Life at university is full of ups and downs anyway, so one fraternity house has decided to put that to work for a marathon charity event, starting at noon today.
The Phi Delta Theta chapter is going to take turns riding a specially built teeter-totter for a full 24 hours, all to build up support for and interest in the ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Society of Alberta.
Sean MacGregor, the president of the fraternity chapter and head organizer of the event, said that other chapters have tried to host similar marathon fundraisers but there’s something about hosting it in Edmonton in mid-October that will make this one stand out from the others.
“Considering the weather that we’re going to be having, I think we’re going to have a lot more attention,” he began. “We’ll be colder where we are.”
The 22 fraternity brothers are hoping to raise awareness and funds for the disease, which also affected Lou Gehrig, a fellow Phi Delta Theta from the American chapter. He was a baseball player for the New York Yankees and was diagnosed with ALS when he was only 36 years old. Many people commonly refer to it as Lou Gehrig’s disease for that reason.
Some of the participants have also lost family members to the mysterious disease. According to the society’s website at www.alsab.ca, it most often occurs in people between the ages of 40 and 70 and is usually fatal within two to five years of diagnosis. It typically involves muscle weakness, fatigue, wasting, stiffness, loss of tone, cramping, twitching, and hyper- and hypo-reflexion.
It has no known cause and no known cure but there is some ongoing research taking place in this province.
St. Albert’s Andrew Traynor is one of the frat brothers and is eager to take part in this unusual but well-meaning exercise. The third year arts student said that Phi Delta Theta has done other charity fundraisers in the past but nothing like this.
He ensured everyone that he would make sure to not skip any classes.
“I am skipping some sleep for it,” he said, adding that the training involved everyone sitting down a lot in order to prepare. There isn’t really a set exercise regimen for such activities.
“I don’t really know how you can prepare to teeter-totter for 24 hours solid. We’re taking one-hour shifts but on a teeter-totter, an hour is still a long time. I should probably start doing some squats to work on my upper leg strength …”
The fraternity brothers have raised more than $3,000 so far, but hope to beat $5,000 before it’s all over. Donations can be made through the society’s website or on site at the marathon itself.
The Phi Delta Theta 24-hour Teeter-Totter Marathon for ALS takes place from noon today till noon tomorrow at the Quad on the University of Alberta’s main campus.
