Kent Sport Duty Sports Officer Darran Walter refereed the 50:50 Gladiator event and describes the action:
Sport can often be guilty of hyperbole in the build up to a major event; sustained campaigns of over-generated hype and excitement often fail to produce the classic matchup or deadly rivalry we all secretly crave to bear witness to. Nevertheless, every so often sporting contests do take place that establish themselves as cult classics and have the potential to become ingrained into the memory of competitors and spectators alike.
On Wednesday 10th December 2014, Kent Sport hosted the inaugural ‘Gladiators’ competition which saw several members of staff and existing students don their gum shields and go round after round with a select crack squad of Kent Sport staff, chosen especially for their physical attributes and competitive edge as much as their rogue and slightly off the wall personalities…
For those who are unfamiliar with the event – the Kent Sport Gladiators is based on the popular 90s TV show where members of the public (often wannabe tough guys and girls) would go up against a selection of ‘Gladiators’ who were usually (but not always) stronger, faster, fitter and more intimidating in virtually every aspect. The contestants would compete against the Gladiators in various games and then go head to head in the decisive eliminator for the overall victory.
So for one night only, the Main Sports Hall at Kent Sport paid host to a similar type of competition. Judo mats, Swiss balls, racing tracks, duelling rigs and inflatable sumo suits were all featured in a plethora of games designed to pay homage to the original show. The early games were a test of dexterity and agility – all about accumulating points by getting inflatable balls into several scoring zones whilst avoiding the Gladiators who did everything within their power to eliminate the contestant from the game. The Gladiators defended the zones by removing tag belts or striking the contestant with a giant Swiss ball (often with amusing results). This was then followed up with ‘Hop Tough’ where contestant and Gladiator tried to best each other in hopping from zone to zone in a skill of wits and tactics. The contestants performed admirably with Ashleigh Mizon of Rutherford College managing to defeat her opponent in the Hop Tough game in under 15 seconds!
If the girls ruled the speed and agility games then the guys had their work cut out for them when it came to the strength and power zones. Men’s Gladiators captain, Russell Jordan (aka Soulless), donned the sumo suit and literally pushed his way through his opponent, going undefeated throughout the event, despite incurring several sin bins for foul play and arguing with the officials! The pick of the events was ‘Gauntlet’ in which one contestant tried to get through 5 Gladiators as quickly as possible, despite having to endure tackle pads and the sort of brute force that would make a rugby scrum look like a walk in the park.
The events were won by Edd Pitt (Male Staff), Duncan Marrett (Male Student) and Claire Wolf (Women’s) who were more than worthy winners on the night. A huge thank you must go out to all competitors for keeping the Gladiators honest and competing with the sort of dynamic edge and witty response that was a fitting tribute to the original show. Keep your eyes peeled in 12 months’ time when the Gladiators will be back in action and a new batch of contestants will be needed!
For details of other 50:50 events in celebration of the University’s 50th anniversary, visit www.kent.ac.uk/sports/5050.