Corporate Challenge 2012

UT Dallas Staffers Have Fun Raising Money for Special Olympics

UT Dallas helped raise more than $160,000 for Special Olympics of Texas this year through its participation in the city of Richardson’s Corporate Challenge 2012.

Corporate Challenge gathers Richardson-area businesses for 10 weeks of sports, fun and fitness while raising money for Special Olympics.

This year, UT Dallas teams battled within Division BB, garnering 10 medals in 22 contests to finish in fourth place. UT Dallas pride was on display repeatedly.

UT Dallas won the top prize in its division for best t-shirt design by Arts and Humanities’ graphic designer Michelle Long.

The University has been involved in Corporate Challenge for 14 years of the event’s 15-year history, and a number of UT Dallas staffers sign up to compete annually.

“Corporate Challenge allows UT Dallas to be a good corporate citizen by helping to raise money for an important cause”, said Vice President for Administration Calvin D. Jamison. “At the same time, it aligns with the University’s wellness initiatives”.

For UT Dallas police officer Oscar Sanchez, the wellness aspect is most appealing.

“It’s a way to stay physically fit and better myself. Each time I compete in Corporate Challenge I try to better my times. I stay motivated by motivating others to do some type of activity”, he said.

UT Dallas retiree Carol Lanham, a former administrative assistant in Facilities Management, has participated in Corporate Challenge for 13 years.

“We have a lot of fun representing UT Dallas. Many of these competitions are held near campus immediately following our shifts”, Lanham said.

Lanham brought home the bronze medal in miniature golf this year. “Ultimately I do it for the camaraderie, but I am also competitive, so it’s always fun to win”, she said.

Some staffers had to get over their initial fears about competing in order to get involved.

Alexey Root, a senior lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, has been a member of the Corporate Challenge swim team since fall 2000, but said she hesitated to participate at first.

“I thought I was too slow a swimmer. It turns out that Corporate Challenge is not as competitive as high school varsity sports”, Root said.

Swim team captain Dr. Nick Valcik, associate director of Strategic Planning and Analysis, has been involved with Corporate Challenge since 1998, the year UT Dallas first enrolled in the competition.

“I find it very rewarding to represent the University in a positive way to the community and to work with UT Dallas employees on improving their swimming techniques or even just teaching them how to swim”, he said.

The swim team has amassed 43 individual medals, including 19 golds, 10 silvers and 14 bronzes, and nine team medals, including three golds, four silvers and two bronze.

Valcik, a former certified Red Cross swim instructor who taught city of Plano Parks and Recreation swim classes from the mid-80s to mid-90s, said year-round practices help unify the team.

“We reserve lanes in the Activity Center natatorium for practice on Mondays and Wednesdays between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Some of us swim in addition to these reserved times”, Valcik said.

“We have great talent on our teams”, said Tracy Dorsey, assistant director of Human Resources and chair of UT Dallas’ Corporate Challenge committee.

“We have a high rolling bowler who struck a perfect game of 300 during competition. We have a badminton team that has brought home the gold six years in a row (2007-2012). There is so much diversity of talent on our Corporate Challenge team, but we unite as one to make a difference in the lives of others”, Dorsey said.

Week Eight

Bowling team members (front row, from left) Brandon Davidson (and wife Stacey); Chris Cody; Georgetta Oliver; Sandy Runowski; Rick Grant; Julie Kinkade; Michael Leiter (spouse of Debbie); Mark Powell; and Matt O’Neill celebrated winning bronze medals in the final Corporate Challenge 2012 contest.

It’s all over but the partying!

After eight weeks of often grueling competition featuring terrific performances, camaraderie and medal presentations, UT Dallas finished Corporate Challenge Sunday night fourth place overall in Division BB. In the final week, the bowling team scored a bronze medal Sunday and the billiards team brought home silver on Tuesday. The late surge left UT Dallas 12 points shy of third place.

Bowling team members (pictured right, from left to right) Jindal School of Management Software Systems Specialist Bruce Davidson and spouse Stacey Davidson; Activity Center Supervisor Chris Cody; Natural Sciences and Mathematics Administrative Assistant Georgetta Oliver; Assistant Director of Records Sandy Runowski; Bursar’s Office Assistant Director Richard Grant; Procurement Management Accounting Coordinator Julia Kinkade; Michael Leiter (Information Resources Manager Debra Leiter); Mechanical Engineering Technical Staff Associate Mark Powell; and Residential Life Student Development Specialist Matt O’Neill celebrated winning bronze medals in the final Corporate Challenge 2012 contest. The team rolled a combined score of 4,745 over three games.

