INDIAN LAND, S.C. — Athletes from across the Charlotte area will gear and up workout for a good cause this fall.
The 12th annual Beers and Burpees charity event will be held on Oct. 1, with registration opening on March 28. The event will host more than 80 local gyms, including CrossFit, Burn Boot Camp, ISI, F45 and more.
Thousands of people from the ever-growing Charlotte fitness community will come together to work out, drink beer and raise money for children with life-altering medical circumstances.
All of the proceeds will go to The Changing Lives Together (CLT) Foundation whose mission is to enrich and change the lives of kids with special needs.
Mike Dascal said when he first started Beers and Burpees, he knew he wanted to keep all of the money raised in Charlotte. Nine years into the event, he met a young boy with cancer, who despite dying from the disease, inspired Dascal to make Beers and Burpees even bigger.
"It really was a call for action for us to do a little bit more," Dascal said. "We started our own foundation with a primary mission to do college scholarships to continue the fight that Jordan wasn't able to."
Dascal said Beers and Burpees actually started at his house as a party for some friends. The event kept getting bigger and bigger until it was eventually turned into a charity event.
"It's a great time for people to come together, do some exercises and still have a great time doing it as well," Dascal said.
The event is broken up into regular heats and competition heats. The competition heats will have judges that are watching the athletes and making sure they are completing each of the movements properly.
"In those divisions (competition), beer is required," Dascal said. "But most of the people do the regular divisions and beer is optional for them."
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Dascal said the main goal of the event is to just come out together, have some drinks with friends and raise money for a good cause.
"They're just out here really to have a good time to raise money for the local kids here in the community," Dascal said.
The energy level at Beers and Burpees is incredible, according to Dascal, but the best part is watching all of the kids, and getting to know their stories.
"You get to see who you're raising money for," Dascal said. "The kids come to the event and we get to see who we're sponsoring, we get to really see where the money goes."
Even if you aren't a great athlete, Beers and Burpees has a place for you to compete.
"We have 1,500 people come in here. Most of the events don't have judges," Dascal said. "We're just out here to have a good time. Nobody's watching you."
Beers and Burpees charity event
THE WORKOUT - STANDARD / COMPETITIVE:
- All exercises and drinking (optional for standard, required for competitive) can be split any way between the two partners, except for the 400-meter run, which both partners have to complete each round.
- Only one person per team can be working out at a time.
- If drinking, each team will be given three cans of beer (36 ounces).
- Those beers will be divided up equally in four cups and drank at four different times during the workout.
Drink a Cup of Beer (optional for standard, required for competitive)
First round of Workout:
- 400-meter run
- 25 box jumps
- 25 slam balls
- 25 burpees
- 25 slam ball thrusters (or Pull-Ups for Competitive Division)***
Drink a Cup of Beer (optional for standard, required for competitive)
Second round of Workout: same as above.
Drink a Cup of Beer (optional for standard, required for competitive)
Third round of Workout: same as above.
Drink a Cup of Beer (optional for standard, required for competitive)
Time Cap of 25 minutes
Beers and Burpees also have an adaptive athletes category, which will be free for those kids and adults.
Our event recognizes that Adaptive Athletes have additional expenses that they incur from medical bills, transportation costs, specialized childcare, etc. and we want this event to be an inclusive environment where finances are not another obstacle for them.
Event Details:
Price includes a free t-shirt (men) and tank top (women)
Six beers per team (if over 21) plus other giveaways.
PRICING for a Team of 2 people:
Regular Division - $99/team (after April 8 goes to $115)
Competitive Division - $119/team (after April 8 goes to $135) Teens - $80 Kids - $30 per kid (1:40 p.m. heat only) (Walk-ups are allowed the day of the event)
Adaptive Athletes - Free
Don't drink? No problem, sign up for the regular division where drinking is optional and exercises can be modified.
Location: Indian Land CrossFit (9949 Old Bailes Road, Fort Mill, SC
Contact Meilin at mtompkins@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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