By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Gary Morgan with one of his rafts at Caesar Creek Lake. Morgan is organizing an ecochallenge for high school teams, modeled after the Survivor shows on television. The Cincinnati Enquirer/GARY LANDERS

MASON - High school students here are the first in Greater Cincinnati to sign up for an outdoor competition designed to test both their brawn and brains.

The first "High School Survivor Eco-Challenge," created by the owner of a local canoe company, calls for students to first perform 10 hours of community service before the contest and write papers on local ecological issues.

Then, the teens will compete May 15 in triathlon events such as running and rafting while testing their abilities to work as a team in solving educational puzzles.

Mason High School is the first team to sign up for the contest, inspired in part by the popular Survivor TV series, said Gary Morgan, vice president of Morgan's Canoe and Outdoor Center in Warren County.

"It's not strength- and endurance-oriented. It's maybe 50 percent that and 50 percent cerebral teamwork," said Morgan, adding that the one-day triathlon will be at Caesars Creek State Park in Waynesville.

The winning school team will earn a five-day stay at Morgan's ecology tourism resort along the western coast of Costa Rica.

Morgan said he is designing the competition, which will be videotaped and, he hopes, broadcast on local TV.

"I want to get (the students) away from the computer,'' Morgan said, "and it's important for high school students, who will soon be adults, to recognize that our water resources are finite and that we need to be concerned about ecology locally and on a global level."

Mason High School English teacher Tim King was the first to register six teens and himself for the eco-challenge.

"I like the contest because of the community service and research components," said King.

Lauren Dame, 18, a Walnut Hills High School senior, signed up for her school's team.

Other high schools to have enlisted teams - some have entered more than one - are Withrow, Amelia and Kettering (Dayton).

"The running, rafting and obstacle course should be a lot of fun but I want to major in environmental science so that was appealing too. I think it's important to bring the community's attention to environmental problems," Dame said.

Endurance and brains to be tested

The first High School Survivor Eco-Challenge will be May 15 at Caesars Creek State Park, in the Warren County village of Waynesville. The competition is designed to test both the endurance and brain power of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky high school boys and girls.

Created by Gary Morgan, vice president of Morgan's Canoe and Outdoor Center in Warren County, the event requires each school's seven-member teams - three boys, three girls and an accompanying teacher - to compete in:

  A two-mile run.

  A four-mile rafting race.

  An eight-stage obstacle course with clues and mystery tasks that require teams to quickly devise teamwork solutions.

Prior to the race, each team must also perform 10 hours of community service and write a paper on local ecological issues.

About 35 teams are expected to sign up for the contest. The top team wins a five-day stay - airfare not included - at Morgan's ecology tourism resort in Costa Rica.

Entry fee is $50 per student, which can be covered by selling $5 tickets to an after-competition party for students, families and friends.

For information, visit littlemiamitriathlon.com.

To register a team, contact Morgan at gmorgan5@cinci.rr.com to register a school team via e-mail. Morgan can also be reached at (513) 321-3123. Registration deadline is April 30.

E-mail mclark@enquirer.com