Stepping Up | Eastern North Carolina Now

 Publisher's note: The author of this post, Jules Norwood, is a contributor to ECU News Services.

Stadium stair climb supports student veterans

 A new event at East Carolina University's Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is aimed at supporting programs and scholarships for student veterans.

 The inaugural Storm the Stadium Challenge will be held from 8-10 a.m. Saturday, April 23. Participants will take on the challenge of climbing the stadium's 3,200 steps. The registration fee is $35 for individuals and $110 for five-member teams.

 "We thought that a physical challenge would be a great way to honor the hard work that our service members do everyday — and what better challenge than something in our very own Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium?" said Nicole Jablonski, assistant director of student veteran services.

 The idea for the event arose from a desire to help student veterans with education expenses, she added.

 "Many of our veterans have only partial eligibility for the post-9/11 GI Bill, meaning they have to pay out of pocket for some of their education costs. Other student veterans have families, mortgages and other financial responsibilities," Jablonski said. "We wanted to create a scholarship that helped reduce the need to take out student loans. A home-grown scholarship for ECU student veterans is a powerful indicator of our appreciation for those who have served."

 More than 75 participants have signed up already, and Jablonski hopes the number will continue to climb. There will be a staged start, with all participants beginning at the same gate and completing the same course.

 U.S. Army veteran and ECU student Aaron Fenstemaker said the challenge is daunting but that he will survive and learn from it. He is trying to get back into shape after post-traumatic stress disorder, orthopedic injuries and asthma have hampered his fitness efforts since retiring from service.

 "I am still out of shape, and I think this challenge is going to be painful," he said. "However, in my life, I have done many painful and difficult things that I often was not prepared to do, simply because it was the right thing to do."

 Fenstemaker is participating with a team from a local fitness group called F3 and said they encouraged him to sign up for the stadium event. His 10-year-old son, Joshua, will tackle the challenge with him and has also been an encouragement.

 "I am proud of my son for coming along with me and working side by side with me in all of this. He wants to see me be healthier and do better, so his motivation has helped to push me," he said. "[Working out together] has given us individual time to do something together that pushes both of us and engages our competitive nature."

 ECU's services for veterans are important, Fenstemaker said, and he was glad for the opportunity to help contribute to an effort to help other veterans who are facing their own battles and struggles.

 Brad Bagley, who will Storm the Stadium alongside the Fenstemakers, said, "Our veterans have provided a valuable service to our country and they should be shown appreciation for the sacrifices they have made."

 Jablonski said student veterans have a lot to offer because they arrive on campus globally aware, disciplined and have leadership skills.

 "These are highly transferable skills and we want to make sure our students hit the ground running when they start at ECU," she said. "The proceeds from this event will go to that new scholarship, to programming for student veterans and to our efforts to educate the larger campus community about the challenges our student veterans face and how we can leverage their amazing skillsets on campus."

 For more information, to participate or to donate, visit www.facebook.com/events/240198149646874 or contact Jablonski at jablonskin15@ecu.edu or 252-737-5233.


F3 members work out near Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Tony McKee ascends the stairs outside the Murphy Center while working out with fitness organization F3. Members of the group will participate in Storm the Stadium, a stair-climb event scheduled for April 23, which will raise funds for student veteran services. (Photos by Jay Clark.)