CrossFit competition expands mission

File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF CrossFit athletes do part of a workout named in honor of Chis Kyle, the slain U.S. Navy SEAL sniper.
File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF CrossFit athletes do part of a workout named in honor of Chis Kyle, the slain U.S. Navy SEAL sniper.

BENTONVILLE -- Tiger Stadium will buzz with activity Friday as the opening for CrossFit NWA and Junk Brands' Mid America Championships kick off three days that celebrate family, fitness and freedom.

The multi-day festival Elevate NWA also will seek to bring attention to military service men and women and veterans as well as raise money for Guardians for Heroes Foundation, organizers said.

Ticket prices for the CrossFit Mid America Championships are $10 each day or $25 for a three-day pass.

For more information, including a detailed schedule, and to buy tickets for the competition and MercyMe concert, visit www.elevatenwa.com.

Source: Staff Report

U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle founded Guardians for Heroes as a way help service men and women coming home from combat stay physically fit by offering gym memberships, in-home equipment as well as life coaching and other support for them and their families.

Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in U.S. military history, according to the foundation's website. His story is told in the bestselling book American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. History, which was adapted into the movie American Sniper in 2014.

Kyle was fatally shot in 2013. Jeff Kyle, Chris Kyle's brother, serves on the foundation's board.

Jeff Kyle, along with other military veterans and adaptive athletes, will enter Tiger Stadium in Special Forces helicopters, according to Robert Davis, one of the event's organizers. The adaptive athletes are veterans who have been injured in service.

Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., and 3rd District Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers., are expected to attend the opening that begins at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

There will be five adaptive athletes who will participate in the CrossFit competition Saturday, said Beau Barrett, owner of Junk Brands. Two professional CrossFit athletes will coach them.

This is the second year Junk Brands and CrossFit NWA will host the Mid America Championships in Bentonville. There were about 250 athletes who competed last year. There's about 300 competitors this year, Barrett said. They come from across the country, but mostly from surrounding states such as Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana.

Athletes will compete in teams of six. At least one member has to be at least 40 years old, said Lee Kelly, owner of CrossFit NWA. Adaptive athletes will compete in their own division.

Organizers expect anywhere between 2,500 to 5,000 spectators over the three days.

"The goal this year is to have a large impact on Guardians for Heroes," Barrett said.

The Christian band MercyMe will perform at Cross Church at Pinnacle Hills in Rogers on Friday night. Tickets range from $30 to $70, according to the Elevate NWA website.

There will be an electronic raffle and auction at the concert for meet and greet tickets to meet the band, Davis said. That money, as well as the net proceeds, will go to the Guardians for Heroes Foundation.

Concert attendance is expected to be 2,000 people. There were about 400 tickets left, Davis said Wednesday morning.

Saturday largely will consist of the CrossFit competition at Tiger Stadium.

William Green, a former NFL player, will lead a Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapel service at Tiger Stadium on Sunday morning. The CrossFit awards will be presented midday, and worship bands from local churches will perform from 2 to 6 p.m.

"We have a whole weekend of things," said Barry Lunney, one of the organizers. "It's a way to show service men and women that Northwest Arkansas is behind them."

NW News on 09/03/2015

Upcoming Events