One of my favorite memories of middle school was participating in all sorts of clubs because I got to learn about new things, make friends, and explore things that I thought were interesting. Recently we visited Cuyahoga Heights Middle School, to spend time with this week’s A+ Award winners, the Red Wolf Ruck Club.
Rucking is walking or hiking while carrying a weighted rucksack or backpack and it’s a great workout. Carrying a weighted pack is a great full body workout because it works your heart, lungs, and basically every muscle from your shoulders to your toes. Most people who ruck carry between 10 and 25 pounds in their packs. I bet most of you have book bags that weigh that much! Louie told us that the exercise is exactly why he joined the club, which is open to students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade.
The club meets twice a week and has about 20 members. Avram told us that he likes the social aspects of the club. He explained that they have talked about all kinds of things during their rucks including AI, leadership, goal setting, and their pets. You hear that NewsHound? Better get a pack!
Speaking of packs, Adham told us that one of the cool things about rucking is how simple the gear is. All you need is a backpack and things to put in it. Some of the ruckers at Cuyahoga Heights use bricks, weight plates, or even just their school books. Talk about resourcefulness.
Enzo told us that he likes the rucking club because he has a great time with his friends. He shared that they’ve had theme rucks. During the holidays they all dressed in festive outfits and hats, and around halloween they wore costumes.
It’s not all fun costumes and great conversation though, the club really works hard. The day that we visited them they walked a mile and half with packs in about 40 minutes. That’s pretty quick, especially since they went up a famous hill on campus called the “Big Kahuna.” We took a look at the Kahuna, and we didn’t even want to walk DOWN the hill.
The club’s advisor, Mr. Burich told us that he’s continually impressed by how hard and dedicated the group is. He said that they’ve really established a sense of community that’s welcoming and supportive. This week’s A+ Award goes to the Ruck Club at Cuyahoga Heights Middle School.
Submit your ideas for our NewsDepth A+ segment to newsdepth@ideastream.org for consideration.