Halie Wetherington
reporter@greenepublishing.com
On Saturday, Dec. 10, a group of athletes from the local Champion Fitness gym traveled to Tallahassee,
Fla., to compete in a CrossFit competition. This competition was not just a regular CrossFit event.
Every athlete or team carried a one pound weight throughout the entire day and every weight had the name, picture, department, end of watch date and cause of death of a fallen officer, for whom they were competing. The Battle for the Brave competition was meant to pay tribute to those protecting the community, and to remind athletes to compete for something bigger than themselves.
Competitors Jennifer Harper, Ella Howard and Michele Stout attended the event, along with other members from
Champion Fitness. Stout commended the efforts of 
those in charge of the event, saying, “It was a very well put together competition.” She also got to see her improvements from last year's
performance.
As this competition was a tribute to law enforcement and first responders, the workouts also included some training tactics and physical tests that are used in those fields. The variation between those physical tests and CrossFit competitions increased the intensity of the events.
There were 65 teams in the entire competition, with various teams competing at each level. Christina Paz and Jennifer Harper placed sixth out of 19 teams in the Functional Fitness Division, while Ella Howard and Michele Stout placed tenth out of 19 teams in the Intermediate Division. “Even though we did not place in the top three, we are still proud of our performance because we know we have improved from last year,” said Howard. “It was an honor to compete in the competition because of the meaning behind it.”