BATH TOWNSHIP, Allen County, Ohio (WLIO) — The Bath Wildcats are stepping up to the challenge of becoming the best versions of themselves. Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel stopped by Bath Middle School to help kick off the “Team Tressel Fitness Challenge.”
The program is designed to encourage students to improve their overall wellness through activities that focus on cardio, strength and balance, while also emphasizing focus and quiet reflection. Similar to the Olympics, students can set personal goals aimed at earning a bronze, silver or gold level throughout their journey.
However, Tressel emphasized that earning medals is not the ultimate objective. Instead, the focus is on steady personal improvement and developing discipline over time.
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel stopped by Bath Middle School to help kick off the “Team Tressel Fitness Challenge.”
“What we want to make crystal clear is we don't care where you are. We just care where you're going. We just care that you'll get that discipline to just get a little bit better each day. We constantly focus on the fact that it's not a competition, it's not a race, it's becoming the best version of yourself you can be. And I think that's a little easier for someone who thinks, Well, I'm not as fast as her, or I'm not as strong as him, it's like I'm just trying to get better me than I used to be,” says Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, (R) Ohio.
Ohio Director of Education and Workforce Steve Dackin helped bring the fitness challenge to schools across the state and said he was pleased to see it introduced in Bath, his alma mater.
“One of the things we're really trying to do with it is create habits. Habits last a lifetime, and so focusing on things like physical fitness, nutrition, sleep and rest is just so, so important for our young people to develop those habits when they're young. Sometimes we try to separate academics and fitness and other wellness activities, they go hand in glove, and we all know that,” says Stephen Dackin, Dir. Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
The Team Tressel Fitness Challenge is currently being used in more than 1,300 school buildings across Ohio.
