May 15, 2015 VOLU M E 1 3 | I S SUE 28
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The making of
MUCK MANIACS Mud runners explain their motives for extreme sport
By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@colorado communitymedia.com
T
hey subject themselves to grueling obstacle-course races that go by names like Rugged Maniac, MuckFest and Tough Mudder. Their strength, endurance and will are tested as they Army-crawl through mud under barbed wire, climb 15-foot walls and, at times, carry each other. While the world of mud running gains more inhabitants, some might sit and wonder what on earth possesses them to go through all of the pain.
From left, Courtney Sadler, Babita Chouthary, Paula Matlock and Rebekah Hernandez celebrate the completion of another heart-pounding workout May 1, one day before their first mud run as a team. Photos by Chris Michlewicz
Why they do it
The workouts can be brutal and the mud runs punishing, but when asked why she puts herself through it, Rebekah Hernandez answers succinctly between panting breaths: “Strength. Confidence.” Chad Davis, owner of Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping in Parker, says it comes from a natural human urge to conquer new challenges. Taking on obstacles and celebrating victories is what it’s all about. “You start stacking those successes on top of each other, you’re confidence builds,” he said. “It’s so much mental that it becomes: ‘What can’t I do? What am I capable of?’”
How they do it
Courtney Sadler unleashes her fury on a punching bag during a class at Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping in Parker.
Participants follow an all-inclusive program that combines the use of resistance bands for strength training and rigorous, 45-minute kickboxing classes for cardio. But there is a third element that is just as important: nutrition. Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping is one fitness center that incorporates nutrition packages and individualized meal plans into its 10-week training courses. Gaining that crucial mental edge is what ultimately turns couch potatoes into athletes, Davis said. “A mindset is such an important piece of it. You can almost liken it to military boot camp,” he said. “A lot of people break in here. A lot of people cry, and that’s just part of getting through it.”
How they’re feeling
Rebekah Hernandez, a coach for Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping in Parker, encourages a classmate May 1.
Exhausted but accomplished. The physical changes — quantified by regular fitness screenings and measurements — are obvious, especially among those crowned the winner of their 10-week course. Photos of their transformations hang on the wall. The mental changes are a little tougher to see, but they’re most certainly there. One day before her first mud run — the May 2 5K Diva Dash in Boulder — Courtney Sadler, of Parker, was filled with nervous excitement. She admits to crying in the first few weeks of training, but now has a renewed confidence and a team that pulls for her. Likewise, her Diva Dash team members have gained that belief in themselves, as evidenced by Parker resident Babita Chouthary’s sudden flexing of her muscles, accompanied by a self-assured smile.
Solutions to financial needs differ by district
Littleton Public Schools didn’t wait on state By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com The outgoing Littleton Public Schools superintendent said his community shares the Douglas County School Board’s concerns about Colorado’s school-funding formula, but decided it couldn’t wait for help from the state. “This is not my district, it’s not our staff’s district, it’s the community’s district,” said Scott Murphy, reflecting on its decision to put an ultimately successful bond issue on the 2013 ballot. “The community has to decide what it wants its schools to do and be. “We’d gotten to the point where we could wait all day Murphy for the state, but we decided not to.” Like Douglas County, Littleton needed money to repair and maintain aging buildings — its average structure is more than 50
years old. It’s using the funds to replace boilers and roofs, update electrical and plumbing systems, and improve technology infrastructure. About 60 percent of voters approved the LPS measure, which Murphy said was not controversial. In part, he believes that’s because the school board was united in support of the issue. With passage of the 2013 measure, LPS extended its mill levy, and taxpayers’ school bills stayed the same. Had voters not approved the question, their tax bill would have decreased by $36 a year, or $3 a month. The situation is almost identical in Douglas County today. DCSD, which has a $275 million list of unfunded projects, could ask taxpayers in November to approve a new $200 million bond. Because it would replace a bond that is maturing, homeowners’ school tax bills would remain unchanged instead of dropping by about $36 a year. School board members say they haven’t yet decided if they will put the question to voters. In 2014, the Douglas County school board cited concerns about state
DCSD board president not sold on ballot measure By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com Douglas County School Board President Kevin Larsen strongly supported a schoolfunding measure in 2010, but now says the school district shouldn’t rush to meet the increasingly narrow window of opportunity to put a similar issue on the November 2015 ballot. He also doesn’t entirely disagree with Littleton Public Schools Superintendent Scott Murphy’s contention that a district shouldn’t rely on the state changing its formula to help solve capital needs. “I think there’s some truth to that, but you have to have a community that’s informed in order to be ready (to approve a ballot issue),” Larsen said. “I’m not going to stop trying to win at the state level, because I think the amount we’re shortchanged is significant.”
FUNDING OUR SCHOOLS
LPS continues on Page 9
The Douglas County and Littleton school districts are among the lowest funded on the Front Range. “At the same time, I think the discussions that are going on in the community (about capital needs) are helpful,” said Larsen, adding that more such talks are needed before the board can decide on a course of action. A November 2015 bond issue measure could generate about $200 million for DCSD, addressing most of the $275 million in capital needs identified by the district’s Long Range Planning Committee. The board voted in 2014 not to put the measure on the ballot, saying Douglas County residents — already overburdened and paying a disproportionate share of taxes — were unlikely to approve a local funding question. It has cited similar concerns this year, the last chance to propose a bond to maintain tax bills that would otherwise go down by about $36 a year per homeowner. Larsen said he’s learned a great deal since 2010 about the state funding formula Larsen and how it interacts with the district’s budget. He also gained significant insight when the measure DCSD continues on Page 9