by Dan Hupke, Head Coach, Krave Gym Waukee
CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE ON OUR LOCAL NEWS!! SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETES TRAIN TOGETHER WITH LOCAL GYM.
On Saturday, March 2nd, 2019, the first-ever Special Olympics Iowa and Krave Gym “Train Together” event was held at Krave Gym West Des Moines. This event rose out of our partnership with Special Olympics Iowa for our Conditioned 2 Conquer season here at Krave Gym, and is the third and final event we will have participated in this season. This event saw 20 Special Olympics Athletes and 20 Krave Gym athletes and coaches training together in a specially designed, relay-style circuit training session that included rowing, agility, a med ball toss, striking, and strength events. The events were designed to mimic a mini-Olympics of sorts, and had 6 teams of Special Olympic athletes and Krave Gym athletes, each led by a Krave Gym coach, competing to win.
Even though this event was set up to be a friendly competition, and scores were kept and a winner was declared, it is my belief that every single person present was a winner that day. And they were winners because this event afforded everyone involved with the opportunity to participate, and be included in something that made them feel as if they belonged to something bigger than themselves. This feeling of belonging, and of being included, is a feeling that each and every one of us yearns for, whether we realize it or not. We are social beings, and when we are so fortunate as to have the opportunity to feel like we belong, one of our core needs as sentient beings is met, and we can feel fulfilled and satisfied.
And that is exactly the feeling that I know in my heart I, and everyone else involved that day, felt. Fulfilled. We had done something real, something tangible and self-evident, that would leave a positive and lasting impact in the hearts and minds of the Special Olympic athletes and the Krave coaches and athletes that participated in the event. This event was an overdose of feel-good and I must say, I walked out of the gym that day smiling from ear to ear, and it was because I knew that I had done something pure and real that provided other people with that feeling of belonging.
This event is a perfect example of what sets Krave apart from every other gym, and why I have decided to dedicate my time and passion into seeing this brand thrive. Every season, Krave has a different “Train with Purpose” partner that provides coaches and athletes in the Krave community with opportunities to engage in philanthropic activities that benefit their community in partnership with local non-profit organizations. The Special Olympics Iowa and Krave Gym “Train Together” event was one of the many opportunities that Krave Gym facilitates for its coaches and athletes to get involved and take an active role in their community throughout the year. As a team at Krave, this contribution is what strengthens our relationships with each other and with local organizations, strengthens our communities as a whole, and brings about that feeling of belonging to something bigger than just yourself.
At Krave Gym, we are a T.E.A.M, because together, everyone achieves more!
