Richland County Sheriff’s Department bench press challenge adds sponsors

Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s one-time 250 Bench Press Challenge is drawing new sponsors and athletes as Columbia-area gyms and law enforcement agencies prepare for events tied to America’s 250th birthday. The competition runs June 28 to July 3, with a public media event set for July 2 at R1CrossFit. Why it matters: - The RCSD 250 Bench Press Challenge is turning a local fitness event into a broader community showcase tied to America’s 250th birthday. - New sponsors and gym partners suggest the event is gaining momentum across the Midlands strength and law-enforcement communities. - The challenge also serves as a fundraiser-style visibility event for participating gyms, deputies, athletes, and supporting organizations. What happened: - The Richland County Sheriff’s Department added four new sponsors in recent weeks for its 250 Bench Press Challenge. - Three additional gyms joined the effort to help verify athletes’ lifts. - The event runs June 28 through July 3, with a media event on July 2 and a conclusion on July 3. - The public is invited to the media event at R1CrossFit in Columbia. The details: - Participants must bench-press 250 pounds raw, on a flat bench, with a free Olympic bar, for at least one repetition. - Multiple reps will be counted for a final champions list. - The list will include each successful participant’s name, age and number of repetitions. - All lifts must be verified by RCSD deputies or gym staff and trainers at participating gyms. - One Life Fitness-Sandhills in Columbia is the primary verification site. - The media event will be held Thursday, July 2, from noon to 2 p.m. at R1CrossFit, 201 Columbia Mall Blvd, Columbia, S.C. 29223. - RCSD deputies are slated to lift at the July 2 media event. - The presenting sponsor is Lorick Office Products. - Lorick President Jeanne Lorick Brutschy is the wife of Bruce Brutschy, a 10th-degree black belt who plans to lift at least 250 pounds on June 28. - Other sponsors include Columbia Flag & Sign, the S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame and One Life Fitness. - Additional participating and verifying gyms include Warrior Axe CrossFit in northeast Columbia, The Original Gym in northeast Columbia and Wolf’s Gym in Lexington. - Current participants include gym staff, strength coaches, Midlands-area powerlifters, several RCSD deputy sheriffs, several S.C. Department of Natural Resources game wardens and the chief deputy solicitor for South Carolina’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office. - RCSD is not the only law enforcement agency hosting a 250 bench-press challenge for America’s 250th birthday; Manheim Township Police Department in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is holding one on Saturday, June 27. - The RCSD challenge is open to all participants from June 28 through July 3. - The event comes one day before the Ryan Rawl Memorial Workout, which RCSD will host on the morning of Independence Day at the South Carolina State House grounds. Between the lines: - The challenge blends fitness, civic pride and law-enforcement branding into a single, highly visible July 4th-weekend event. - The 250-pound benchmark is designed to mirror the America’s 250th birthday theme and create a memorable standard that is easy to market and track. - The added sponsors and gyms show the event is functioning as a regional network builder, not just a one-off competition. - The NFL Scouting Combine requires prospects to bench-press 225 pounds for max reps, which puts RCSD’s challenge 25 pounds above that well-known benchmark. What’s next: - Athletes will continue training through the end of June and into the July 3 close. - RCSD will verify lifts at participating gyms and at the July 2 media event. - The department will release a final bench press champions list after the event concludes. - The July 4 Ryan Rawl Memorial Workout will follow on the South Carolina State House grounds. The bottom line: - RCSD’s 250 Bench Press Challenge is becoming a multi-organization, weeklong celebration that uses strength competition to mark America’s semiquincentennial.