Korey Bromery Attempts to Qualify for the U.S. Army National Best Warrior Competition and CrossFit Semifinals within the Same Week

For most Quarterfinals athletes, next week revolves around 4 singular tests of fitness. For Korey Bromery, nevertheless, the Quarterfinal events will probably be the best a part of his week.

That’s since the 37-year-old member of the U.S. National Guard and the owner of CrossFit Humidity in Beaufort, SC, is competing within the regional Best Warrior Competition in Kentucky the week leading as much as Quarterfinals.

Bromery, who qualified for the regional Best Warrior event after winning his state competition, will probably be taking over eight other state winners in hopes of becoming the one competitor to qualify for the National Best Warrior Competition. After that, he’ll immediately turn around and hit the 4 Quarterfinals events to top off his week in hopes of qualifying for Semifinals within the Men’s 35-39-year-old division.

Remind me: The Best Warrior competition is an annual event by the United States Army to search out essentially the most expert and proficient soldiers across various military occupational specialties.

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 may even feature an undisclosed distance ruck run — which, based on the time-frame given for the event, Bromery expects to be so long as 18 miles — a swimming event, 4 different obstacle courses, and military-specific events, similar to medical, navigation, and various shooting tests.

“There is a lot that will probably be involved […] and the more physically fit soldier goes to face out,” said Bromery, who served within 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, after which drive to Kentucky for the Best Warrior Competition that starts on Sunday.

After competing all week within the grueling military competition, he’ll fly home and land at midnight on Friday, April 19 — the day before the Quarterfinals. He will then turn around and hit the primary two Quarterfinals events on Saturday.

“Then I’m going to take Sunday completely off, and I’m going to do the following two workouts on Monday,” he says. “It’s going to be one among those things where I’m just going to must work out how I’m going to get better fast because I’m going to be feeling pretty rough come Friday.”

Bromery knows placing in the highest 200 and qualifying for the Semis will probably be difficult with all he has on his plate. However, he placed 173rd on the planet last yr within 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 occur for him, that’s OK, too.

“If I don’t qualify [to Semifinals]I’m not going to be upset because I do know what I’m putting my body through the week before,” he said.

The Big Picture

It could be easy for Bromery to place his CrossFit aspirations on hold this season for what he believes is a “once-in-a-lifetime” probability 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 yr,” but he desires to “lead by example.” Nineteen other members of his gym also qualified for Quarterfinals, and Bromery wants to indicate his support and be an element of it.

“I want to at the very least be there with them…And I just need to test myself,” he said humbly.

And if all goes well, Bromery might just find himself moving forward in two prestigious competitions by the tip of next weekend.