CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Eighteen teams gave it their all at the NXPT fitness studio in Chula Vista Saturday as they lifted heavy for a good cause.
The third annual 5721 Fitness Throwdown was put on by the non-profit Filipino American Law Enforcement Officer Association, or FALEO. Every year, the event raises money for the Jonathan DeGuzman Scholarship Fund which helps high-performing underrepresented students in the South Bay.
NXPT Coach Jereke Armstrong competed in Saturday's fitness throwdown.
"All the teams that sign up pay a fee and the fee and goes to the foundation," Armstrong said. "But while we're here, we're all competing in different heats, so there's different heats based off of male-and-male, male-and-female partners or female-and-female partners. Every exercise is done with your partner, and you're competing for a score at the end."
The annual event honors former San Diego Police Officer Jonathan, or JD DeGuzman. He was shot and killed in the line of duty in 2016. DeGuzman served with the police department for 16 years and was a Sergeant at Arms with FALEO- San Diego Chapter.
"I think it's a great cause, it honors not only him and his foundation, but also other heroes who have fallen in the line of duty," Armstrong said.
Saturday's fundraiser came just weeks after SDPD Officer Austin Machitar was killed in a high-speed chase. He was 30-years-old and was a five-year veteran with the San Diego Police Department. His partner, Zachary Martinez, was severely injured in the crash but was recently released from the hospital.
"So FALEO got together, we had this event coming up, and we said, hey let's see how we can help out," FALEO President Christopher Cruz said. "So this year, we're donating a portion of the proceeds to both families."
The Jonathan DeGuzman Scholarship application closes Monday at midnight. You can find the application here.
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