UCLA students top the Pac-12 in Best of the West Fitness Challenge

Although UCLA Recreation members gained more than just bragging rights from their victory in the Pac-12 Best of the West Fitness Challenge last week ($5,000 for recreation programs, to be exact), many students found motivation from a classic source: the desire to beat USC.

“Seeing USC ahead of UCLA was simply unacceptable to me, so I decided to start participating (in the challenge),” said Cameron Wu, a first-year English student. “I guess a lot of it had to do with Bruin pride.”

That pride, enhanced by the homecoming festivities during the challenge, helped propel UCLA to its first victory in the six-year history of the competition, which concluded Sunday.

The week-long contest pits recreation members from the Pac-12 schools against each other in a competition to log the most fitness points, earned from time spent stretching or doing strength or cardio training, as well as motivating others to exercise.

On Friday, UCLA was lagging 40,000 points behind Washington State, but with the influx of homecoming spirit and the end of midterms week, the Bruins earned a 20,000-point margin of victory by the close of competition.

This year, the points were logged through the organization’s Facebook page, a change that students said made it easier to spread the word to friends.

“Every time you put your points … it came up as a status post ““ it reminded your friends to do it, too,” said Eric Kwok, a fourth-year civil engineering student.

Another significant change was that, for the first time, participation was limited to those with a university email address.

“In previous years, anyone ““ alumni, mom and dad, could participate,” Bill Aberbuch, marketing services manager for UCLA Recreation said. “Other teams that have a bigger community would have them participate, too, but this year it was only campus.”

This factor, along with the fact that UCLA competes against universities which offer faculty and staff free recreation membership, has kept the Bruins from rising past third place, Aberbuch said.

However, the new rules and a plethora of participation incentives brought the Bruins out in full force.

UCLA and the challenge’s sponsors offered participants a variety of perks for taking part in specific activities and in the competition as a whole.

Among the most popular events was a Zumba class sponsored by American Eagle Outfitters, drew nearly 100 attendees.

Prizes from UCLA itself ranged from the everyday ““ adidas apparel and cases of Muscle Milk ““ to the impressive: a motor-assisted “hybrid bicycle” valued at $1,900. The prize-winners will be announced today, pending the final tabulation of participation and points earned.

But Aberbuch says the material perks are secondary to the challenge’s real benefit: reminding participants of how easy it is to incorporate fitness into a daily routine.

“Fitness isn’t just going to the gym ““ it’s walking, it’s taking the stairs,” he said. “It does add up.”

And add up, it certainly did: By the end of the challenge, the total number of exercise minutes logged was more than 1.7 million, according to UCLA Recreation. The massive number is a reminder that students may be getting more exercise than they think.

“I did go to the gym, but I also logged the time I spent walking there and to my various classes throughout the day,” Wu said. “I mean, that counts, right? Any exercise is good for you.”