In addition to its standard early morning strength and weightlifting workout, the Washington Chapter added a little team-based twist for its second annual Lift For Life event in support of the rare disease community.
Washington’s head strength & conditioning coach, Tim Socha, split the Huskies squad into two teams made up of a mix of offensive/defensive position groups to run line drills that required them to think on their feet in addition to pushing through suicide sprints.
The special competitive part of the Washington Chapter Lift For Life inside the Dempsey Indoor Practice Facility was scored based on a strategic risk vs. reward point system of running more for 6 points (a touchdown) or running less for 3 points (a field goal).
Teams were penalized for running the incorrect yardage, which resulted in lots of loud chants and cheers from the opposition, trying to get in each other’s heads.
“There’s a little more energy on these days we’ve had, last year and this year, putting on a different shirt and having this extra spirit from the guys when we do these type of workouts,” said Washington Chapter Leader Michael Kneip. “I think everyone knows it’s a little more meaningful, and representing what we stand for — it’s a special workout for us.”
There’s still time to support @UW_Football‘s Lift For Life! Help the Huskies hit their goal: https://t.co/CCBrhmAXwI pic.twitter.com/NEXJoAwixZ
— Uplifting Athletes (@UpliftingAth) August 5, 2016
Lift For Life is the signature fundraising event for the Uplifting Athletes nationwide network of college football student-athlete led chapters.
The Washington Chapter continued its mission of using college football as a platform to inspire the rare disease community with hope through the power of sport. The 2016 Lift For Life raised nearly $4,000.
Proceeds from the Washington Chapter of Uplifting Athletes annual Lift For Life supports rare disease research and patient focused programs.
“We’re a Division I, Pac-12, big-time football school, and for us to be able to do something using our platform that affects something greater than football is really meaningful for us,” Washington Chapter leader Jeff Lindquist said. “We know that the rare disease community, while kind of fragmented, is still pretty big as a whole. So for us to be able to make an impact, even a small one, to help drive research for rare diseases is really important for us.”
The challenges faced by the rare disease community are bigger than any one individual, team or organization can tackle alone. The grassroots effort of the Washington Chapter provides a local impact in line with a nationwide network of teams. The Huskies founded their Seattle based Chapter in 2015.
