The finale of this semester’s Owen’s Condition for Tuition event brought snow, sledding, and hundreds of students to the Student Recreation and Wellness Center yesterday.
Students gathered outside the SRWC in hopes of winning free tuition and to maybe sled down a snowy ramp stationed outside the facility at the Winter Wonderland-themed event.
While hundreds participated in the semester-long competition, only one, junior biology major Brad Thomas, was awarded the grand prize: free tuition for the spring semester.
“I didn’t even think I had a chance and when the called my name, I thought there was no way,” Thomas said. “It’s the best Christmas present ever.”
Students earned points for Owen’s Condition for Tuition from Sept. 9 to Sunday. To be eligible for the grand prize, students had to accumulate 29 exercise points, one point for every 30 minutes of exercise, according to the SRWC website.
Thomas said the program provided him with great encouragement.
“[Owen’s] Condition for Tuition was a huge motivator for me and others who participated, and that extra motivation means the world,” he said.
Ryan Vigil, co-coordinator of the event, said 1,971 students registered for the program at the beginning of the semester, but only 369 were eligible for the prize.
Before the grand prize was announced at yesterday’s event, other prizes, such as an iPod shuffle, polar heart rate monitors and personal training sessions, were raffled off.
In addition to winning free tuition, Thomas also won a raffle prize granting him five free personal training sessions at the SRWC.
“I guess lightning does strike twice,” Thomas said. “Words cannot describe how happy I am. I am truly blessed.”
Josh Owen, president of the transportation services company Ability Tri-Modal, sponsors Owen’s Condition for Tuition.
Owen, a Long Beach resident, said he enjoys donating to the university.
“I love giving back to the students,” Owen said. “I’m a real believer in education.”
Owen said he sponsors the program, which is in its fifth semester, to motivate students to utilize the SRWC and stay healthy.
“It promotes a healthy lifestyle, and it provided a great opportunity to donate,” Owen said.