Students and family looking for a fun, active event to try Family Weekend need look no further than Chase Charlie.
The race, which will be run Saturday morning, offers runners, walkers and rollers the chance to take a 3.1-mile tour of campus, with the race ending on the field at Scheumann Stadium.
This year's race, a joint effort between the sports administration and military science departments, will feature the ROTC Challenge for the first time in the event's history.
The challenge will consist of teams of four competing in four main events: the 5K, rock climbing, push-ups and a military-style obstacle course. A trophy will be awarded to the winning team.
The sports administration department's event management class, SPTAD 402, is in charge of organizing the event as part of what Pierce calls an experiential learning program. Students in the class are fully in charge of all aspects on the event, including public relations, marketing, registration and creative design.
In conjunction with the game against Army, this year's Chase Charlie will benefit the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. TAPS is a 24/7, tragedy-assistance resource for people who have lost a loved one in the Armed Forces.
Erica Stevens, a senior Sports Administration major and director of the event, said the event is both good to work on and an excellent learning experience.
"The experience of doing this project is amazing," she says. "I have worked Chase Charlie since my freshman year, but actually getting to do all the big things behind the scenes is amazing."
Stevens says she is counting down the days until the event.
"I am very excited for the races," she said. "In the past years we have had perfect weather for the event, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will have another great day of weather."
David Pierce, assistant professor of sports administration and the professor the event management class, said he hopes that the events will add a special, exciting atmosphere to Family Weekend, both before and during the game.
"We wanted to add atmosphere so it isn't just run a race, get an award, and go home; so we added other things for people to enjoy," he said.
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