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Battle of the Badges brings out athletes
Painted Barn Media photos from Battle of the Badges
Over 100 of the best athletes in the Southeast gathered Saturday to compete for the Battle of the Badges. The fourth annual event, put together and held by Highland Rim CrossFit, was a huge success, with victors crowned and a huge fundraiser to benefit Warren County Food Bank.
“It went great. We had a great turnout and everybody seemed to enjoy the new building,” said John Upchurch, owner of Highland Rim CrossFit, which relocated to Faulkner Springs Road the day before the competition.
Upchurch was happy to report that the event raised over $3,000 for the Warren County Food Bank. The staff was also able to collect over 250 canned goods, all of which will be donated before the holiday season.
As for the action, it was fast and furious for nearly eight hours as athletes competed for the crown in six different divisions. There were divisions for men’s teams, women’s teams and mixed teams, all which were separated in scaled or Rx divisions.
None of the teams knew when they showed up what the workouts would be, something Upchurch believes makes CrossFit so satisfying to competitors.
“There is a feeling of the unknown and the unknowable. You have to come prepared for anything,” said Upchurch.
There was plenty of lifting, pull-ups of all varieties, cycling, running and so much more before winners were announced. At the end of the day, the athletes were physically exhausted, but mentally jacked to celebrate victories.
The final standings were:
Women’s Scaled:
1. 3, 2, 1, ... NO!
2. Chalk Dirty to Me
3. AMRAP-TORS
Women’s Rx:
1. Hardly Athletic
2. 50 Shades of Slay
3. Scaled was Full
Men’s Scaled:
1. Cobra Kai
2. The Old Guys
3. Barnes Training Grounds
Men’s Rx:
1. CFR Goons
2. K Squared Fitness
3. PPG Dayton
Mixed Scaled:
1. That Team
2. We Ain't Here for the Thrusters
3. War Room Warriors
Mixed Rx:
1. Vitality Fit
2. Salute the Glutes
3. Fat and Flexy
The event featured several local competitors, including team Flexicution (Ivan Verdel and Cynthia Huber), Tang Bots (Duane Farnham and Sparta’s Caleb Matthews), Is It Over Yet? (Michael Carr and Pete Geesling), The Old Guys (Aaron Roberts and Terry Allen) and Booty & the Beast (Kenzi Walkup and Woodbury’s Dalton Bates).
Plans are already in the works for next year’s event, as well as more big events to be held at Highland Rim CrossFit’s new location – 1113 Faulkner Springs Road, McMinnville. To participate in CrossFit, check out the Highland Rim CrossFit page and contact Upchurch!