Competition to help veterans reach new limits returns for 3rd year
CINCINNATI (WXIX) - The third Six Service Challenge is bringing veterans from all branches together to help them reach new limits.
“So, the Six Service Challenge is a 10-week physical activity challenge between veterans and their branch of service,” explains Cincinnati VA Medical Center health coordinator Mark Schibi.
Whether they are looking to enhance physical fitness or maintain a healthy lifestyle, the program is designed with flexibility in mind.
The Cincinnati VA Medical Center started the challenge in 2024.
From community walks to a trip to the grocery store, it provides a variety of options to keep veterans engaged and involved.
“We have added community walks each week over these 10 weeks at the main hospital location, the Norwood location, and the Hamilton location,” Schibi says.
This year’s competition will start the first week of March.
Organizers say they are excited to continue this challenge because of the positive impact it’s had on veterans.
“There was one veteran,” Schibi remembers, “She was saying that before this she wasn’t even able to really walk to her mailbox and back without being feeling too taxed. And since she was meeting with other people, she met other people that had those same challenges. And now she still continues a weekly walk with this group.”
There are a couple of ways to win the challenge.
“So, the first way to win is the branch of service with the most number of steps,” says Schibi. “We did this last year in a challenge and one thing that’s added this year is another way to win is consistency.”
While the main focus of the challenge is to get veterans in shape, organizers say it is bringing service members together.
The Six Service Challenge is free to all veterans.
The enrollment period ends Feb. 25.
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