They have your back figuratively but also quite literally.
The UNLV Honors Rebellion allows students to get fit, dirty and create lasting bonds with other students, community members and Tough Mudder competitors.
The Tough Mudder, undeniably one of man's best and worst creations, features an eight-mile track with 25 obstacles in the way, including but not limited to, Leap of Faith, Hydrophobia, Arctic Enema, Hold Your Wood and Electroshock Therapy. The course represents a test of grit in the toughest of circumstances.
Yet, the people behind Honors Rebellion would tell you exactly the opposite. The names are merely an obstacle, something to not be scared of. The names barely showcase of grit and wit required to run the course.
In fact, the Honors Rebellion students look forward to running through the freezing cold water and thick mud in order to reach the finish line. The whole idea of the Honors Rebellion is bringing people together, under a strong umbrella of refusing to be ordinary.
"This is the reason why I started the whole damn thing in the first place,” said Daniel Coyle, leader of the Honors Rebellion. “Without team chemistry and friendship, what is the point of running a race by yourself? There isn't.”
Coyle is the Director of Communications for UNLV, started the Honors Rebellion back in 2012. He had the simple goal of bringing together Honors College students to exercise and ultimately test their mettle at one of the toughest obstacle courses on the planet.
“As I look back I remember myself as the small kid who didn’t really want to even attempt at being athletic,” Coyle said. “I always thought I wasn’t cut out for it. Oddly enough I didn’t do anything about it until my adult life. That’s when I got addicted to trail-running.”
Coyle enjoys his spare time trail-running and exercising, preparing for Tough Mudders throughout the year. He often tours the buildings of UNLV, interacting with students and faculty around campus. He centers himself around the Honors College, once an adviser to hundreds of students seeking a path to academic success.
In 2012, Coyle had already run his first Tough Mudder, a rush he wanted to replicate, he said, but he couldn’t do it alone. He asked the university to officially sponsor a team that would run obstacle courses in lieu of overcoming personal challenges.
“I suffer from mental illness. I won’t get into specifics, but suffice it to say I really struggled over the course of my life,” Coyle said. “As of late, I’ve been utilizing the Tough Mudder as a way to tackle and overcome real-life obstacles I’ve been facing. I tell students who participate all the time; this race is not just a test of your physical ability. It’s a metaphor for overcoming negativity you may be facing.”
Tough Mudders require a lot of preparation. It also requires a proper diet and exercise time that not a lot of college students can spare. Especially Honors College students, where workloads can double in general education courses.
Anna Gingrich, nutritionist and yoga instructor for Camp Rhino, said exercising and eating healthy needs more presence in students daily routines.
“It is incredibly important for students to demonstrate not only to themselves but to others that you can eat healthy while studying at school,” said Gingrich. “Understanding the fundamentals and building blocks of food is key to developing healthy habits later in your adult life.”
She said starting now is key for students looking to stay healthy well into their adult years. Gingrich was the student president for the Honors College in 2017-2018. On top of this, she majored in kinesiology and graduated with a top GPA, all the while building her brand as a nutritionist on Instagram.
Gingrich also leads a PEX course offered as an elective for Honors College students wishing to train over the course of a semester for the Tough Mudder. A fantastic alternative for students who cannot find time to work out on their own.
“I wish I had all of this when I was a student,” said Gingrich. “UNLV Honors Students really have it lucky now. They better be glad I’m still around.”
The Honors Rebellion team, recently finished their Tough Mudder. Coyle and his student leaders brought over 40 eager participants to the Mudder held in Las Vegas.
The Honors Rebellion team completes the course in six hours. Yet, the time did not matter. Running the Tough Mudder represented team bonding and relying on one another for strength, when there seemed to be none left.
The course forced individuals to work together, allowing connections that may not have been formed. Students represented UNLV and the Honors College to the highest degree when they shouted "hoorah" for the hundredth time. All of this culminates into something that Coyle looks forward to every single year.
“The Honors Rebellion team continues to be a bright light in the UNLV Community,” said Coyle. “Every single year it feels like the team is always bigger and better than before. It creates lasting bonds that otherwise wouldn’t have been formed.”
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