Before the rain came down Friday night, The Swamp was flooded with Gators fans eager to see UF football players battle it out in the Gator Charity Challenge.
An estimated 2,500 people attended the second annual strongman competition in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in which UF players competed in a three-part event to raise money for six Shands Hospital-affiliated charities: American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Children's Miracle Network, March of Dimes, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the North Florida Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
The challenge was canceled before the final event due to inclement weather, but the team representing the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - featuring Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes - came out on top.
Six players - David Nelson, Cade Holliday, Joey Sorrentino, Lorenzo Edwards, Jermaine Cunningham and Dorian Munroe - were named captains, and they picked their 16-man squads.
With each team wearing matching shirts, the Gators went head-to-head in the tire flip, sled push and obstacle course.
"It's been a tough offseason camp, so I was a little worried about how the guys would come out here and how they would react to it," said Nelson, who helped plan and promote the event. "But when they saw the fans out here, once the lights turned on and the competitive nature came out of them, they really enjoyed it.
"The charities got a lot out of it, and the people got a lot out of it."
In addition to benefiting the charities and putting on a unique show for the fans, the competition signaled the end of offseason workouts, as fall practice begins Thursday morning.
"We finished summer training on a great note and with lots of energy," strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti said. "This is how we wanted to end our offseason program heading into the fall season."
This offseason has been the toughest Nelson, a fifth-year senior, has experienced during his time in Gainesville, but the increased workload and intensity has kept the team from becoming complacent.
Nelson, a 6-foot-5 wide receiver, weighed in at 195 pounds as a freshman. He has bulked up to around 218 pounds and said he should be at 220 by the first day of practice.
"We're never satisfied," he said. "Every day, we come in and beat our previous best goals. Come in to the weight room, if we did 15 reps at the bench press, the next day we come in we're going to beat that - we're going to do 16, 17, 18."
If the Gators' display of strength Friday night is any indication, the offseason regimen has paid off. Matt Patchan, who is moving back to the offensive line this season, is "getting huge," Nelson said, and many other players appeared to be in better shape than last season.
"We're continually building on what we did the last time we worked out, and everything we did was to keep that edge on our shoulder," Nelson said. "We're trying to keep that edge and make sure we don't become complacent."
