For over 15 years, GUTS has been a staple of the John Carroll University recreation experience. In the annual event, all students are welcome to sign up in groups of four to compete for prizes, glory and all sorts of memories.
In the first round, 24 groups of four teams face off to complete physical and mental challenges in order to score points. Once the points have been tallied, the top eight teams advance to the semifinal, where only the top four will make it to the final round. All finalists receive prizes, but only one group will be crowned the winner.
Although the event goes down in one night, it takes months of planning. The supervisors begin preparation during their training in August and GUTS typically occurs in November, though the 2025-26 event was moved to February.
Matt Clark, director of recreation at JCU, oversees the process but emphasizes that “we try to make it as student-run as we can.” His role in the event is to “facilitate the planning process and then the execution of it.” Clark helps the supervisors, all students who work in JCU Recreation, ensure the challenges they plan are all unique, challenging and safe.
Having worked in JCU Recreation since 2018, Clark sees GUTS as “a campus tradition and a bucket list item for a lot of students.” According to him, the most important thing is the experience of the students. “They’re gonna have a lot of fun. That’s our number one goal,” he said.
The most memorable experience in all of Clark’s years working GUTS actually comes from the first one he saw. After working for so long on the challenges, “seeing the finished product was really exciting,” he said.
He recalled the final challenge, where each team had to assemble a jigsaw puzzle after completing an obstacle course. Eventually, “all four of the teams made it back and were doing it at the same time,” and the result “came down to the wire.” Those moments of tension are what make GUTS an unforgettable experience for all involved.
More than anything, though, Clark sees GUTS as a great chance for students to not only “make some memories with their friends” but to “meet some new students along the way” as well. His ultimate hope is for Blue Streaks to look fondly back on the times they spent completing challenges with their friends.
To this day, GUTS remains one of JCU’s most fond traditions. “We’re always excited for it and it’s something that everybody looks forward to every year, so we enjoy it,” Clark said. After the challenges are completed and the prizes are awarded, it is the memory of the night that will last for ages.
