Down on the Farm – A Youth Services Bureau Boot Camp

May 25, 2013 10:15 pm / Posted in Blog, Boot Camp, Events

Howdy Pardners!

Two weeks ago I invited a whole bunch of folks down to McKellar Park in Ottawa for a fun workout for a great cause–the Youth Services Bureau (YSB) of Ottawa. The YSB helps young people who need a helping hand with everything from finding a good job to transitional housing and health care.

Almost a ten people (and a cat) joined me and my family for a farm-themed workout that had hearts racing and most important, everybody smiling and singing! Yeehaw!

Sure glad that cat can’t read signs!

Achy-Breaky Warm-Up

We started by getting our hearts racing with an achy-breaky warm-up routine: a combination line dance and exercise routine to get the evening off on the right foot.

Agility Stampede Drills

Next up were the agility drills. We raced around cones and a ladder, carried some buckets of water, and ran from an angry mob with a shovel over our heads! People were laughing and joking around in no time and ready to start the challenges. We split everybody into two teams: Team Horse and Team Cow.

“They don’t really have angry mobs on farms, right?”

Challenge #1: Horse Plow

Teams were asked to pair up and race from one end of the field to the other; sounds simple, right? The catch was this: one member of the pair had to slow down the other one by pulling on a makeshift harness. The stakes were high: the winners, Team Horse, got immunity for the next challenge, a gnome, and trained their vocal chords as they sang “Old MacDonald” while Team Cow held a low squat until the end of the song.

Longest “Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh” ever!

Strength Training

After the gang finished singing we got right into the strength training, which involved water bucket deadlifts and an upright row and lunge with a shovel. It was a punishing set, but they got off easy: imagine what it would be like on a real farm! It was time for Challenge #2.

Challenge #2: Dixie Cup Bucket Fill

In this grueling cardio workout, the teams had to race from one end of the field to the other in order to fill a bucket. Sound simple? Here’s the catch: they had to fill their bucket with dixie cups! It was an all-out race, but people had to be careful not to spill any water because when time was up, the content of the buckets were measured and immunity went to the team with the most water, while the losing team had to squat and be sung to. And the losers this time were Team Horse!

Keep ‘er steady now.

Challenge #3: The Garden Worm!

The final challenge, the garden worm, had teams create a human bridge while the people at the end of the bridge passed underneath it. The winner of the challenge, and the YSB Down on the Farm Boot Camp, was Team Horse! Team Cow had to hold the bridge position as my daughter Gloria passed underneath them and Team Horse sang Old MacDonald once again.

Cutest garden worm ever.

Another Successful Youth Services Bureau Boot Camp!

While Team Horse took the farm, the real winners here were the Youth Services Bureau. Everyone who came out helped raise money for this great organization that helps young people from across Ottawa.

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See y’all next time!