Susan Jung found out that fitness and good health really do pay off, in the form of a check that pays off her Cal State Long Beach tuition for the Fall 2013 semester.
Jung, a freshman business major, won the semester-long fitness competition, Owen’s Condition for Tuition, at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center at the event’s finale on Wednesday.
Jung said she was ecstatic to hear her name announced.
“It’s amazing, I get to go to school for free next semester,” Jung said. “I don’t get any financial aid so I have to pay everything myself, so this is really big.”
Jung said she incorporated cardio with leg workouts and squats daily to get her through the program. The competition has been going on four two years now, according to Associated Students Inc. Communications Coordinator Cristina Esparza.
Josh Owen, CEO of Owen’s Trimodal Long Beach, has sponsored the program since its inception in fall 2011.
Students are required to participate in various ASI recreation activities to fulfill the thirty-points necessary to be drawn into the raffle for free tuition. Activities include, spinning, boxing, inner tube water polo, volleyball, cardio, swimming and more. This semester, the finale had a tropical beach theme in support of the beach life style.
Owen said that the competition was started to reinforce healthy living with the incentive of free tuition
“It’s a pretty cool carrot to dangle out there,” Owen said.
The event celebrates the achievements of all its participants, according to Associate Director of the SRWC Sean Del Rossi.
“[Participants] dedicated themselves to lead a healthy and fit life style,” said Del Rossi.
The free tuition is a great incentive for students to workout, Del Rossi said.
“Get a person to six moths of being able to be healthy and fit and moving, that’s now new behavior that will change a life,” Del Rossi said.
Nine hundred and thirty students participated this semester with about 300 actually completing the program, according to Del Rossi.
Various prizes were given out to participants including a $50 Sports Authority gift card, heart rate monitors, body boards and 3G bikes.
“It’s not just about working out its about having a complete well rounded wellness,” Esparza said.
Jung said others should definitely participate next semester for the chance to win free tuition.
The free tuition will greatly alleviate the financial burden that comes with having to pay for tuition, Jung said