NEWS
A Workout for “A Good Paws”
CrossFit Davidson held a Community Workout to benefit Continuing the Mission.
Saturday morning a big crowd gathered at CrossFit Davidson. Folks of all ages were on hand to get a really good “Community Workout”. . .and more.
Out for the run/walk portion of the workout.
Staff, volunteers, and host families with Continuing the Mission (CTM) were there too, and yes – there were even a few 4-legged furry friends. CTM, a Davidson nonprofit, would benefit from the morning’s fundraiser. From the CTM website:
“Established in March of 2016, Continuing the Mission (CTM) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing fully trained Assistance Dogs at no cost to qualifying Veterans. We have established a birth-to-placement model that immerses our dogs in continuous social and functional activities starting at 8-10 weeks of age.”
CrossFit Davidson owner and Head Coach Sam Higgins welcomed everyone into the gym located at 305 Depot Street. Higgins started CrossFit roughly 8 years ago, and she credits the program with helping her regain control of her mental health as well as her physical fitness.
Before they began their workout, Higgins asked the crowd to face the American flag hanging on the wall, and she proceeded to belt out an amazing rendition of the National Anthem.
Participants of all ages were part of the event.
Members of the staff and a few “CrossFit kids” demonstrated the proper way to do the exercises. The morning workout was done in pairs with the teams of two completing 7 rounds of the following exercises: 200m run or walk, 14 squats, 7 lunges, 14 sit ups, 14 squat jumps, and 7 burpees. At the end of all that, they finished up with a longer run/walk.
The walking/running portions of the workout were done outside, with participants running up to the railroad tracks and around the old Linden Mill.
Thirty minutes after they began, the clock ticked down and the event concluded. Some had completed all the scheduled events while others completed most. In either case, everyone got a great workout.
As their cooldowns began, so did the educational part of the morning. Suzy Lutz introduced several of the dogs in training, and most importantly, described how and why they train dogs for specific tasks.
CTM Trainer Cortney Owens and one of the dogs in training.
CTM trainer Cortney Owens showed how she trains the puppies to pick up dropped objects, turn on light switches, get between the Veteran and a crowd, as well as how they can learn to intervene when they see their veteran under stress.
Following the training demonstration, a raffle raised more than $6000 for CTM. Beyond raising money, the folks at CTM are always glad to raise awareness about their efforts as well as how people should respond – and not respond – when encountering a working service dog.
No words needed. . .