Korey Bromery Attempts to Qualify for the U.S. Army National Best Warrior Competition and CrossFit Semifinals in the Same Week
For most Quarterfinals athletes, next week revolves around four singular tests of fitness. For Korey Bromery, however, the Quarterfinal events will be the easiest part of his week.
That’s because the 37-year-old member of the U.S. National Guard and the owner of CrossFit Humidity in Beaufort, SC, is competing in the regional Best Warrior Competition in Kentucky the week leading up to Quarterfinals.
Bromery, who qualified for the regional Best Warrior event after winning his state competition, will be taking on eight other state winners in hopes of becoming the one competitor to qualify for the National Best Warrior Competition. After that, he will immediately turn around and hit the four Quarterfinals events to top off his week in hopes of qualifying for Semifinals in the Men’s 35-39-year-old division.
Remind me: The Best Warrior competition is an annual event by the United States Army to find the most skilled and proficient soldiers across various military occupational specialties.
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The regional competition in Kentucky features various physical and tactical tests, including the Army Combat Fitness test, which is itself a physical beatdown. It involves six tests: a three-rep max deadlift, a standing power throw, hand-release push-ups, a sprint-drag carry test, a plank test, and a two-mile run.
The week in Kentucky will also feature an undisclosed distance ruck run — which, based on the time frame given for the event, Bromery expects to be as long as 18 miles — a swimming event, four different obstacle courses, and military-specific events, such as medical, navigation, and various shooting tests.
“There is so much that will be involved […] and the more physically fit soldier is going to stand out,” said Bromery, who served in the Marines for 10 years before joining the National Guard seven years ago.
Bromery’s Quarterfinals Week
On Saturday, April 13, Bromery will fly to Nashville, TN, and then drive to Kentucky for the Best Warrior Competition that starts on Sunday.
After competing all week in the grueling military competition, he will fly home and land at midnight on Friday, April 19 — the day before the Quarterfinals. He will then turn around and hit the first two Quarterfinals events on Saturday.
“Then I’m going to take Sunday completely off, and I’m going to do the next two workouts on Monday,” he says. “It’s going to be one of those things where I’m just going to have to figure out how I’m going to recover fast because I’m going to be feeling pretty rough come Friday.”
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Bromery knows placing in the top 200 and qualifying for the Semis will be challenging with all he has on his plate. However, he placed 173rd in the world last year in the Age Group Quarterfinals, so he’s hoping his fitness and adrenaline will carry him through. Further, Bromery says he’s more of a Quarterfinals athlete than an Open athlete.
But if it doesn’t happen for him, that’s OK, too.
“If I don’t qualify [to Semifinals], I’m not going to be upset because I know what I’m putting my body through the week before,” he said.
The Big Picture
It would be easy for Bromery to put his CrossFit aspirations on hold this season for what he believes is a “once-in-a-lifetime” chance of qualifying for the National Best Warrior competition, but he’s up for the challenge.
He admitted he did consider “picking CrossFit back up next year,” but he wants to “lead by example.” Nineteen other members of his gym also qualified for Quarterfinals, and Bromery wants to show his support and be a part of it.
“I need to at least be there with them…And I just want to test myself,” he said humbly.
And if all goes well, Bromery might just find himself moving forward in two prestigious competitions by the end of next weekend.
Featured image: @ssg_bromery_scarng / Instagram