From Feb. 23 to 27, State High Fitness Club hosted its fifth annual Dri Tri competition. Participants run one mile on the treadmill, bike three miles on a stationary bike, and row 2000 meters on an erg, with one minute of rest between each leg. 

Fitness Center Operator Diane Swauger, State High’s de facto strength and conditioning coach, emphasized the importance of staying active and the benefits of the Dri Tri. 

“We’d like to offer different types of opportunities for people of all abilities to get to participate in an athletic event, try something new, and also to challenge those who already do different types of athletic events, something they haven’t tried before. So it showcases different machines that don’t always get used,” Swauger said. 

She says her favorite part of the event is the teams that participate, for students who would’ve never tried the tri had friends influencing and supporting them through their race. Not only did they get a great workout in, but they also tried new things due to the opportunity given. The Dri Tri’s openness to new athletes is one of the benefits, for it exposes one to cardio at their own pace, focusing on fun exercise instead of a brutal test of fitness.

The fitness club works hard to maximize participation and come up with good prizes, though there are parts that are challenging during the planning process. Fitness Club member Lauren Craft explained what goes on behind the scenes: “We discussed prizes and ways to get more people involved.”

Craft went on to express challenges faced, “We were struggling to come up with ideas to get people involved and have them be interested in doing an athletic thing, especially when a lot of people didn’t know how to row, so we struggled to find a solution to the problem.” 

“We had to figure out how to teach people to row, so there was a rowing club in the room, and they were willing to help teach people,” Craft continued. “And we had a meeting to discuss things like clubs versus clubs and stuff like that to get more people involved.”

Swauger agreed the process was not smooth and provided a new perspective.

“It’s just a lot of moving parts, believe it or not, like getting sponsors and then working with the different club officers and their schedules, and then working with the teachers. So it’s not, quote unquote, hard. Just a lot of little moving parts that can get confusing,” Swauger said.

Coach Swauger and the fitness center staff are all advocates for including exercise in one’s daily routine, for she and science both agree that maintaining an active lifestyle is beneficial in multiple aspects of life.

“It has just been proven. Time and time again, it helps release positive endorphins to help increase your mood, helps with digestion and sleep, and helps you deal mentally, physically, and socially with new environments,” Swauger said. 

Swauger noted common struggles people face in their relationship with exercising, how people take on too much too early on, and getting disinterested. She goes on to share that exercise doesn’t go from zero to a hundred; it can start as simple as a walk, five push-ups, or a 10-minute yoga session. 

The Dri Tri provides students an opportunity to use the equipment in the fitness center, and opens a door of possibilities to reach their fitness goals, whether they’re a state champion or someone who was peer pressured by friends. And with the one-mile run, three-mile bike, and 2000-meter row, students truly do get to “tri” everything.