| “X-Treme Warrior,” reality television show, came to El Dorado County to find some extreme competitors.
A group of local women participated in the filming that will broadcast on Comcast Sports Network in the fall.
The show is not scripted and consists of realistic things individuals can do in their daily lives. The producers of the show hope that the viewer will be inspired by ordinary people doing ordinary fitness routines in an extraordinary way.
 The “drill instructor” Omar Aki has an online fitness Website called omarsplanet.com.
Aki was born in Lebanon in 1973 during a time when the country was embroiled in a civil war. He couldn't finish school because it was bombed out. But that did not diminish Aki's dreams.
He believes a person can accomplish anything they set their mind to. People have to learn let go of all negative thoughts and focus in on whatever it is that they are doing. Aki believes that everything is mental and no matter what - never, ever quit. It was this philosophy that helped Aki survive the war years in his native land.
“I had a dream ever since I was a small boy to make it big in America ,” said Aki. “Everyone I knew had the same dream, but I knew to make my dream a reality I had to be better, stronger and more talented than anyone else.”
Aki put his dreams to the test and did make it to America .
The philosophy of the show is that an X-treme warrior is someone who isn't afraid to go beyond what they ever thought was possible. It is someone who achieves greatness by encouraging others along the way and is willing to risk it all to be the best they can be.
Two groups
There were two different segments of “X-Treme Warrior” shot in El Dorado County . Both groups were made up of women. The first group competed at the Ghost Mountain Ranch in Pollock Pines and the second group, made up of women emergency services workers, tested their mettle on the banks and in the American River .
According to producer Leona Gould-McElhone, “By the end of the three days the women will have run about 23 miles, played basketball and volleyball games and done a number of physical stunts.
There was great diversity among the groups. In the first group the women included a professional athlete, songwriter, mother, chiropractor and a young woman just out of high school. Although the women in the second group had similar professions their ages ranged from 20 to 56.
“It was an awesome experience,” said Rebekka Cowper, 18, of Placerville and the youngest contestant. “It was a love-hate relationship - kind of like me with food - I love it and hate it at the same time.”
Cowper met Aki while she was shopping at a store in Placerville . He told her to audition for the show. “I did and it was definitely butt-kicking,” she said. “I couldn't walk for three days after. It hurt when I put my foot on the gas pedal driving away.
“I would definitely do it again,” she said. “Even though it was a competition it was a positive experience because I was with a bunch of crazy women and I had a blast.”
Cassandra Draxler, 56, was in the second group and was the oldest woman to compete. “It never occurred to me that I was going to be out there with a bunch of 20-year-olds,” she said. “I don't know what I was thinking but I don't believe that age should keep you from doing anything - age is not a disability. Age is just numbers - not something we have a choice about.”
Draxler, a volunteer for El Dorado County Search and Rescue, is an esthetician and hair-stylist in her other life but said she spends as much time at her volunteer work as she does at her job.
Tough test
“It was tough physically but not mentally because that's how I grew up,” Draxler explained. “My father was in the service and he did canine search and rescue. My dad was like a drill sergeant and he gave us a great amount of mental strength. He raised us with a great attitude and always told us ‘Never say you can't.' He didn't namby-pamby us girls.”
Omar didn't namby-pamby any one in the contest. “It was a great exercise motivator. It made me want to get back into exercise all the time because keeping up your physical strength is important,” said Draxler.
“It was all about overcoming our own fears and not panicking, like biting off a big chunk of fears all in one session. But I would do it again even though it would be harder the second time knowing what I know,” said Draxler. “You have to keep stretching yourself to grow. But I do know that I would get myself more prepared physically.”
According to Gould-McElhone, on “X-Treme Warrior” a contestant doesn't lose by going to slow or being kicked off the island or getting fired. The only way a contestant stops participating is to quit and that is solely up to her. But, if she does quit she can't quit the team, so whoever quits is required to stay on and support her team.”
The participants in each episode pick the winner - not the time clock, not Omar, not a panel or judges or the American public. The participants pick the player who will represent them best in the final round. That person goes on to play not only for herself, but for the entire team.
The winners are given the chance to go to the final round and compete for cash. At “X-Treme Warrior” contestants learn how to knock down the blocks and break through the ceiling to become extreme in everything they do, Gould-McElhone said.
Locals star
In addition to having local contestants the film crew was also from the area. They were Doug Stanley and Todd Stanley from Boil Line Productions in Lotus. They are best known for producing “The Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel.
The women in the first competition were Rebekka Cowper, 18; Christi Pugliese, 25; Cindy Deaver, 44; Julie Fletcher, 40; Karen Barbarick, 39; Marcie Trujillo, 29; Monica Gartner, 30; Monique Scobey, 41; Sandra Augustin, 39; Shuana Harrington, 44; and Wendy Lautner, 26.
The women in the second competition were Julie Rider, 33; Amy Messer, 20; Lauren Tomlinson, 25; Dawn Ogden, 36; Desi Hauhurst, 46; Cassandra Draxler, 56; and Robin Toy, 27.
To find out more about the program go to xtremewarrior.com or omarsplanet.com. |
