Marines engage students during USMC Sports Leadership Academy

Photo By Cpl. Terry Haynes | Staff Sgt. Nicholas Lawrence, a Marine Corps recruiter with Recruiting Substation Pensacola, jumps out of the way as students perform a bear crawl during the USMC Sports Leadership Academy at Pensacola High School, Pensacola, Florida, Oct. 24, 2019. The purpose of the academy is to create events that promote physical readiness and leadership training. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Terry Haynes)  

PENSACOLA, FL, UNITED STATES

10.24.2019

Story by Cpl. Terry Haynes 

6th Marine Corps District

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Marine recruiters from Recruiting Substation Pensacola participated in the USMC Sports Leadership Academy at Pensacola High School, Oct. 24.

The event is a partnership between Brainbox, a digital marketing company based in Lexington, Kentucky, and the Marine Corps. The purpose of the academy is to create events that promote physical readiness and leadership training.

“I think these events are beneficial because they get Marines into schools as opposed to the more traditional way,” said Madison Fyffe, an event director with Brainbox. “This allows the Marines to have face-to-face interactions with administrators, teachers and students that you normally wouldn’t be able to.”

The Marines set up multiple exercise stations in the school’s gym, where hundreds of students participated in different Marine Corps-inspired workouts, such as a modified Combat Fitness Test, sprints with ammo cans and a pull-up contest.

“We have done over 440 events just like this in the past few years since we started this partnership,” said Riley Clem, an activation manager with Brainbox. “These events are so beneficial because it lets people who don’t understand what the Marine Corps does to get a brief glimpse into the lifestyle.”

Pensacola High School will compete with other schools in the region, and the winner will be presented a trophy by the Marine Corps and Brainbox.

“I feel like the academy is way more than just a recruiting tool,” Clem said. “It’s great for fostering a strong community relationship. Interacting with the Marines adds one more positive influence into these kids’ lives in certain areas that they wouldn’t normally have -- and molds them into a better person overall, hopefully."

• Date Taken: 10.24.2019
• Date Posted: 10.31.2019 16:58
• Story ID: 349579
• Location: PENSACOLA, FL, US