GAMBIER — Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel visited Wiggin Street Elementary in Gambier on Thursday sporting his classic sweater vest, just like his Ohio State football coaching days.
He stopped by to check on two classes of fourth and fifth graders’ progress through the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge.
Tressel led several volunteer groups of students and staff members through some of the workouts listed in the program. His team filmed the event to be featured on the challenge’s YouTube channel.
The Team Tressel Fitness Challenge began in September and is an initiative by Gov. Mike DeWine and Tressel to help Ohioans, particularly students, develop healthier habits.
According to a press release from the Lt. Gov.’s office, “more than 180,000 students in over 700 schools statewide are participating in the challenge.”
Those who partake in the 90-day challenge can progress through bronze, silver and gold tiers as they work on physical exercises, sleep patterns and nutrition.
While some schools, like Wiggin Street Elementary, occasionally do exercises from the program at school, students primarily take on the challenge at home.
Wiggin Street Elementary has actually been doing something Tressel said he hadn’t seen yet during his school tour around Ohio: work on the challenge with collegiate athletes.
Wiggin Street’s unique opportunity
Brock Evans, the P.E. teacher at Wiggins Street, partnered with a neighbor in Kenyon College’s Office for Community Partnerships to bring athletes in to help teach students various exercises on Wednesday mornings before the first bell rings.
Evans said he’s been grateful for the variety of athletes who have come in to help teach students, and most importantly, noted how the kids love it.
During Tressel’s visit on Thursday, some of the Kenyon athletes from the men’s and women’s soccer teams, as well as the football team, were present.
“When they see those athletes … that does nothing but help,” Tressel said, noting the importance of including both men and women athletes.
What a bonus for an elementary to have a college across the street, I mean, that’s a good deal.
Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel
Tressel’s fitness routine and the challenge’s future
Once the push-ups and jumping jacks were over, Tressel posed for pictures and signed autographs for many decked out in the scarlet and grey.
He also spoke with Knox Pages about his personal fitness routine and what he and DeWine plan to do with the challenge moving forward.
“We’re hoping that in that interim between the end of the first challenge, they’re hoping that this happens again, which it will,” Tressel said.
“Our round two is going to begin sometime in February, and we’ve done a lot of talking to the schools and learning about how we could improve it, what we could do better to tailor it and so forth.”
Tressel also noted how he’s heard from a lot of schools about how they’d like to see a summer program. He mentioned plans for another fall program next year.
Between Tressel and former standout Buckeye and NFL receiver Ted Ginn Jr., the duo has toured around Ohio to about 50 schools, and Wiggin Street marked Tressel’s 26th visit.
Tressel hopes to have made about 70 school appearances before Christmas and put up a similar number during the winter months.
As for his own fitness routine? The 72-year-old five-time college football national champion said he still puts in the work.
“So, I decided about 10 years ago I was going to be a walker and a little bit of strength training. I try to walk four days a week, I try to lift at least three days a week, but the governor keeps you busy,” Tressel said.
