The Hopkinsville Police Department and Hopkinsville Fire Department teamed up Saturday morning to host the first-ever “Work out with Us,” bringing first responders and community members together at CrossFit Serenity.
The event offered residents a chance to work out alongside police officers and firefighters in a relaxed, non-emergency setting while showcasing the collaboration between the two departments.
Hopkinsville Police Public Information Officer Colette Marfil said the idea was inspired by similar outreach efforts she had seen elsewhere.
“I’ve actually seen some departments do community events like this where they invite community members to work out in their police department gym,” Marfil said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in this area, and I thought it would be really fun, especially if we included the fire department, just so we can show the community that we really do work together on and off duty and this would be just a fun way to hang out, work out, and just be fit.”
Marfil said the first workout drew a strong turnout and could become a recurring event.
“I think we had a pretty good turnout for our first one,” she said. “So I think Payton and I are probably going to maybe do this once or twice a year. If it starts to pick up after that, maybe quarterly.”
CrossFit Serenity coach Jessica Otte said the gym focuses on creating a welcoming environment for people of all fitness levels.
“At CrossFit Serenity, we really look at more of that family aspect,” Otte said. “You’re coming here to work out, but you’re also coming here because we have an uplifting amount of people here.”
Otte said that workouts can be modified to meet individual needs.
“A lot of times people think CrossFit, and they think it has to be a high amount of crazy movements,” she said. “There’s a lot of people that do those movements, but then there’s a lot of people that just do modified movements.”
Hopkinsville Fire Department Public Information Officer Payton Rogers said the event served as a unique outreach opportunity.
“[Marfil] reached out towards the end of the year and was like, hey, I have this idea for doing a workout, and I want you guys included,” he said.
Rogers said more than 30 community members participated and that events like this help build stronger connections.
“I think events like this kind of humanize us a little bit,” he said. “It just humanizes the person behind the badge or the person behind the uniform, and we’re just normal people.”
Organizers said future workouts are being considered later this year, especially as residents look to kickstart New Year’s fitness goals.
