Photo By Sgt. Laura Bonano | Prior service Master At Arms, Timothy Hughes, completes a push jerk, a weight lifting...... read more read more
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The gym, or “box” as CrossFitters like to call it, was eerily quiet as a group of athletes from CrossFit Tactical Strength, gathered to participate in a Hero Workout of the Day, in honor of Veterans Day, in Fort Wayne, Ind., Nov. 11.
“DT” is the name of the workout they completed, named after United States Airman, Staff Sgt. Timothy P. Davis. Davis, 28, was killed when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle, while deployed supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Feb. 20, 2009.
Anne Duncan, a coach at CrossFit Tactical Strength, prepared everyone for the workout ahead by reminding them why hero workouts exist. In CrossFit, there are various workouts named after heroes who have died in the line of duty, whether it is after service members, police officers, or firefighters.
Duncan, who had an uncle and a brother in the service, said doing the workouts named after individuals who have passed away gave her personal motivation.
“When I do these kinds of workouts, I tend to try to think to myself, If I can’t be in the military, if I wasn’t called to do that, I can do this, I can do one more repetition, I can endure this because it’s nothing compared to what service members have done for me,” said Duncan.
The workout is a brutal mix of different weight lifting movements, 12 deadlifts, nine hang power cleans and six push jerks. Athletes must complete five rounds of the movements in 15 minutes.
Prior service Army Sgt. Jason R. Brown, who completed the workout, said Veteran’s Day was one of his favorite days of the year. Brown, who served as a military police officer, said CrossFit has improved his physical fitness and agility. He said it has helped him in his civilian career as a police officer as well.
“I found that as I got older, I’m in my forties now, I felt my body was just wearing out and I was lacking energy and I do a job where I’m also on the SWAT team, so there’s a lot of movement involved and a lot of strenuous activity,” said Brown.
He said he felt like he had to do something to improve his fitness, and has found CrossFit has helped him.
“Coming in here and doing this workout is really motivating because it makes me reflect on my time in the service,” said Brown.
Brown said he has a lot of respect especially for Vietnam Veterans, many of whom were drafted during the war. “We have to celebrate and show other Veterans how much we appreciate them as well.”
Another prior service member, a Navy Master At Arms for the John F. Kennedy Air Craft Carrier, Tim Hughes, took part in the workout.
“For me, this day marks the day my grandfather passed away and he was the reason I joined the Navy,” said Hughes, also a police officer for the Fort Wayne Police Department. “I definitely dwelled on thoughts of him during the workout.”
As the clock ticked down and time ran out to complete the workout, all the athletes kept pushing through to get just one more set in. Sweat drenched and red in the face from the effort, a few collapsed, thankful to not only finish the workout, but also thankful for a day to remember and honor those who gave them the motivation to get there.
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2013 16:31 |
| Story ID: | 116955 |
| Location: | FORT WAYNE, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 145 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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