Oklahoma State University completes first-ever Cowboys on the Move competition Faculty/staff compete against students to see who could be the most active

Friday, December 3, 2010

To celebrate the end of the Cowboys on the Move Competition, First Cowgirl Ann Hargis completed the first set of push ups on the ROTC push up board during the bedlam game.

OSU-Stillwater faculty and staff defeated the students in the first-ever Cowboys on the Move campus competition. Faculty and staff averaged 859 minutes of physical activity per person and students averaged 382 minutes per person.

Since the competition began on Oct. 1, faculty, staff and students logged more than one million minutes. The first-ever competition ended at midnight on Nov. 19 and the winner was announced at the Bedlam game on Nov. 27. The Seretean Wellness Center distributed orange and black KICKER ear buds to those who qualified for the competition.

“Cowboys on the Move has proven once again to inspire people to exercise,” Robin Purdie, OSU Seretean Wellness Center director, said. “Thanks to the Merrick Foundation for having faith in OSU and championing the cause of improving the health of Oklahomans.”

Cowboys on the Move, powered by Fitterlife, launched in 2009. It is an interactive, comprehensive website designed to encourage more active, healthier lifestyles. Since its launch, Cowboys on the Move has accumulated more than 3,100 users and users have entered more than four million activity minutes. An iPhone app was also developed to assist participants in entering minutes. The app also featured a competition screen with a real time graph showing the results of the competition.

“Maintaining balance is such an important part of everyday life, and I am so proud of OSU for making health and wellness an important part of campus life,” Ann Hargis, OSU’s First Cowgirl, said. “The first-ever Cowboys on the Move competition shows the value OSU places on living a healthy lifestyle and is just one way we, as a group, are striving to be America’s healthiest campus.”

To celebrate the end of the competition, First Cowgirl, Ann Hargis did the first set of pushups on the ROTC push up board during the BEDLAM game. Although the competition is now over, the first Cowgirl wants to encourage all Cowboys to keep moving, keep tracking their minutes, and to keep striving to make OSU America’s HEALTHIEST Campus.

The OSU Seretean Wellness Center’s mission is to help people achieve a balance of physical and mental health. The Center supports this mission by housing the Employee Assistance Program, Employee Health Clinic and O-Zone Fitness Center, and by offering a variety of services including nutrition counseling, massage therapy, health risk assessments and many more. For more information about the Cowboys on the Move competition, please contact Kendria Cost at 405.744.5351 or kendria.cost@okstate.edu.