The Blog

Mayor Ron Nirenberg with 2022 San Antonio Top Two Community Challenge participants, Marva Allen and Theresa Schoultz, at It’s Time Texas’ celebration event.

Theresa Schoultz, from San Antonio, Texas, is no newbie to the It’s Time Texas Community Challenge. An annual participant and supporter, the retired physical education teacher shared with It’s Time Texas that this year’s Community Challenge looked a little different for her, which is why she worked so hard to be a top point earner in the 2022 competition.

“Last summer, in 2021, I found out I had a brain tumor,” said Ms. Schoultz. “So last October I had brain surgery and they told me I would be up and around moving after a few weeks, and I was, but it was nowhere near the amount of movement I was able to have before. So, come early December, I wanted to challenge myself, and I’d been in the top ten of the Community Challenge before, and I knew that whenever I’d been in the top three for points, that’s when I had felt my strongest. So, that was the motivation this year—to feel strong.”

Once the competition began, Ms. Schoultz admitted that the top point earner for the San Antonio 2022 Community Challenge, Marva Allen, was a welcomed competitor that kept her moving.

“I didn’t really know her before, but man would she frustrate me every time I saw her logging something in the app,” laughed Ms. Schoultz. “I would look and say ‘what the heck is this woman doing! I’m retired and I can’t keep up with her.’ But no, we got to know each other and we really did hit it off, and she’s actually a participant in a program here this summer that I’m a part of with San Antonio sports. So, that’s pretty cool that I made a new friend and connection out of the competition.”

Ms. Schoultz also mentioned that the other top point earners throughout San Antonio would support and motivate one another to keep going throughout this year’s eight-week Community Challenge.

Ms. Schoultz’s goal entering the 2022 Community Challenge was simply to stay active—until the “competitive bug” bit her. By using the It’s Time Texas Community Challenge app, she was able to find new trails in San Antonio, including trails right by her house that she didn’t know were there. “I could be anywhere, and I would have 15 minutes, so I’d look up and see if any trails were nearby and there almost always was. So, I’d go walk and log it. I loved that part of the Challenge.” Her favorite way to participate is through the various physical activity options, and she’s always trying to get friends to join her in the friendly competition.

Through this year’s Community Challenge, Ms. Schoultz happily claims that her competitive side truly makes her stronger. She is back to teaching workout classes at the local YMCA in San Antonio, and is proud of all she accomplished. After a tough year in 2021, she feels strong, motivated, and more connected than ever with the community. The friendships she made and the new environments she found through the Community Challenge app has inspired her to keep moving and encourage others to do the same.

“The 2022 Community Challenge came at just the right time for me.”

Date Posted: 7/7/22