini-Arnold is a great way to highlight the weightlifting abilities and muscle strength of our students, and to recognize them for their abilities.”
The event will test competitors in heavy lifting, muscle endurance and a strongman competition. Prizes will be given to the overall male and female competitors in each event. The person who finishes with the best average among the heavy lifting competition and strongman competition will be crowned as the overall champion.
The Mini-Arnold is open to men and women, who will participate in their own separate groups. Last year’s overall winner on the men’s side was senior Trent Johnson (Dennison, Ohio), while junior Anna Church (Panora, Iowa) finished first on the women’s side.
In the heavy lifting competition, students will perform squats, dead lifts and bench presses. The endurance portion features pullups, pushups and planks for men and triceps dips, pushups and planks for women. The strongman competition is comprised of a tire flip, truck pull and farmer’s carry.
Tim Parrott, a senior exercise science major from Derry, New Hampshire, is the current president of HAFA and has been integral in planning this year’s event. As someone who competed in the event last year, Parrott believes that the Mini-Arnold is a great way for students to interact and have fun.
“The Mini-Arnold Competition is a fantastic opportunity for Cedarville students to test themselves and use the talents God has blessed them with while also getting to know each other a little better,” said Parrott.
Registration for the event will begin on Monday, March 21 in the lower level of the Stevens Student Center. For more information, contact April Crommett at adcrommett@cedarville.edu or Tim Parrott at tparrott@cedarville.edu.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.