Everyday Hero Games Allows The CrossFit Community To Continue To Celebrate Those Who Serve
Those who serve our community have always been central to CrossFit.
Over the years, the CrossFit boxes and other organizations have hosted workouts, competitions, and fundraisers to support everyday local heroes including firefighters, law enforcement officers, educators, emergency and medical personnel, and those in the armed forces.
In 2021, CrossFit took that recognition to another level by officially including “The Occupational Games” in the CrossFit Games season. The virtual competition allowed for athletes to fight for the title of fittest in their profession. In 2022, CrossFit continued the tradition and expanded divisions to include even more everyday heroes.
However, in 2023, CrossFit announced they would no longer be hosting the Occupational Games, which had traditionally fallen between Quarterfinals and Semifinals. Upon hearing this, Rich Froning’s CrossFit Mayhem knew they had to do something.
- “It was actually Rich’s idea when he saw that the Occupational Games were not going to happen,” said Jake Lockert, President of Mayhem Nation and Director of Mayhem Athlete.
- “We initially had the idea to do something locally for our first responders with a heavier focus for beginners and those who don’t necessarily do CrossFit,” he continued.
- “Then we saw occupational games weren’t happening and Rich thought, let’s just do that,” Lockert concluded.
Thus, Mayhem’s Everyday Hero Games was born. This year, athletes across six professions will compete virtually for the title of “fittest” over the course of three days.
The details: This year, Mayhem’s Everyday Hero Games will run from May 5-7 in a virtual style competition through the SugarWOD app. The competition is free to enter through a seven-day trial on SugarWOD and there will be cash prizes for each category.
Who can sign up?: This year’s competition will feature six professions of everyday heroes, including:
- Firefighter
- Law Enforcement Officers
- First Responders
- Military Personnel
- Medical Professionals
- Educators
Mayhem has also created a seventh category of “other” for those who don’t fall into any of the above categories but still wish to compete and support those who serve our community. This category will not be eligible for the cash prize, but will still be a fun way for those who want to get involved.
What equipment is needed?: In their first attempt at hosting this virtual competition, Mayhem has committed to keeping it simple.
- “We want to keep it simple this year,” said Lockert. We want really good workouts. When people see the workouts, people are going to think this is really appropriate for the Everyday Hero Games,” he continued.
In the spirit of keeping it simple, all participants in the Everyday Hero Games only need what is listed on the 2023 CrossFit Open Equipment list.
- “We want to make great events that are fun to do and easy for the gym to handle,” Lockert added.
Fitness For All: In the spirit of keeping the Everyday Hero Games accessible and approachable for all, including those with limited CrossFit experience, the Mayhem team is offering a number of scaling options for those who choose to compete. While competitors wishing to compete for the cash prize must complete the workouts as written, there will be two additional scaled divisions to give everyone a chance to compete regardless of their ability level.
- “Chief” (Rx Division)
- Officer
- Recruit
The big picture: At the end of the day, the Everyday Hero Games are really just an extension of the Mayhem Values and what Froning, Lockert, and their team love to do.
- “Our core values are faith, family, fitness, and service,” said Lockert, acknowledging that this competition was an incredible way to combine the last two elements.
“We’re just thankful for all our everyday heroes and we want to make it about them,” he added.
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