The bowling team, consisting of Activity Center Supervisor Chris Cody; Jindal School of Management Software Systems Specialist Bruce Davidson and spouse Stacey Davidson; Natural Sciences and Mathematics Administrative Assistant Georgetta Oliver; Bursar’s Office Assistant Director Richard Grant; Assistant Director of Records Sandy Runowski; Procurement Management Accounting Coordinator Julia Kinkade; Michael Leiter, spouse of Information Resources Manager Debra Leiter; Mechanical Engineering Technical Staff Associate Mark Powell; and Residential Life Student Development Specialist Matt O’Neill, rolled a combined score of 4,745 over three games.

In billiards, the mixed team of PeopleSoft Academy Coordinator Rangon Bhattarai and Career Center Director Lisa Garza captured the silver while the men’s team of Nghi Ton (IDS Lecturer) and John Seeligson (spouse of Molly Seeligson) won the bronze medal. The women’s team of Stephanie Pan and Jessie Jin also represented UT Dallas during the competition.

As for the party, the Closing Ceremony for Corporate Challenge takes place 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, October 19. Come to Galatyn Park, 2351 Performance Drive in Richardson, for food, drink, fun and activities, including:

• Cake contest
• Spirit, volunteer and coordinator of the year awards announcements
• Raffle prize drawings
• Presentation of fundraising check to Special Olympics of Texas
• Extinguishing of the Corporate Challenge torch

Week Six

Weekend storms forced the cancellation and rescheduling of Corporate Challenge softball this week. Games will be played Saturday and Sunday, October 6 and 7, at the Huffines Ball Fields in Richardson.

The only other sport played in Week Six was table tennis where the men’s team of Hynek Boril, a research assistant in the Jonsson School of Engineering, and Jingtong Hu, a computer science teaching assistant in the Jonsson School, won silver and the mixed team of Li Liu, molecular and cell biology lecturer, and Srinivas Kamili, computer science graduate of the Jonsson School, came in fourth.

UT Dallas remains in fourth place overall in Division BB, just four points out of third.

This is the last week to vote for UT Dallas for the best T-shirt design in Division BB. Cast your online vote now. You are invited to vote for your favorite T-shirt in each division before the online poll closes 4:00 p.m. Friday, October 5.

Week Four

A number of UT Dallas faculty and staff members came out despite a light rain Sunday to participate in the Corporate Challenge 5K Run-Walk at Galatyn Park.

The UT Dallas Corporate Challenge golf teams won silver medals on Saturday pushing the University to a tie for third place overall in Division BB. It was the best performance of the week following last weekend’s silver in the 15K Bike Race. The only other events for the week were soccer and the 5K Run-Walk.

The golf teams, consisting of the morning team —Athletic Director Chris Gage, Assistant Coach Mallory McAdams, Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Analysis Lawrence Redlinger and Coach Polly Thomason— and the afternoon team —Coach Jenna Delong, Vice President for Administration Calvin Jamison, Management Professor Mike Rebello and Art Salinas, spouse of Center for BrainHealth research assistant Monique Salinas, combined to shoot a total of 115, missing the gold by two strokes.

Assistant Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Dwight Clasby was listed as a sub.

UT Dallas finished fourth in the 5K Run-Walk. Living Learning administrative assistant Marcos Chavez and Director of Internet Resources David Holmes led all others in their respective age divisions.

The soccer matches, hosted by UT Dallas, found our Corporate Challenge team frozen in a three-way tie for seventh place.

UT Dallas needs your votes to win best T-shirt design in Division BB. Cast your online vote now. You are invited to vote for your favorite T-shirt in each division and you may vote once each day.

Week Two

Sean Murphy, husband of Julie Murphy, assistant director for Greek Life Programs, punts the football 142 feet during Corporate Challenge’s Punt, Pass and Kick competition.

After winning the bronze in volleyball and gaining 9 participation points for the Great Walk, UT Dallas finds itself at the end of two weeks of Corporate Challenge in sixth place overall in the Division BB standings.

To start week two, UT Dallas placed fourth in the punt, pass and kick competition Monday. The event had been postposed one week due to aerial spraying for mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus.

The PPK team started off great and confidence was high. Alison Bratton, an administrative assistant in electrical engineering at the Jonsson School, punted the ball 118 feet, the women’s farthest distance.

And Sean Murphy, husband of Julie Murphy, an assistant director for Greek Life Programs at UT Dallas, kicked a punt of 142 feet, the third-best of any male in Division BB.

Going into the final kick, the anticipation and excitement was followed by painful toe-stubbing misfortune and disappointment.

But it was all taken in stride by team members who smiled and hugged afterward. See, it really is how you play the game that counts most.

In basketball, UT Dallas’ team finished in 9th place among Division BB teams. UT Dallas teams also finished fourth overall in dodge ball and tennis.

Competition is very intense this year, but our Corporate Challenge teams vow to keep on fighting till the end.

Go Comets!

The Corporate Challenge T-shirt completion is underway. UT Dallas needs your votes to win best T-shirt design in Division BB. Cast your online vote now. You are invited to vote for your favorite T-shirt in each division and it appears you can vote once each day.