#48: Taking No Prisoners! ITL Kids Smash ‘The Grid’ Obstacle Course 2024
No less than 20 of ITL’s finest young guns rallied together and smashed the latest kid’s edition of The Grid’s obstacle course race.
The famous local challenge featured numerous challenges including high hurdles, muddy pools, rope climbing and carrying and long runs through the Golden Bay cliffside.
Rising to the challenge, however, were our hardened youngsters, with the youngest aged 4 years, and the oldest aged 14 years.
The athletes representing the club on the day were Bran and Eleanor Ingham, Nina and Emma Gellel, Emma Lautier, Jean and Ella Schembri, Michela Scerri, Eva and Tyas Mifsud Calleja, Merobika Abdela, Luca Falzon, Oliver Gatt, Robin Zammit, Zach Zammit, Dailen Barbara, Dwayne and Dias Micallef, Kieran Vella and Noah Barbara.
Sporting red and black facepaint, with highlight red socks to match, the boys and girls set out hard, scaling a yellow pyramid and climbing through a series of monkey bars.
Then came the long run; an uphill journey that led to ‘The Great Pyramid’, one fashioned from ropes.
After swimming across a large, muddy pool, the athletes then made their way to the Golden Bay cliffside, where they were made to carry a heavy rope across a distance. A feat made harder because of the uneven ground.
Soldiering on, the team was then made to scale high hurdles, vaulting over tall wooden structures and racing on to the next series of climbs on the designated route…
Like net climbs…
Rope climbs…
And the inevitable trudging through a pit of mud.
All athletes finished the course with time to spare. Who said martial arts training was limited to… martial arts?
The explosive nature of taekwondo training is a huge ancillary to the skills needed to complete an OCR. This was also seen only last year, after ITL athletes Jean and Ella Schembri breezed through the prior edition of The Grid Kids, finishing first in their respective age categories.
Although not taekwondo-related, ITL is a big supporter of mixed fitness and active lifestyles. Since its conception, athletes of the club have attended both Spartan and Tough Mudder OCRs, aside from The Grid itself.
The latest edition of The Grid Kids has shown that even children as young aren’t afraid of getting their hands (and anywhere else) dirty!
You can see video footage of ITL’s participation in this event by clicking here.
Big well done to this stellar team!