United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising staff are some Tough Mudders

by Sandy Jacko and Sam Gilchrist

MANITOULIN—No doubt about it, United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising (UCCMM) staff are Tough Mudders. It all started back in March of this year, when UCCMM employees Eli Fox and Ray Moreau suggested that the Moonstone Tough Mudder Event scheduled to take place in September would make a great team building activity.  It didn’t take long for staff to agree and sign up for the challenge of a lifetime. A total of 11 participants formed UCCMM’s Team known as ‘Tribal NRG.’   

Staff began preparing for the 10 to 12 mile (16–19 km) muddy military-style obstacle course designed to test not only physical strength, but one’s stamina and mental grit, as early as April 2016.  Little by little Tribal NRG began to notice a change happening in the workplace.  The staff began to work out on lunch breaks, eat healthier lunches, and inspire other employees to become more active.  Another good motivator was the use of a cellphone app used by the participants to track their workouts and challenge each other to keep working out after work and on weekends. 

The Tough Mudder took place at Mount St. Louis-Moonstone Ski Resort near Barrie on September 10.  It was an overcast day with off and on rain which did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the 9,000 participants registered for the day.  Some of the more memorable obstacles were the ‘Blockness Monster,’ which had three rotating rectangles submerged in water that participants had to work together to pull themselves over.  The ‘Arctic Enema’ was a shipping container filled with 10 tons of ice water and obstacles that participants had to navigate through.  The ‘King of Swingers’ was a 12-foot jump onto a swing trapeze where participants must let go and attempt to hit a bell suspended in the air. The most challenging of obstacles was 17.6 km course that wound up and down the steepest parts of the Moonstone ski hill. 

The UCCMM Tribal NRG Team completed the course in just over six hours with a group of co-workers and family cheering them on as they crossed the finish line.  There was no podium, no clock to race against, no winners circle, in the end it was about teamwork, camaraderie and finishing together. UCCMM’s employees certainly feels closer having pushed, pulled, cheered and carried one another through such a trial as Tough Mudder.  Participants had to be leaders, challenge their fears, communicate clearly in stressful situations, work in a team format and utilize critical thinking to develop skills quickly. 

When asked if they would do it again the UCCMM staff weren’t thinking if they would go back, they were thinking on how they were going to improve themselves in order to help each other for next year’s event.