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Photo Information

Lance Cpl. Brandon Gitz executes a tire flip aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Aug, 4, to prepare for the Ultimate Tactical Athlete competition. As the top scoring Male competitor, Gitz is invited to compete in the next round at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif. Gitz is a cryogenics equipment operator with Marine Aviation Logisitics Squadron 31, Marine Aircraft Group 31.. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Lovy/released)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Lovy

MCAS Beaufort crowns HITT champions

5 Aug 2015 | Lance Cpl. Jonah Lovy Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

The Tactical Athlete Competition, hosted by Marine Corps Community Services, was held at the fitness center aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort July 28-29.

Twenty-nine Marines from MCAS Beaufort competed in challenges based on the rigorous fundamentals of the High Intensity Tactical Training program. The course included several cone drills, a standing broad jump, a kneeling power ball throw, a 400 yard tactical course, and a kettlebell and burpee challenge.

The top scoring female was Staff Sgt. Marissa Grudowski, a mobile facilities technician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 31, Marine Aircraft Group 31.

Grudowski is an Olympic style weight lifter who recently started high intensity training.

“I’m very excited for the next round of competition,” said Grudowski. “I’m going to go out there and represent the base, and hopefully come out on top.”

The male with the highest score was Lance Cpl. Brandon Gitz, a cryogenics equipment operator for MALS-31.

“It was a good time,” said Gitz. “I really enjoy exercising, so I decided I would just try it and have some fun, but I ended up winning.”

            Gitz says he is  already preparing himself for the next round of competition.

“I’ll go on runs with other Marines and work out at the gym,” Gitz said. “I really enjoy being physically fit and pushing myself to do better.”

The winners are invited to compete in the final event at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif. Sept. 16.

Marines from more than 22 Marine Corps installations will compete for the title of Ultimate Tactical Athlete, said Jonathan Hutchison, the HITT coordinator aboard Parris Island Recruit Depot.

The final event will consist of HITT challenges similar to the ones Marines executed in the preliminary competition, said Hutchison. The exact schedule of events is kept secret by the event coordinators.

This is the first year Fightertown held the Ultimate Tactical Athlete competition but Hutchison says he has big plans for the future.

He hopes to eventually include all branches of service in the competition and possibly hold multiple events a year.

“The winners aboard the air station will be training hard to prepare for finals,” said Hutchison. “They will represent Beaufort well.”