Photo By Sgt. Emily Knitter | Spc. Nicholas Todd, a radio telephone operator with Headquarters and Headquarters...... read more read more
BAGHDAD - “I feel terrible right now.” “I feel like crap.” “Right afterwards I wasn’t doing so well.”
Different soldiers made each of these remarks in the same morning and they all had another thing in common besides the pain—every one of them said it with a smile on their face.
Drenched in sweat and out of breath, they had just participated in the fifth annual “Fight Gone Bad,” Sept. 25 at Camp Liberty. The annual competition for CrossFit participants was a way to get everyone together to raise levels of fitness as well as money and awareness for different charities.
The competition began five years ago to support prostate cancer.
“For the first two years, (that) is what it was,” explained Lt. Col. Donald Clarkson, the anti-terrorism force protection chief for United States Forces – Iraq and founder of Centurion CrossFit at Ft. Hood, Texas, and a Memphis, Tenn., native. “The third year they added the Wounded Warrior Project which is when I got involved, because it is a cause that is near and dear to me, and it has just grown exponentially. The first two years I was involved we raised a little over half a million (dollars). Last year we raised about a million, so the goal this year was two million.”
The participants had to rotate through a circuit consisting of three five-minute rounds with a one minute break between each round, which included box jumps, dead lifts, tossing a 20-pound medicine ball against the wall, rowing the military press.
Three soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, United States Division – Center, competed together for their personal best scores, alongside other Soldiers and civilians from Victory Base Complex, not only to add some variety to their workout routine, but to support a cause they believe in and have close connection to.
“It’s a hard work out,” said Capt. Thomas Whitehead, commander for Co. B, 2nd Bn., 7th Inf. Regt., and a Wescosville, Pa., native. “It’s called ‘Fight Gone Bad’ because it is designed after a mixed martial arts fight. It is a horrible 20-minute workout, but you feel great when it's done.”
This year, donations were made to the Wounded Warrior Project, the Livestrong Foundation and a the CrossFit Foundation, which supports service members, law enforcement personnel, first responder communities and their families to enhance their quality of life and fitness, said Clarkson.
Although various CrossFit competitions take place fairly regularly at different venues during the year, the “Fight Gone Bad” charity occurs the last Friday in September across the United States and wherever there is interest.
“Regardless of whether it is going on in Iraq, Afghanistan, the (United) States or anywhere else in the world, I believe it is a good thing if it is benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project,” said Staff Sgt. Ryan Sarver, the fire support non-commissioned officer-in-charge for Co. B, 2nd Bn., 7th Inf. Regt., and a Stockbridge, Ga., native. “I actually have a pretty good friend of mine who was wounded over here a few years ago and lost his leg. It makes me feel good to be able to come out and support something that was able to support him.”
Almost all the participants do CrossFit on their own, and while they are no strangers to the program, they agreed the workout was much more intense on this particular morning.
The soldiers from Co. B, 2nd Bn., 7th Inf. Regt., turned the workout into a personal competition between them, encouraging each other to keep going, but also trying to ensure they didn't appear to fall behind.
“The first round wasn’t too bad, second round I knew I was feeling a little bit slower, but that third round was killing me, especially toward the end,” said 1st Lt. Benjamin Barnard, executive officer of Co. B, 2nd Bn., 7th Inf. Regt. “If I didn’t have a battle buddy yelling at me to keep going, I probably would have quit halfway through. I was trying not to look like crap in front of my (commanding officer).”
Whitehead spat the friendly banter right back. “I (got) to watch the executive officer from my company die out there with me, so that (kept) it exciting.”
The competition was just as successful with donations as it was on a physical level.
“We raised about $2,000 here at (Camp Liberty), and about $6,500 back at Ft. Hood, so a total combined effort for these guys here and my affiliate is a little over $8,000 right now,” Clarkson said.
At the end of the day, almost $1.4 million had had been raised worldwide for the three charities.
“[The charity] means a lot to me personally,” Barnard said. “I have had some friends and Family who have been killed in action before, and a lot of people from my hometown have been injured throughout the different wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Anything to help Soldiers, especially wounded soldiers, I don’t care what you gotta do, even if I have to come nearly kill myself; it is a good time.”
Being deployed brought the cause even closer to many of the participants' hearts.
"It means a lot more over here, because you are a part of that community," Clarkson said. "Even though you are in the military, you are a little more separated from it when you are in the [United States]. But when you are over here, obviously it is a little closer to home, something you see every day, people that are still being wounded or killed. It is a tangible benefit that is giving back to the people who support us."
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.01.2010 03:38 |
| Story ID: | 57285 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 86 |
| Downloads: | 6 |
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