... And the winners are!
AS THE inaugural Guardsman Games held at the Hope Zoo ended, Team Dobermans, demonstrating powerful and energetic skills, won the championship title from a very competitive field of contestants.
It was no easy feat for David Henriques and Kia Williams, who finished the four challenges ahead of the other three teams in record time. Both confessed that they were nervous going through the rounds but after executing each challenge to near perfection, they felt they would be named the overall winners.
“I do a lot of cardio and weight training, but coming into this competition I had to step up my cardio and do interval training. I felt the first challenge was our weakest attempt, but we got lucky and pushed through with no penalties,” Henriques said.
“We were pretty confident when Kia went up the 25-foot rope challenge and, at this point, we had an overwhelming feeling that we had it in the bag,” he added.
On the other hand, Williams, who could barely contain her excitement, was thrilled that going in as what she considered the underdog, she was able to demonstrate that she could accomplish whatever she set her mind to doing.
“When I was approached to be a part of the challenge, I was enthusiastic about it. Before the competition, I did yoga for fitness, but I decided to raise the challenge and join a gym. I was the least advanced member of the team, but we worked well together and that made it better,” Williams said.
For placing first, Henriques and Williams won $100,000 cash; two round-trip tickets to Florida, escort service to the airport provided by Guardsman Elite; automated vehicle locater provided by Guardsman Alarms; six months gym membership to Gymkhana and lots more.
CENTAURS TAKES SECOND
Meanwhile, Chad Hammond could literally beat himself for the Centaurs second-place finish. “It didn’t go as well as we wanted. In the first challenge we got a penalty, but by event two, and then going into the final challenge, we began to make up our ground,’ Hammond said.
For their second-place finish, Hammond and Nugent won $50,000; an automated vehicle locater provided by Guardsman Alarms; three months gym membership to Gymkhana, among other prizes.
The Knights and the A Team took third and fourth place, respectively. They took home trophies and certificates presented by members of the Guardsman team.
Sheila Benjamin-McNeill, group director for public relations and advertising, said it was an awesome event that encompassed positive values and exceptional fun for the entire family.
“Words cannot describe how I feel about what happened here today. However, going forward, we want to make it into something more meaningful with the continued support of our sponsors,” Benjamin-McNeill said. A Guardsman Games competitor emerges from the ice bath. Guardsman Games champion David Henriques (right) is joined for a photo op by his proud parents, Stephen and Jennifer.