In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Each year, during that week, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
My first ever experience with National Police Week came in May of 2016. In 2015, I was a sergeant assigned to Post 1, Mayfield, where I was also assigned with the task of being the Field Training Officer Coordinator. Trooper Eric Chrisman and Trooper Joseph (Cameron) Ponder were two of the troopers with whom I was tasked with supervising in that role. There was less than 3 months which separated their tragic line-of-duty deaths and to say our Post struggled through that time, would be the understatement of the century.
As a result, I wanted to be in Washington, DC when their names were added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial. I have been back every year since then, with this year being the exception. Due to the Cadet Class reporting on Sunday, May 12th, I will not be able to make my annual trip to the Memorial Service. I will be there in spirit, though, and you better believe we will honor our fallen brothers and sisters right here in Frankfort, KY. I encourage each of you to do the same. In honor of each of our fallen heroes who should be honored this week, it would be impossible to do every one of the Hero WODs we have designed for them. So, we took it upon ourselves to create a Hero WOD to honor all 31 (see below).
Hero WOD: "THE 31"
31 Minute AMRAP:
200 Meter Run
31x Burpees
200 Meter Run
31x Pull-ups
200 Meter Run
31x Wall Balls (20/14)
200 Meter Run
31x Box Jump Overs (24/20)
200 Meter Run
31x Kettlebell Swings (1.5 Pood/1 Pood)
200 Meter Run
31x Push-ups
200 Meter Run
31x Toes-to-Bar
200 Meter Run
31x Air Squats
In observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day, this workout has been posted for Wednesday, May 15, 2019, as the workout of the day. The 31 minute time and 31 rep theme of the workout are to honor each of the individual heroes that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our Agency. Additionally, the 200 Meter Runs are to honor the 200 years of combined service they provided to keep others safe, while putting service above self.
The opportunity to honor those who have paid this sacrifice through our PT regimen is, without doubt, one of the reasons I am so driven by my passion for Thin Gray Line CrossFit. I hope each of you find time to fit this workout into your weeks during this upcoming week. We have plenty of reasons to honor these folks, and I believe you will find satisfaction in knowing you were a part of it. Good luck, and don't forget to post a picture to your social media accounts with #the31 attached to it!
