Photo: Iron Fan, Miranda Sweet, with founder of Iron Fan Challenge Tim Schmidt showing iPad prize
“She can truly call herself an Iron Fan,” says Caleb Steed, Hardin-Simmons University’s interim director of housing. Steed is referring to Miranda Sweet, a sophomore education major from Sachse, Texas, near Dallas. Miranda is one of 140 students who registered to compete in the Iron Fan Challenge at HSU, an event planned the last weekend in September due to the sheer number of home games for HSU athletic teams.
Anderson Hall director, Tim Schmidt, planned the event saying, “Most of HSU’s fall sports are in action and at home, all in a 48-hour time period.” It was a unique opportunity to prove what great fans we have here at HSU, said Schmidt.
To prove you’re “fan enough” (and for a shot at the iPad drawing), students had to attend all four sporting events offered on campus for the epic weekend. Students also had to attend all sporting events from the beginning to the end, says Schmidt, which included a Friday evening volleyball game, both men’s and women’s soccer games on Saturday, and the football game that evening.
Because of rain, the soccer games were cancelled when the facilities flooded, but enduring the weather made students completing the challenge that much more Iron Fans. To decide the ultimate winner, eligible contestants’ names were placed in a drawing with Miranda going home with the win. All students who completed the challenge receive an Iron Fan t-shirt.
Schmidt says, “HSU has an amazing athletic tradition of excellence. Our fans are pretty awesome as well. We just wanted to do something to prove how great our fans really are.” Schmidt says Anderson Hall is already planning for next year’s Iron Fan Challenge.